Kanji stroke order
Kanji are written in a fixed stroke order. The basic rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before a crossing vertical, and an enclosing box is closed last. Type a kanji below to see its exact order.
Example – 書 (write), 10 strokes:
Stroke order rules
- Top to bottom: 三 is written from the top stroke down.
- Left to right: 川 starts with the left stroke.
- Horizontal before vertical when they cross: 十 starts with 一.
- Outside before inside, but close the box last: 国 – frame, inside, bottom line.
- Centre before the sides when they are symmetrical: 小 starts in the middle.
These are guidelines; some kanji have exceptions, which the lookup shows.
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