![永](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/%E6%B0%B8.png)
CJK strokes () are the calligraphic strokes needed to write the
Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
in
regular script
Regular script (; Hepburn: ''kaisho''), also called (), (''zhēnshū''), (''kǎitǐ'') and (''zhèngshū''), is the newest of the Chinese script styles (popularized from the Cao Wei dynasty c. 200 AD and maturing stylistically around the ...
used in
East Asian calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
. CJK strokes are the classified set of line patterns that may be arranged and combined to form Chinese characters (also known as
Hanzi) in use in China, Japan, and Korea.
Purpose
The study and classification of CJK strokes is used for:
#understanding
Chinese character calligraphy – the correct method of writing, shape formation and stroke order required for character legibility;
#understanding stroke changes according to the style that is in use;
#defining stroke naming and counting conventions;
#identifying fundamental components of
Han radicals; and
#their use in computing.
Formation
When writing Han radicals, a single stroke includes all the motions necessary to produce a given part of a character before lifting the writing instrument from the writing surface; thus, a single stroke may have abrupt changes in direction within the line. For example:
*
![Cjk k str v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Cjk_k_str_v.svg)
(Vertical / ') is classified as a basic stroke because it is a single stroke that forms a line moving in one direction.
*
![Cjk k str vhv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Cjk_k_str_vhv.svg)
(Vertical – Horizontal – Vertical / ) is classified as a compound stroke because it is a single stroke that forms a line that includes one or more abrupt changes in direction. This example is a sequence of three basic strokes written without lifting the
writing instrument
A writing implement or writing instrument is an object used to produce writing. Writing consists of different figures, lines, and or forms. Most of these items can be also used for other functions such as painting, drawing and technical drawing, ...
such as the
ink brush
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...
from the writing surface.
Direction
All strokes have direction. They are unidirectional and start from one entry point. As such, they are usually not written in the reverse direction by native users. Here are some examples:
File:丶-order.gif
File:一-order.gif
File:丨-order.gif
File:丿-order.gif
File:亅-order.gif
File:乚-order.gif
Types
CJK strokes are an attempt to identify and classify all single-stroke components that can be used to write Han radicals. There are some thirty distinct types of strokes recognized in
Chinese character
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...
s, some of which are compound strokes made from basic strokes. The compound strokes comprise more than one movement of the writing instrument, and many of these have no agreed-upon name.
Basic strokes
A basic stroke is a single calligraphic mark moving in one direction across a writing surface. The following table lists a selection of basic strokes divided into two stroke groups: simple and combining. "Simple strokes" (such as Horizontal / ''Héng'' and Dot / ''Diǎn'') can be written alone. "Combining strokes" (such as Zig / ''Zhé'' and J hook / ''Gōu'') never occur alone, but must be paired with at least one other stroke forming a compound stroke. Thus, they are not in themselves individual strokes.
Note, the basic stroke ''Diǎn'' "Dot" is rarely a real
dot. Instead it usually takes the shape of a very small line pointing in one of several directions, and may be long enough to be confused with other strokes.
Compound strokes
![CJK 37 Strokes (8+29)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/CJK_37_Strokes_%288%2B29%29.png)
A compound stroke (also called a complex stroke) is produced when two or more basic strokes are combined in a single stroke written without lifting the writing instrument from the writing surface. The character (
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ) "eternity" described in more detail below demonstrates one of these compound strokes. The centre line is a compound stroke that combines three stroke shapes in a single stroke.
;Basics for making compound strokes
In most cases, concatenating basic strokes together form a compound stroke. For example, Vertical / ''Shù'' combined with J hook / ''Gōu'' produce
![Cjk k str vj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Cjk_k_str_vj.svg)
(Vertical – J hook / ''Shù Gōu''). A stroke naming convention sums the names of the basic strokes, in the writing order.
An exception to this applies when a stroke makes a turn of 90° (and only of 90°) in the
Simplified Chinese
Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to:
Mathematics
Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example
* Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...
names. Horizontal
![Cjk k str h](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Cjk_k_str_h.svg)
(''Héng'') and Vertical
![Cjk k str v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Cjk_k_str_v.svg)
(Shù) strokes are identified only once when they appear as the first stroke of a compound; any single stroke with successive 90° turns down or to the right are indicated by a Zag 折 (
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''Zhé'') "Break". For example, an initial ''Shù'' followed by an abrupt turn right produces
![Cjk k str vh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Cjk_k_str_vh.svg)
(''Shù Zhé''). In the same way, an initial ''Shù'' followed by an abrupt turn right followed by a second turn down produces
![Cjk k str vhv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Cjk_k_str_vhv.svg)
(''Shù Zhé Zhé''). However, their inherited names are "Vertical – Horizontal" and "Vertical – Horizontal – Vertical". We need not to use "Zag" in the inherited names.
Nearly all complex strokes can be named using this simple scheme.
Nomenclature
Organization systems used to describe and differentiate strokes may include the use of roman letters, Chinese characters, numbers, or a combination of these devices. Two methods of organizing CJK strokes are by:
#
Classification scheme
In information science and ontology, a classification scheme is the product of arranging things into kinds of things (classes) or into ''groups'' of classes; this bears similarity to categorization, but with perhaps a more theoretical bent, as cla ...
s that describe strokes by a naming convention or by conformity to a
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
; and
#
Categorization schemes that differentiate strokes by numeric or topical grouping.
In classification schemes, stroke forms are described, assigned a representative character or letterform, and may be arranged in a hierarchy. In categorization schemes, stroke forms are differentiated, sorted and grouped into like categories; categories may be topical, or assigned by a numeric or alpha-numeric
nominal number
Nominal numbers are numerals used as labels to identify items uniquely. Importantly, the actual values of the numbers which these numerals represent are less relevant, as they do not indicate quantity, rank, or any other measurement.
Labelling r ...
according to a designed
numbering scheme
There are many different numbering schemes for assigning nominal numbers to entities. These generally require an agreed set of rules, or a central coordinator. The schemes can be considered to be examples of a primary key of a database management ...
.
;Benefits
Organizing strokes into a
hierarchy aids a user's understanding by bringing order to an obtuse system of writing that has organically
evolved
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
over the period of centuries. In addition, the process of recognizing and describing stroke patterns promotes consistency of stroke formation and usage. When organized by naming convention, classification allows a user to find a stroke quickly in a large stroke collection, makes it easier to detect duplication, and conveys meaning when comparing relationships between strokes. When organized by numbering scheme, categorization aids a user in understanding stroke differences, and makes it easier to make predictions, inferences and decisions about a stroke.
;Limitations
Strokes are described and differentiated using the criteria of visual qualities of a stroke. Because this can require subjective interpretation, CJK strokes cannot be placed into a single definitive classification scheme because stroke types lack a universal consensus on the description and number of basic and compound forms. CJK strokes cannot be placed into a single definitive categorization scheme due to visual ambiguity between strokes, and therefore cannot be segregated into mutually exclusive groups. Other factors inhibiting organization based on visual criteria are the variation of writing styles, and the changes of appearance that a stroke undergoes within various characters.
Roman letter naming convention of Unicode standard
A naming convention is a classification scheme where a
controlled vocabulary
Control may refer to:
Basic meanings Economics and business
* Control (management), an element of management
* Control, an element of management accounting
* Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization
* Controlling ...
is used systematically to describe the characteristics of an item. The naming convention for a CJK stroke is derived from the path mark left by the writing instrument. In this instance roman letters are concatenated to form a stroke name as a sequence of one or more roman letters indicating the component strokes used to create the CJK stroke. The first letter of the Han radical’s pinyin pronunciation represents each basic stroke. In a basic stroke example, H represents the stroke
![Cjk k str h](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Cjk_k_str_h.svg)
named 横 (pinyin: ''Héng''); in a compound example, HZT represents 横折提 (pinyin: ''Héng Zhé Tí'').
While no consensus exists, there are up to 12 distinct basic strokes that are identified by a unique Han radical.
There are many CJK compound strokes, however there is no consensus for sequence letter naming of compound strokes using the basic strokes. The following table demonstrates the CJK stroke naming convention:
Besides, some strokes have been unified or abandoned in Unicode:
Note that some names in the list do not follow the rules of controlled vocabulary. For example, stroke P (''Piě)'' is not found in the compound stroke PN. The name "PN" comes from 平捺 (pinyin: ''Píng Nà''), not 撇捺 (pinyin: ''Piě Nà''). The meaning of 平 (pinyin: ''Píng'') is "flat", and it should be called "BN" 扁捺 (pinyin: Biǎn Nà) if the rules are to be followed closely. The letter "Z" in stroke SWZ means 左 (pinyin: ''Zuǒ''), not 折 (pinyin: ''Zhé''). The meaning of 左 is "left", and it is not defined in the naming convention. Moreover, some 折 (pinyin: ''Zhé'') strokes are far more than or far less than 90°, such as stroke HZZZG, stroke HZZP and stroke PZ.
Some strokes are not included in the Unicode standard, such as
![Cjk m str du](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Cjk_m_str_du.svg)
,
![Cjk m str ft](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Cjk_m_str_ft.svg)
,
![Cjk m str wd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Cjk_m_str_wd.svg)
,
![Cjk m str rsv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Cjk_m_str_rsv.svg)
,
![Cjk m str thtaj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Cjk_m_str_thtaj.svg)
,
![Cjk m str vcj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Cjk_m_str_vcj.svg)
, etc.
In Simplified Chinese, stroke TN
![Cjk m str hp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Cjk_m_str_hp.svg)
is usually written as
![Cjk m str hp-prc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Cjk_m_str_hp-prc.svg)
(It was called "stroke DN", but Unicode has rejected it
).
Abbreviated naming conventions
On the other hand, naming conventions that use abbreviated forms of the CJK strokes also exist. After the names of CJK strokes are translated into English, first letters of the English names are used in the naming system. The controlled vocabulary can be divided into two groups.
The first group is the abbreviated forms of the basic strokes.
The second group is the abbreviated forms of deformations.
“Zig” can be omitted in the naming system. The following table demonstrates the CJK stroke naming convention:
Numbering scheme
A numbering scheme is a categorisation method where similar strokes are grouped into categories labeled by nominal numbers. Category numbering may be an index of numbers of types, with sub-types indicated by a decimal point followed by another number or a letter.
The following table is a common numbering scheme that uses similar names as the Roman letter naming convention, but the stroke forms are grouped into major category types (1 to 5), which further break down into 25 sub-types in category 5.
Some strokes are not included in the numbering scheme, such as stroke
![Cjk m str fpj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Cjk_m_str_fpj.svg)
,
![Cjk m str o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Cjk_m_str_o.svg)
,
![Cjk m str du](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Cjk_m_str_du.svg)
,
![Cjk m str ft](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Cjk_m_str_ft.svg)
,
![Cjk m str wd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Cjk_m_str_wd.svg)
,
![Cjk m str rsv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Cjk_m_str_rsv.svg)
,
![Cjk m str thtaj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Cjk_m_str_thtaj.svg)
,
![Cjk m str vcj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Cjk_m_str_vcj.svg)
, etc.
Besides, there are ways of grouping strokes that are different from the Unicode standard. For example, stroke
![Cjk m str haj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Cjk_m_str_haj.svg)
is merged into stroke
![Cjk m str hpj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Cjk_m_str_hpj.svg)
in Unicode system, while it is merged into
![Cjk m str htaj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Cjk_m_str_htaj.svg)
in this numbering scheme.
Stroke order
Stroke order refers to the order in which the strokes of a Chinese character are written. A stroke is a movement of a writing instrument on a writing surface. Certain
stroke orders guidelines are recommended to ensure speed, accuracy, and legibility in composition, as most
Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
have many strokes. As such, teachers enforce exactly one stroke order for each character, marking every deviation as a mistake, so everyone writes these characters the same way. The stroke order follows a few simple rules, though, which aids in memorizing these. To write
CJK character
In internationalization, CJK characters is a collective term for the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, all of which include Chinese characters and derivatives in their writing systems, sometimes paired with other scripts. Collectively, th ...
s, one must know how to write CJK strokes, and thus, needs to identify the basic strokes that make up a character.
Eight Principles of Yong
The Eight Principles of ''Yong'' explain how to write eight common
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
s in
regular script
Regular script (; Hepburn: ''kaisho''), also called (), (''zhēnshū''), (''kǎitǐ'') and (''zhèngshū''), is the newest of the Chinese script styles (popularized from the Cao Wei dynasty c. 200 AD and maturing stylistically around the ...
which are found all in one character, (, "forever", "permanence"). It was traditionally believed that the frequent practice of these principles as a beginning
calligrapher
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
could ensure
beauty
Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes these objects pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, together with art and taste, is the main subject of aesthetics, o ...
in one's writing.
![8 strokes of 永-zh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/8_strokes_of_%E6%B0%B8-zh.svg)
;Eight basic strokes
[
The extended CJK(V) set of strokes has 29 strokes. These most common 29 used strokes can be reduced to combinations of 8 basic strokes, for a total of 37 strokes. The subset of 8 is found in the character "eternity" 永, hence the name of this set. But other sets of CJK(V) strokes can be found.]
:
![D black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/D_black.png)
- the ''Diǎn'' 點 / 点, is a dot, filled from the top, to the bottom, traditionally made by "couching" the brush on the page.
:
![H black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/H_black.png)
- the ''Héng'' 横, is horizontal, filled from left to right, the same way the Latin letters A, B, C, D are written.
:
![S black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/S_black.png)
- the ''Shù'' 豎 / 竖, is vertical-falling. The brush begins by a dot on top, then falls downward.
:
![G black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/G_black.png)
- the ''Gōu'' 鈎(鉤) / 钩, ending another stroke, is a sharp change of direction either down (after a Heng) or left (after a Shù).
:
![T black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/T_black.png)
- the ''Tí'' 提 / ''Tiāo'' 提, is a flick up and rightwards.
:
![W black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/W_black.png)
- the ''Wān'' 彎 / 弯, follows a concave path on the left or on the right.
:
![P black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/P_black.png)
- the ''Piě'' 撇, is a falling leftwards (with a slight curve).
:
![N black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/N_black.png)
- the ''Nà'' 捺, is falling rightwards (with an emphasis at the end of the stroke).
:(+
![XG-black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/XG-black.png)
- the ''Xié'' 斜 is sometimes added to the 永's strokes. It's a concave ''Shù'' falling right, always ended by a ''Gōu'').
Use in computing
The
stroke count method
The Stroke Count Method (simplified Chinese: 笔画; pinyin: bǐ huà), ''Wubihua method'', ''Stroke input method'' or ''Bihua IME'' ( or ) (lit. ''5-stroke input method'') is a relatively simple Chinese input methods for computers, Chinese in ...
is based on the order of strokes to input characters on Chinese mobile phones.
As part of
Chinese character encoding
In computing, Chinese character encodings can be used to represent text written in the CJK languages—Chinese, Japanese, Korean—and (rarely) obsolete Vietnamese, all of which use Chinese characters. Several general-purpose character enc ...
, there have been several proposals to encode the CJK strokes, most of time with a total around 35~40 entries. Most notable is the current
Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology Technical standard, standard for the consistent character encoding, encoding, representation, and handling of Character (computing), text expre ...
block “CJK Strokes” (U+31C0..U+31EF), with 36 types of strokes:
See also
*
Chinese characters description languages
The Chinese character description languages are several proposed languages to most accurately and completely describe Chinese (or CJK) characters and information such as their list of components, list of strokes (basic and complex), their order, a ...
References
External links
Unicode: CJK Strokes, Range: 31C0–31EF— set of 36 CJK strokes
The Unicode Standard Core Specification: Appendix F - Documentation of CJK StrokesProposal to add twenty strokes to Unicode this proposal has been approved and is at Stage 6 of th
as of July 30, 2007.
Standardization documents of Inherited Glyphs: List of Strokes for Inherited GlyphsMinistry of Education, R.O.C.: Grouping list of CJK StrokesState Language Commission, P.R.C.: Chinese Character Component Standard of GB 13000.1 Character Set for Information ProcessingState Language Commission, P.R.C.: Chinese Character Turning Stroke Standard of GB 13000.1 Character Set38 CJK strokes, by Wenlin InstituteTom Bishop, Richard Cook: Character Description Language (CDL): The Set of Basic CJK Unified Stroke TypesYannis Haralambous: Seeking Meaning in a Space Made out of Strokes, Radicals, Characters and CompoundsYannis Haralambous: Fonts & EncodingsO'Reilly Media Inc., Sept 26 2007, p. 154-156
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroke (Cjk Character)
Chinese characters
East Asian calligraphy
Hanja
Kana
Kanji
Unicode