How to Write Japanese Characters

When writing Japanese characters (kanji), there's a proper stroke order to be observed for each character. Although some deviate from the standard rules, there are still basics to follow to make sure that you write each character properly.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. The most basic of strokes are written top-to-bottom and left-to-right. This means that you draw your horizontal strokes first, starting with the topmost and working down, always drawing each stroke from left to right. If you have any central horizontal lines bisecting the entire character, skip those at first.

2. Once all horizontal strokes are drawn, add your verticals--starting with the leftmost first, with all lines from top to bottom, unless it's a central vertical bisecting the rest of the kanji. That should cover all your free-standing strokes.

3. "Box" style strokes, or enclosing strokes--usually four-sided shapes--have a slightly different stroke order. These are drawn by drawing the leftmost vertical stroke first, then adding the second stroke which begins as the upper left-to-right horizontal stroke before angling sharply to add the top-to-bottom right-hand vertical stroke. The bottom stroke is always saved for last, and doesn't count among the basic horizontal strokes drawn first.

4. If drawing one stroke set inside another, draw the outer strokes before the inner strokes--but still save the bottom lines on both for last.

5. When drawing kanji that have flanking "wings"--usually vertical strokes with diagonal double strokes to either side, such as the kanji for water--the vertical stroke is drawn first, before adding flanking strokes in proper order from left to right.

6. Draw right-to-left diagonal strokes before drawing left-to-right diagonal strokes.

7. Some kanji, such as the character for "middle", contain central vertical strokes, as mentioned in Step two. Save central vertical strokes for last, rather than drawing them when other vertical strokes are drawn. The same can be said for horizontal strokes that completely bisect a character.

8. Some kanji, such as the character for "week", also contain lower horizontal sets of strokes, often curved, that enclose the shape somewhat. These should be saved for after your standard vertical, horizontal and diagonal strokes.

9. The very last thing you should draw should be your dots and accents--the little flips of the brush that aren't really full strokes, just smaller accents to finish the character.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay close attention to how each stroke ends. Some strokes end bluntly; others have a hook, which some may mistake for a dot/accent that would be drawn separately. Some stretch or taper out to a fine point.