Page 24 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

5 enclosure (kamae) 国、図

円、聞

医、区

6 upper left (tare) 病、広、原

7 lower left (nyō) 起、道、建

Writing Kanji

Writing kanji can be quite a pleasant experience. You concentrate on each line and draw an elegant
character. When you finish drawing your favorite kanji, it can be a “wow” moment. So, I will show
you a few things to keep in mind in order to produce beautiful kanji.

Stroke order

When you first encounter a kanji with many lines, you may wonder how it could possibly be writ-
ten! Don’t worry. There is a method for tackling this challenge. The lines in kanji are often referred
to as strokes; they can be longer lines, short dot-like lines, or hooks that you use to finish lines.
Here are some basic principles for stroke order that you can refer to.

Fundamental principles

Vertical strokes are written from top to bottom.

Horizontal strokes are written from left to right.

Basic stroke order

If you have both horizontal and vertical lines, write the horizontal line first.

(examples: 十, 士)

If you have a center line and sweeping lines on both sides, start with the center line and then create
the left and right lines.

(examples: 小, 水)

If you don’t have a center line, but there are sweeping lines on both sides, start with the left stroke.

(examples: 人, 父)

18 Japanese Character Writing For Dummies