Reference · cumulative
Every component taught across all lessons, in one place. This table only grows — nothing taught is removed, so you can always look a component up here instead of hunting through old lessons. Sorted by the lesson it was first introduced in.
| Component | Variant | Pinyin | Core meaning | Type | First taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | 亻 (left side) | rén | person | semantic | Lesson 1 |
| 木 | — | mù | tree, wood | semantic | Lesson 1 |
| 水 | 氵 (left side) | shuǐ | water | semantic | Lesson 1 |
| 口 | — | kǒu | mouth, opening | semantic | Lesson 1 |
| 日 | — | rì | sun, day | semantic | Lesson 1 |
| 女 | — | nǚ | woman, female | semantic | Lesson 2 |
| 子 | — | zǐ | child, son (often an empty suffix, e.g. 桌子) | semantic / empty | Lesson 2 |
| 大 | — | dà | big, large | semantic | Lesson 3 |
| 中 | — | zhōng | middle, centre | semantic | Lesson 3 |
| 小 | — | xiǎo | small, little | semantic | Lesson 3 |
| 上 | — | shàng | up, above, on | indicative (指事) | Lesson 4 |
| 下 | — | xià | down, below, off | indicative (指事) | Lesson 4 |
| 出 | — | chū | out, go out, exceed | semantic (itself composed — see below) | Lesson 4 |
| 入 | — | rù | enter, into | semantic | Lesson 4 |
| 一 | — | yī | one | numeral (指事) | Lesson 5 |
| 二 | — | èr | two | numeral (指事) | Lesson 5 |
| 三 | — | sān | three | numeral (指事) | Lesson 5 |
| 十 | — | shí | ten | numeral | Lesson 5 |
| 四 | — | sì | four | numeral (phonetic loan) | Lesson 6 |
| 五 | — | wǔ | five | numeral (origin uncertain) | Lesson 6 |
| 六 | — | liù | six | numeral (likely phonetic loan) | Lesson 6 |
| 七 | — | qī | seven | numeral | Lesson 6 |
| 八 | — | bā | eight (original meaning "to divide") | numeral | Lesson 6 |
| 九 | — | jiǔ | nine (originally "elbow") | numeral | Lesson 6 |
| 山 | — | shān | mountain, hill | semantic | Lesson 7 |
| 火 | 灬 (bottom) | huǒ | fire | semantic | Lesson 7 |
| 土 | — | tǔ | earth, soil | semantic | Lesson 7 |
| 月 | — | yuè | moon, month (careful: ⺼ "meat" looks identical as a component, e.g. in 背/肝) | semantic | Lesson 8 |
| 天 | — | tiān | sky, heaven, day | semantic (itself composed — see below) | Lesson 8 |
| 年 | — | nián | year | numeral-adjacent (modern shape isn't decomposable — memorise whole) | Lesson 8 |
| 百 | — | bǎi | hundred | numeral (itself composed — see below) | Lesson 9 |
| 千 | — | qiān | thousand | numeral (itself composed — see below) | Lesson 9 |
| 金 | 钅 (left side) | jīn | gold, metal, money | semantic | Lesson 10 |
| 贝 | — | bèi | shell, cowrie (historical money) | semantic | Lesson 10 |
| 手 | 扌 (left side) | shǒu | hand | semantic | Lesson 11 |
| 心 | 忄 (left side) | xīn | heart, mind | semantic | Lesson 11 |
| 言 | 讠 (left side) | yán | speech, words | semantic (itself composed — see below) | Lesson 12 |
| 门 | — | mén | door, gate | semantic / phonetic (varies by character — see below) | Lesson 13 |
| 囗 | — | wéi | enclosure, boundary (looks identical to 口 — position, not shape, tells them apart) | semantic | Lesson 13 |
| 厂 | — | chǎng | cliff (original); also a standalone modern word, "factory," as the simplified form of 廠 | semantic | Lesson 14 |
| 广 | — | guǎng | shelter built against a cliff (component); also a standalone modern word, "wide, vast," as the simplified form of 廣 | semantic | Lesson 14 |
| 宀 | — | mián | roof, house (rarely stands alone) | semantic | Lesson 14 |
| 车 | — | chē | vehicle, cart (component); also a standalone modern word, "car, vehicle" | semantic | Lesson 15 |
| 食 | 饣 (left side) | shí | to eat; food, meal | semantic | Lesson 16 |
| 米 | — | mǐ | (uncooked, hulled) rice (component); also the modern unit "meter" | semantic | Lesson 16 |
| 艹 | — | cǎo | grass, plant (component form) (compressed top-form of standalone 艸, essentially obsolete alone) | semantic | Lesson 17 |
| 竹 | 𥫗 (top) | zhú | bamboo | semantic | Lesson 17 |
| 禾 | — | hé | grain, cereal plant (rice/wheat/millet stalk) | semantic / phonetic (varies by character — see below) | Lesson 17 |
| 目 | — | mù | eye (careful: shares a rectangle-with-lines shape with 日 — two internal lines, not one) | semantic | Lesson 18 |
| 耳 | — | ěr | ear | semantic | Lesson 18 |
| 足 | 𧾷 (left, compressed) | zú | foot, leg | semantic | Lesson 18 |
| 力 | — | lì | strength, power, force | semantic | Lesson 19 |
| 又 | — | yòu | again, also (originally "hand" — see below) | semantic | Lesson 19 |
| 刀 | 刂 (right side) | dāo | knife, blade | semantic | Lesson 19 |
| 东 | — | dōng | east (the "sun behind a tree" story is folk etymology — modern shape isn't meaningfully decomposable) | semantic | Lesson 20 |
| 西 | — | xī | west (pictograph of a bird's nest — a bird settling in at sunset) | semantic | Lesson 20 |
| 南 | — | nán | south (origin contested — see Lesson 20) | semantic | Lesson 20 |
| 北 | — | běi | north (originally "back," as in 背 — see Lesson 20) | semantic | Lesson 20 |
| 雨 | — | yǔ | rain | semantic | Lesson 21 |
| 风 | — | fēng | wind (originally a sound-loan of 凤/鳳 "phoenix" — see Lesson 21) | semantic | Lesson 21 |
| 气 | — | qì | air, gas, energy | semantic | Lesson 21 |
| 止 | — | zhǐ | foot; to stop (the "foot" sense survives only inside other characters) | semantic / phonetic | Lesson 22 |
| 走 | — | zǒu | to walk, to go (top element resembles 土 but derives from 夭) | semantic | Lesson 22 |
| 辶 | 辵 (full form) | chuò | movement, travel (component only; wraps the lower left, written last) | semantic | Lesson 22 |
| 马 | 馬 (full form) | mǎ | horse (a productive sound-carrier: 妈, 吗, 码, 骂) | semantic / phonetic | Lesson 23 |
| 鸟 | 鳥 (full form) | niǎo | bird (a bird with a dangling tail; stands alone as a word) | semantic | Lesson 23 |
| 隹 | — | zhuī | short-tailed bird (component only; the same original drawing as 鸟, now usually supplying sound rather than meaning) | phonetic / semantic | Lesson 23 |
| 鱼 | 魚 (full form) | yú | fish (simplified by replacing the base 灬 with 一) | semantic | Lesson 23 |
| 牛 | 牜 (left side) | niú | ox, cattle | semantic | Lesson 24 |
| 羊 | — | yáng | sheep, goat | semantic | Lesson 24 |
| 虫 | — | chóng | insect, worm (originally a snake; took over "insect" from the tripled 蟲) | semantic | Lesson 24 |
| 肉 | ⺼ (left side, same shape as 月) | ròu | meat, flesh | semantic | Lesson 24 |
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Built from | First taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 休 | xiū | rest | 亻 + 木 (person leaning on a tree) | Lesson 1 |
| 林 | lín | forest, grove | 木 + 木 (two trees) | Lesson 1 |
| 好 | hǎo | good, well, fine | 女 + 子 (woman with child) | Lesson 2 |
| 如 | rú | as, like, in accordance with | 女 + 口 (a woman's word, obeyed) | Lesson 2 |
| 太 | tài | too, excessively; very | 大 + 丶 (big, plus an extra dot) | Lesson 3 |
| 出 | chū | out, go out, exceed | 止 (foot, Lesson 22) + 凵 (qiǎn, "pit, cave") — a foot stepping up out of a hollow. 凵 is named for accuracy only. | Lesson 4 |
| 森 | sēn | forest, dense woods | 木 + 木 + 木 (three trees — denser than 林) | Lesson 7 |
| 炎 | yán | blaze, flame; inflammation | 火 + 火 (fire doubled) | Lesson 7 |
| 仙 | xiān | immortal, fairy | 亻 + 山 (person retreating to the mountains; 山 here is also phonetic) | Lesson 7 |
| 天 | tiān | sky, heaven, day | 一 + 大 (a person, with the sky marked above their head) | Lesson 8 |
| 明 | míng | bright | 日 + 月 (sun and moon together — dawn) | Lesson 8 |
| 千 | qiān | thousand | 一 + 人 (number marker + 人 as a phonetic stand-in, not "person" in meaning) | Lesson 9 |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred | 一 + 白 (number marker + phonetic 白 "white" — see Lesson 9) | Lesson 9 |
| 贵 | guì | expensive, precious, noble | ? + 贝 (an obscure top piece + the real "shell/money" bottom) | Lesson 10 |
| 钱 | qián | money | 钅 (metal) + 戋 (phonetic — see Lesson 10) | Lesson 10 |
| 打 | dǎ | to hit, to strike; general-purpose action verb | 扌 (hand) + 丁 (phonetic — see Lesson 11) | Lesson 11 |
| 快 | kuài | fast, quick; also pleased, happy | 忄 (heart) + 夬 (phonetic — see Lesson 11) | Lesson 11 |
| 言 | yán | speech, words | 口 (mouth) + a mark above it indicating sound coming out — see Lesson 12 | Lesson 12 |
| 说 | shuō | to speak, to say, to explain | 讠 (speech) + 兑 (phonetic — see Lesson 12) | Lesson 12 |
| 请 | qǐng | please; to request, to invite | 讠 (speech) + 青 (phonetic — see Lesson 12) | Lesson 12 |
| 谢 | xiè | to thank; to decline | 讠 (speech) + 射 (phonetic — see Lesson 12) | Lesson 12 |
| 们 | men | plural suffix for people | 亻 (person, semantic) + 门 (phonetic — see Lesson 13) | Lesson 13 |
| 问 | wèn | to ask | 口 (mouth, semantic) + 门 (phonetic) | Lesson 13 |
| 间 | jiān | between, interval; room | 门 (door) + 日 (sun, standing in for older 月 "moon" — see Lesson 13) | Lesson 13 |
| 国 | guó | country, nation | 囗 (boundary, semantic) + 玉 (jade — a graphic stand-in for the traditional phonetic 或, see Lesson 13) | Lesson 13 |
| 回 | huí | to return, to circle | Not composed of 囗+口 despite appearances — a single unbroken pictograph of a spiral. See Lesson 13. | Lesson 13 |
| 园 | yuán | garden, park | 囗 (enclosure) + 元 (phonetic — replaces the traditional phonetic 袁, see Lesson 13) | Lesson 13 |
| 店 | diàn | shop, store | 广 (shelter, semantic) + 占 (phonetic — see Lesson 14) | Lesson 14 |
| 厅 | tīng | hall, large room | 厂 (building shape, semantic) + 丁 (phonetic) — a fresh simplified compound unrelated in structure to traditional 廳, see Lesson 14 | Lesson 14 |
| 家 | jiā | home, family | 宀 (roof, semantic) + 豕 ("pig" — a later corruption of the real, obsolete phonetic 𢑓; see Lesson 14) | Lesson 14 |
| 安 | ān | peace, safety | 宀 (roof, semantic) + a phonetic that now looks like 女 but originally depicted "a seated person" — see Lesson 14 | Lesson 14 |
| 字 | zì | (written) character, word | 宀 (roof, semantic) + 子 (child, phonetic — reused from Lesson 2) | Lesson 14 |
| 库 | kù | storehouse, warehouse; treasury | 广 (shelter, semantic) + 车 (vehicle, semantic) — an ideographic compound, no phonetic piece | Lesson 15 |
| 站 | zhàn | to stand, to stop; station | 立 (to stand, semantic) + 占 (phonetic — reused from Lesson 14's 店). "Station" is a separate Yuan-era loanword sense from Mongolian, layered onto the same glyph — see Lesson 15 | Lesson 15 |
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; a meal | 饣 (food, semantic) + 反 (phonetic) | Lesson 16 |
| 饮 | yǐn | to drink | 饣 (food, semantic) + 欠 (contributory/phonetic-adjacent) | Lesson 16 |
| 粉 | fěn | powder, flour; rice noodles, vermicelli | 米 (rice, semantic) + 分 (phonetic, from Lesson 19) | Lesson 16 |
| 茶 | chá | tea | 艹 (grass/plant, semantic) + 余 (phonetic) | Lesson 17 |
| 花 | huā | flower; also "to spend" (money/time) | 艹 (grass/plant, semantic) + 化 (phonetic) | Lesson 17 |
| 笔 | bǐ | pen, pencil, writing brush | 竹 (bamboo, semantic) + 毛 (hair, semantic) — ideogrammic, no phonetic element | Lesson 17 |
| 和 | hé | harmony, peace; and | 禾 (grain, phonetic) + 口 (mouth, semantic, from Lesson 1) | Lesson 17 |
| 看 | kàn | to look, to see, to watch | 手 (hand, semantic, from Lesson 11) + 目 (eye, semantic) — ideogrammic, no phonetic element | Lesson 18 |
| 眼 | yǎn | eye | 目 (eye, semantic) + 艮 (phonetic) | Lesson 18 |
| 跑 | pǎo | to run | 𧾷 (foot, semantic) + 包 (phonetic) | Lesson 18 |
| 路 | lù | road, path | 𧾷 (foot, semantic) + 各 (phonetic) | Lesson 18 |
| 听 | tīng | to listen, to hear | Not composed of 耳 despite the meaning — 口 (mouth) + 斤 (phonetic), an unrelated character repurposed to replace traditional 聽. See Lesson 18. | Lesson 18 |
| 闻 | wén | to hear; to smell | 门 (phonetic, reused from Lesson 13) + 耳 (ear, semantic) | Lesson 18 |
| 加 | jiā | to add, to increase | 力 (strength, semantic) + 口 (mouth, semantic, from Lesson 1) — ideogrammic, no phonetic element | Lesson 19 |
| 取 | qǔ | to take, to fetch, to get | 耳 (ear, semantic, from Lesson 18) + 又 (hand, semantic) — ideogrammic, no phonetic element | Lesson 19 |
| 分 | fēn | to divide, to separate; minute; a small currency unit | 八 (to separate, semantic, from Lesson 6) + 刀 (knife, semantic) — ideogrammic, no phonetic element | Lesson 19 |
| 双 | shuāng | a pair, both, double | 又 (hand, semantic) doubled — simplifies traditional 雙's 雔 (two birds) + 又 (hand) | Lesson 19 |
| 趾 | zhǐ | toe | 足 (foot — meaning) + 止 (zhǐ — sound) | Lesson 22 |
| 边 | biān | side, edge | 辶 + 力 — simplified from 邊; 力 is a shape-only stand-in, contributing neither meaning nor sound | Lesson 22 |
| 进 | jìn | to enter, to advance | 辶 (movement) + 井 (jǐng, "a well" — approximates the sound); simplified from 進 | Lesson 22 |
| 妈 | mā | mother | 女 (woman — meaning) + 马 (mǎ — sound) | Lesson 23 |
| 吗 | ma | question particle | 口 (mouth — meaning) + 马 (mǎ — sound) | Lesson 23 |
| 鸡 | jī | chicken | 又 + 鸟 (bird) — simplified from 鷄/雞; 又 is a shape-only stand-in for 奚 (xī, "a servant"), contributing neither meaning nor sound | Lesson 23 |
| 集 | jí | to gather, to collect | 隹 (bird) + 木 (tree) — birds settling in a tree; no sound component | Lesson 23 |
| 推 | tuī | to push | 扌 (hand — meaning) + 隹 (zhuī — sound) | Lesson 23 |
| 谁 | shuí | who | 讠 (speech — meaning) + 隹 (zhuī — sound) | Lesson 23 |
| 难 | nán | difficult | 又 + 隹 — simplified from 難; 又 is a shape-only stand-in, contributing neither meaning nor sound | Lesson 23 |
| 半 | bàn | half | 八 (to divide) + 牛 (ox) — an ox cut in two | Lesson 24 |
| 美 | měi | beautiful | 羊 + 大 (person) — a person wearing a headdress of feathers or ram's horn | Lesson 24 |
| 虾 | xiā | shrimp, prawn | 虫 (insect — meaning) + 下 (xià — sound) — simplified from 蝦, which paired 虫 with the phonetic 叚 (jiǎ, "to borrow"). 叚 is named for accuracy only. | Lesson 24 |
Type follows Outlier Linguistics' Functional Component Framework: semantic components hint at meaning, phonetic components hint at sound, a component can be both, and some are "form" or "empty" components with no remaining function. See Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters.
These are not new fused characters like 好 or 太 above — each is two already-complete characters placed side by side to form a two-character word, the most common pattern in modern Mandarin vocabulary.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Built from | First taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 出口 | chūkǒu | exit | 出 (out) + 口 (opening) | Lesson 4 |
| 入口 | rùkǒu | entrance | 入 (in) + 口 (opening) | Lesson 4 |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | 明 (bright) + 天 (day) — "the next bright day" | Lesson 8 |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you | 谢 (to thank) doubled | Lesson 12 |
| 请问 | qǐngwèn | excuse me; may I ask | 请 (please) + 问 (to ask) | Lesson 13 |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | in the middle, between | 中 (middle) + 间 (interval) | Lesson 13 |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China | 中 (middle) + 国 (country) — "the middle country" | Lesson 13 |
| 回国 | huíguó | to return to one's home country | 回 (to return) + 国 (country) | Lesson 13 |
| 国家 | guójiā | country, nation | 国 (boundary/country) + 家 (home) | Lesson 14 |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | station | 车 (vehicle) + 站 (station) — literally "vehicle-stop" | Lesson 15 |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice | 米 (rice) + 饭 (cooked rice, meal) — literally "rice-meal" | Lesson 16 |
| 花店 | huādiàn | flower shop | 花 (flower) + 店 (shop, from Lesson 14) | Lesson 17 |
| 竹子 | zhúzi | bamboo | 竹 (bamboo) + 子 (empty suffix, from Lesson 2) | Lesson 17 |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking, nice to look at | 好 (good, from Lesson 2) + 看 (to look) | Lesson 18 |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | nice to listen to, pleasant-sounding | 好 (good, from Lesson 2) + 听 (to listen) | Lesson 18 |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | intersection, crossroads | 路 (road) + 口 (opening, from Lesson 1) | Lesson 18 |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear that…, it's said that… | 听 (to listen) + 说 (to speak, from Lesson 12) | Lesson 18 |
| 十分 | shífēn | very, extremely | 十 (ten, from Lesson 5) + 分 (divide, part) | Lesson 19 |
| 双手 | shuāngshǒu | both hands | 双 (pair, both) + 手 (hand, from Lesson 11) | Lesson 19 |
| 东西 | dōngxi | thing, stuff, object | 东 (east) + 西 (west) — a semantic drift, not literal | Lesson 20 |
| 南北 | nánběi | north and south | 南 (south) + 北 (north) — plainly literal | Lesson 20 |
| 东门 | dōngmén | East Gate | 东 (east) + 门 (door, gate, from Lesson 13) | Lesson 20 |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain | 下 (down, from Lesson 4) + 雨 (rain) — "rain comes down" | Lesson 21 |
| 大风 | dà fēng | strong wind, gale | 大 (big, from Lesson 3) + 风 (wind) — "big wind" | Lesson 21 |
| 天气 | tiān qì | weather | 天 (sky, from Lesson 8) + 气 (air) — "sky-air" | Lesson 21 |
| 走路 | zǒu lù | to walk | 走 (to go) + 路 (road) | Lesson 22 |
| 请进 | qǐng jìn | please come in | 请 (please) + 进 (to enter) | Lesson 22 |
| 好吗 | hǎo ma | is that all right? | 好 (good) + 吗 (question particle) | Lesson 23 |
| 火鸡 | huǒ jī | turkey | 火 (fire) + 鸡 (chicken) | Lesson 23 |
| 金鱼 | jīn yú | goldfish | 金 (metal, gold) + 鱼 (fish) | Lesson 23 |
| 马路 | mǎ lù | street, road | 马 (horse) + 路 (road) | Lesson 23 |
| 牛肉 | niú ròu | beef | 牛 (ox) + 肉 (meat) | Lesson 24 |
| 羊肉 | yáng ròu | lamb, mutton | 羊 (sheep) + 肉 (meat) | Lesson 24 |
A third combining pattern, distinct from both tables above: characters concatenate by arithmetic rather than fusing or forming a vocabulary word. A digit before 十 multiplies it; a digit after 十 adds to it.
| Number | Pinyin | Value | Built from | First taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 十一 | shí yī | 11 | 十 (ten) + 一 (one) — digit after 十 adds | Lesson 5 |
| 二十 | èr shí | 20 | 二 (two) + 十 (ten) — digit before 十 multiplies | Lesson 5 |
| 二十三 | èr shí sān | 23 | 二十 (twenty) + 三 (three) | Lesson 5 |
| 五十 | wǔ shí | 50 | 五 (five) + 十 (ten) | Lesson 6 |
| 八十六 | bā shí liù | 86 | 八 (eight) + 十 (ten) + 六 (six) | Lesson 6 |
| 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ | 99 | 九 (nine) + 十 (ten) + 九 (nine) | Lesson 6 |
| 一百 | yī bǎi | 100 | 一 (one) + 百 (hundred) — 百 needs a leading 一, unlike 十 | Lesson 9 |
| 三百六十 | sān bǎi liù shí | 360 | 三百 (3×100) + 六十 (6×10) | Lesson 9 |
| 一千 | yī qiān | 1,000 | 一 (one) + 千 (thousand) | Lesson 9 |