Printable Chinese Character Practice Sheets: HSK 1–2 Tianzige (田字格) & Mizige (米字格) A4 PDF Guide
Combining touchscreen stroke-order feedback with physical pen-on-paper writing in Tianzige (田字格 / 'field-character grid') boxes is the gold standard for mastering Chinese handwriting proportions. In a Tianzige square, the vertical and horizontal dashed centerlines divide the space into four quadrants—helping learners center the character's center of gravity (重心) and leave balanced margins. Use our interactive Worksheet Studio (/worksheets and /teachers) to print custom A4 PDFs, or start practicing the 20 core HSK 1–2 handwriting benchmark characters below.
Complete List of 20 Characters, Pinyin, Radicals & Vocabulary
Click the ✍️ Practice button on any row to launch interactive stroke-order handwriting practice on the canvas.
| No | Hanzi | Pinyin & Radical | Meaning | Example Vocabulary | Strokes | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 永 | yǒng 部首: 水 | Forever, eternal (The classic 8 Principles of Yong 永字八法 containing all 8 fundamental calligraphy strokes) | 永远 yǒngyuǎn Forever / always | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 2 | 我 | wǒ 部首: 戈 | I, me (Left-right balance across the vertical dashed line of Tianzige) | 我们 wǒmen We / us | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 3 | 你 | nǐ 部首: 亻 | You (Left 亻 occupies 1/3 width; right 尔 occupies 2/3 width) | 你们 nǐmen You (plural) | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 4 | 他 | tā 部首: 亻 | He, him (Left 亻 + right 也 yě) | 他们 tāmen They / them | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 5 | 她 | tā 部首: 女 | She, her (Left 女 radical stays narrow so 也 balances on the right) | 她们 tāmen They (female) | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 6 | 们 | men 部首: 亻 | Plural suffix for pronouns/people (Left 亻 + right 门 gate) | 朋友们 péngyoumen Friends | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 7 | 好 | hǎo 部首: 女 | Good, well (Equal left-right alignment along the horizontal midline) | 美好 měihǎo Wonderful / fine | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 8 | 是 | shì 部首: 日 | To be (Top-bottom structure: 日 sits above the horizontal midline; 疋 anchors the base) | 但是 dànshì But / however | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 9 | 有 | yǒu 部首: 月 | Have, there is (Top horizontal + sweeping 撇 frames the inner 月) | 没有 méiyǒu Do not have | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 10 | 在 | zài 部首: 土 | At, in, ongoing (6 strokes — inner 土 earth sits squarely in the lower-right quadrant) | 现在 xiànzài Now | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 11 | 来 | lái 部首: 木 | To come (Symmetrical vertical spine lies directly on the Tianzige vertical centerline) | 回来 huílái Come back | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 12 | 去 | qù 部首: 厶 | To go (Top 土 earth + bottom 厶 private) | 出去 chūqù Go out | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 13 | 吃 | chī 部首: 口 | To eat (Small 口 mouth tucked in the upper-left quadrant + 乞 on the right) | 好吃 hǎochī Delicious | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 14 | 喝 | hē 部首: 口 | To drink (Left 口 + right 曷) | 喝水 hē shuǐ Drink water | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 15 | 说 | shuō 部首: 讠 | To speak (Left 讠 speech + right 兑) | 说明 shuōmíng Explain | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 16 | 读 | dú 部首: 讠 | To read (Left 讠 speech + right 卖) | 阅读 yuèdú Read / reading | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
| 17 | 写 | xiě 部首: 冖 | To write (Top 冖 cover + bottom 与) | 写字 xiězì Write characters | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 18 | 看 | kàn 部首: 目 | Look, read (Diagonal hand strokes on top + vertical eye 目 centered below) | 看书 kànshū Read a book | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 19 | 听 | tīng 部首: 口 | To listen (Left 口 + right 斤) | 听写 tīngxiě Dictation | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 20 | 爱 | ài 部首: 爫 | Love (4-part vertical stack: 爫 claw + 冖 cover + 友 friend) | 爱好 àihào Hobby / interest | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
💡 Study Tips & Exam Strategy
- Follow the 80% Grid Rule when writing inside Tianzige (田字格) boxes: leave ~10% breathing margin on all four outer edges and align central verticals (like in 中, 来, 水, 永) directly along the vertical dashed line.
- For Left-Right characters with a left radical (like 你, 他, 说, 吃, 喝), give the left radical roughly 1/3 of the box width and the right phonetic component 2/3 of the box width.
- Teachers and schools can print co-branded A4 Tianzige worksheets (or enable Paper-Only Classroom Mode ?paperOnly=1 with zero QR codes) at https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/teachers.
- Unlock unlimited custom Tianzige PDF generation and all 2,600+ HSK 1–6 characters with the one-time Lifetime Pro Pass ($17.99 USD with promo code HANZI10 or Rp 44.100 IDR with promo code HEMAT10).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between Tianzige (田字格) and Mizige (米字格) practice paper?
Tianzige (田字格, 'field grid') divides each square into 4 quadrants with horizontal and vertical dashed lines—ideal for daily HSK handwriting and pencil/pen practice. Mizige (米字格, 'rice grid') adds two 45-degree diagonal lines (forming 8 segments), often used in brush calligraphy (书法) to guide diagonal 撇 (piě) and 捺 (nà) strokes.
Can I enter my own custom list of Chinese characters to print an A4 PDF worksheet?
Yes! Open https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/teachers or https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/worksheets, type or paste up to 15 custom Simplified or Traditional Chinese characters, and click Print A4 Worksheet / Save PDF.
How much does unlimited Tianzige PDF printing and full HSK 1–6 access cost?
The Hanzi Scribe Lifetime Pro Pass is a one-time payment of $19.99 USD ($17.99 USD with 10% off code HANZI10) or Rp 49.000 IDR (Rp 44.100 IDR with code HEMAT10). Mandarin teachers receive a complimentary Lifetime Pro account at https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/teachers.
Unlock All 2,600+ HSK 1–6 Characters, AI Laoshi Mnemonics & Unlimited Tianzige PDF Printing
Get lifetime access for a one-time payment of $17.99 USD (10% OFF the $19.99 Lifetime Pro Pass with promo code HANZI10). Zero monthly subscriptions!
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