DRAW HANZI · RECOGNIZE · LOOK UP

Chinese Handwriting Recognition

Cannot pronounce or type a Chinese character? Draw its shape in the writing grid to get likely Hanzi matches, then check its Pinyin, stroke count and stroke order.

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Draw one Chinese character in the grid

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Handwriting input

0 strokes drawn

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Try a sample

Write large and near the centre. Following the usual stroke order improves recognition.

Character matches

Matches update after every stroke. Select the character that best fits your drawing.

Draw the first stroke to see likely Chinese characters.

Chinese handwriting input online

Find a Chinese character by drawing it online

Use this Chinese handwriting recognition tool when you know what a Hanzi looks like but not its Pinyin or how to type it. Draw the Chinese character with a mouse, trackpad, touchscreen or pen, then choose from the closest matches.

Live character candidates

The list refreshes after each completed stroke and shows up to ten likely Hanzi. Undo the last stroke whenever the shape goes wrong.

Useful character details

Choose a match to see its common Pinyin readings, stroke count and Unicode, then copy it or open the animated stroke-order lookup.

Recognition runs in your browser

Stroke coordinates are not uploaded to JianFan.app. A public WebAssembly component performs the matching on your device.

How to use Chinese handwriting input

Draw one Chinese character in the centre of the grid, one stroke at a time.
Choose the closest Hanzi from the automatically updated matches.
Check its Pinyin and stroke count, or continue to the animated stroke-order page.

Chinese handwriting recognition questions

How can I find a Chinese character if I do not know its Pinyin?

Draw the character shape in the writing grid and select the closest result. You can then check its Pinyin, stroke count, Unicode and stroke order without knowing its pronunciation first.

Can I draw a Chinese character with a mouse or finger?

Yes. The writing grid works with a mouse, trackpad, touchscreen or digital pen on desktop, tablet and mobile browsers.

Does stroke order affect recognition?

The matcher uses stroke direction, position and count. Small stroke-order differences may still work, but a large, clear character written in the usual order normally produces better matches.

Does it recognize Simplified and Traditional Chinese?

It covers more than 9,000 common Simplified and Traditional characters. A few rare variants or Japanese-only forms may be unavailable.

Can it recognize a photo or a handwritten sentence?

No. This tool recognizes one character drawn on the writing pad. It is not photo OCR or continuous handwriting recognition.

Is my handwriting uploaded?

No. Matching runs in the browser. Only the public recognition files and stroke-order data for a selected character are requested remotely.