Learn Chinese Online Hub
Home / Courses / Characters in 30 days / Day 3

Pictures that became characters

Day 3 of 30~12 minSun, moon, mountain, water, fire
Pinyin help
Tone colours
日 · 月 · 山 · 水

Some of the oldest characters began as drawings, and a few are still recognisable once you know what they show. Today is five of the most famous, and the reason most characters are not like this.

Drawings

Characters that began as pictures.

日
rì
sun, day
Once a circle with a dot, made square by the brush.
月
yuè
moon, month
A crescent moon.
山
shān
mountain
Three peaks.
水
shuǐ
water
A stream, with drops either side.
Why it works

Pictographs, characters that began as drawings, are the famous part of Chinese writing, but they are only a small share of characters. Most characters combine parts instead, as day 4 shows.

And fire, and their words

One more drawing, and the words they make.

火
huǒ
fire
Flames rising.
日本
Rìběn
Japan
Sun origin: where the sun rises.
月饼
yuèbǐng
mooncake
From the daily course's festivals.
火山
huǒshān
volcano
Fire mountain.
Why it works

Compound words like 火山 show why the pictures are useful: each part keeps its meaning, so a new word often explains itself. Fire mountain is a volcano in almost any language.

Then and now

How far the shapes have moved.

Sun
The old idea
日
rì
The character now
日
rì
The circle became a square, the dot a line: square shapes are easier with a brush.
Moon
The old idea
月
yuè
The character now
月
yuè
Also the side of characters about the body, like 脸, face, from a different old character.
Water
The old idea
水
shuǐ
The character now
氵
shuǐ
Squeezed to three dots on the left of characters about water, day 7.
Why it works

The pictures were simplified for speed over three thousand years. Knowing the original idea helps you remember the character, but you read it by its modern shape.

Why most characters are not pictures

Drawings work for things you can see: sun, moon, mountain. They do not work for words like think, because or yesterday. So most characters were built another way, by combining a part for meaning with a part for sound, which is what days 16 to 20 are about.

Carry over, from earlier days
人
rén
person
太
tài
too, very
太大了
tài dà le
too big

8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.

  1. 水 means…

    • sun, day
    • Japan
    • Water
    • water
    Show the answer

    water A stream, with drops either side.

  2. 山 means…

    • mountain
    • sun, day
    • Water
    • water
    Show the answer

    mountain Three peaks.

  3. 日本 means…

    • mooncake
    • Japan
    • water
    • Water
    Show the answer

    Japan Sun origin: where the sun rises.

  4. 氵 means…

    • Japan
    • sun, day
    • Water
    • moon, month
    Show the answer

    Water Squeezed to three dots on the left of characters about water, day 7.

  5. Type the pinyin for 日.

    Show the answer

    rì Once a circle with a dot, made square by the brush.

  6. Which one means "fire"?

    • 火 huǒ
    • 氵 shuǐ
    • 日本 Rìběn
    • 水 shuǐ
    Show the answer

    火 Flames rising.

  7. Which one means "moon, month"?

    • 月 yuè
    • 火山 huǒshān
    • 月饼 yuèbǐng
    • 山 shān
    Show the answer

    月 A crescent moon.

  8. Type the Chinese or pinyin for "mooncake".

    Show the answer

    yuèbǐng From the daily course's festivals.

More from this course

See all 30 days of Characters in 30 days