sinograms

Sinograms are the written characters used in the Chinese writing system, which has been in continuous use for over three millennia. Unlike alphabetic scripts, where each symbol represents a single sound, sinograms are logographic, meaning each character typically represents a word, morpheme, or grammatical element. This system is part of the broader Sinographic script family, which also includes variants used in Japanese (kanji), Korean (hanja), and Vietnamese (chữ Hán).

The origins of sinograms trace back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE), where they appeared as pictographs carved on oracle bones. Over time, these characters evolved into more abstract forms, incorporating elements like strokes and radicals to convey meaning. By the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), the system had standardized into a more recognizable form, with characters composed of strokes following specific rules of order and structure.

Sinograms are composed of strokes, which are drawn in a standardized sequence to ensure legibility. Characters often include radicals—component parts that suggest a word’s meaning or category—such as "木" (mù, "tree") for plants or "水" (shuǐ, "water") for liquids. Despite their complexity, the system remains highly efficient, with thousands of characters conveying nuanced meanings in a compact form.

Modern Chinese writing uses simplified and traditional character sets, with simplified forms introduced in mainland China to improve literacy rates. While Japanese and Korean still use hanja/hanja in formal contexts, their daily writing relies more on phonetic scripts like hiragana, katakana, and hangul. Sinograms remain a cornerstone of East Asian culture, preserving historical texts, literature, and philosophical works while adapting to contemporary communication needs.