• Conversion: traditional to simplified, or simplified to traditional. Click "confirm" as usual, then click Simpl/trad in toolbar.
• HanDeDict, DDB: the popup just shows the basic meaning. Click on each word for more.

Most Chinese characters consist of a radical (dictionary key) and a phonetic element. The table here shows the 858 phonetic elements identified by Wieger for traditional characters. Click on any graphic component in the table to find the related characters. Phonetic series refer to both the English and French editions of Wieger's book, users can switch as needed.

To find a character from its Kangxi key, go to the 214 Kangxi keys

CHINESE CHARACTERS - Their origin, etymology, history, classification and signification by Dr. L. Wieger, S.J. was first published in 1899 (French) and 1915 (English). It has eversince been republished. It does not include the 20th century discoveries and therefore is technically wrong in many respects. However, based on the 2nd century Shuowen Jiezi, it reflects the Chinese tradition and culture. It is what many Chinese know about their writing.

While reading the book is nice, finding the lesson related to a given character is more tedious: one has to go through several indexes, starting with the traditional variant (there were no simplified characters when the book was written). The site does all this search for you with just a mouse click (please refer to the book for the content of the lessons).

Phonetic series may have different numbers in the English and French edition of the book. Click "EN" or "FR" to match your edition.