If you've ever found yourself scratching your head over similar-looking Chinese characters, you're not alone.
Chinese is renowned for its vast character set, and it's not uncommon for learners to encounter characters that seem nearly identical at first glance.
In this blog post, we're diving into the fascinating world of Chinese character twins – pairs of characters that look remarkably alike but carry distinct meanings and pronunciations.
So, get ready to conquer these tricky twins and level up your Chinese reading & writing skills!
Spot the Difference: 100 Chinese Characters That Almost Fooled You!
Summary of Confusing Chinese Characters
| Pinyin | Character | English |
|---|---|---|
| rén | 人 | person |
| rù | 入 | enter |
| tǔ | 土 | earth |
| shì | 士 | warrior |
| yǐ | 已 | already |
| jǐ | 己 | self |
| xiǎo | 小 | small |
| shǎo | 少 | few |
| xīn | 心 | heart |
| bì | 必 | must |
| fēng | 风 | wind |
| fèng | 凤 | phoenix |
| rì | 日 | sun |
| mù | 目 | eye |
| yòu | 又 | again |
| chā | 叉 | fork |
| qī | 七 | seven |
| bǐ | 匕 | dagger |
| lè | 乐 | happy |
| dōng | 东 | east |
| dāo | 刀 | knife |
| lì | 力 | strength |
| mò | 末 | end |
| wèi | 未 | not yet |
| chāi | 拆 | open |
| zhé | 折 | discount |
| wǒ | 我 | I |
| zhǎo | 找 | look for |
| lán | 蓝 | blue |
| lán | 篮 | basket |
| jiāng | 江 | river |
| wāng | 汪 | vast |
| tè | 特 | feature |
| chí | 持 | hold |
| xīn | 辛 | hardship |
| xìng | 幸 | lucky |
| jīn | 今 | today |
| lìng | 令 | command |
| niú | 牛 | cow |
| wǔ | 午 | noon |
| wài | 外 | outside |
| chù | 处 | place |
| shòu | 受 | receive |
| ài | 爱 | love |
| chén | 尘 | dust |
| jiān | 尖 | sharp |
| shǒu | 手 | hand |
| máo | 毛 | hair |
| dà | 大 | big |
| quǎn | 犬 | dog |
| dōng | 东 | east |
| chē | 车 | car |
| liǎng | 两 | two |
| xī | 西 | west |
| shéi | 谁 | who |
| zhǔn | 准 | accurate |
| jiàn | 见 | see |
| bèi | 贝 | shell |
| biàn | 便 | convenient |
| shǐ | 使 | use |
| shuǐ | 水 | water |
| yǒng | 永 | forever |
| fū | 夫 | husband |
| tiān | 天 | sky |
| yǒu | 友 | friend |
| fǎn | 反 | against |
| zuǒ | 左 | left |
| yòu | 右 | right |
| shuǎ | 耍 | play |
| yào | 要 | want |
| shì | 市 | city |
| bù | 布 | fabric |
| shī | 师 | teacher |
| shuài | 帅 | handsome |
| nóng | 农 | farmer |
| yī | 衣 | clothes |
| hàn | 旱 | dry |
| zǎo | 早 | early |
| huán | 环 | ring |
| huài | 坏 | bad |
| le | 了 | particle indicating a completed action |
| zi | 子 | son |
| mù | 木 | wood |
| běn | 本 | measure word for books |
| cái | 才 | only |
| bù | 不 | not |
| xián | 咸 | salty |
| huò | 或 | or |
| zhí | 职 | job |
| shí | 识 | knowledge |
| zhù | 住 | live |
| wǎng | 往 | towards |
| dà | 大 | big |
| tài | 太 | too |
| chūn | 春 | spring |
| kàn | 看 | see |
| mǎi | 买 | buy |
| mài | 卖 | sell |
| ér | 儿 | son |
| jǐ | 几 | how many |
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