Discover the Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters
A fun, visual, and creative way for speakers of alphabet-based languages to learn and enjoy Chinese characters.
What Is the Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters?
Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters is a creative system that helps English and other alphabet-based language speakers begin learning Chinese characters the easy and natural way.
Instead of memorizing strokes and radicals from scratch, this method connects what you already know — the 26 English letters — with visually similar Chinese characters. For example, the letter A resembles the Chinese character 月 (moon), B looks like 日 (sun), and M flows like 川 (river).
Each pairing is carefully chosen for shape, meaning, and memory. In just a few pages, you start to see Chinese characters not as foreign symbols, but as friendly forms you already recognize.
How the System Bridges Alphabets and Characters
The Chinese Alphabet turns the hardest part of Chinese — recognizing and remembering characters — into something intuitive and fun.
Each letter links to one or more Chinese characters through three principles:
Visual resemblance: how the shape looks like the English letter.
Cultural meaning: the character’s idea or feeling connects to the letter’s symbolic sense.
Ease of recall: it helps you remember new characters naturally and visually.
This is not just a trick — it’s a bridge between two writing worlds. It opens a fresh way to think about Chinese characters as art, story, and language, all in one stroke.
The Inspiration Behind the Chinese Alphabet
After more than 20 years helping individuals and global brands find meaningful Chinese names, Good Characters founder Andy Chuang asked a simple question:
“What if learning Chinese could begin with what people already know?”
That question led to the creation of the Chinese Alphabet — a system that makes Chinese writing approachable, logical, and even playful.
Rooted in the philosophy that every good name and every good character begins with understanding, this project is part of Good Characters’ ongoing mission to make Chinese language and culture more accessible to the world.
Book
I’m excited to share some great news! The original guide introducing the system, with examples and illustrations, Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters, is now available on Amazon in these countries:
Amazon US United States of America
Amazon UK United Kingdom
Amazon DE Germany (Deutschland)
Amazon FR France
Amazon ES Spain (España)
Amazon IT Italy (Italia)
Amazon NL Netherlands (Nederland)
Amazon PL Poland (Polska)
Amazon SE Sweden (Sverige)
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The link above will take you to my book.
Chinese Alphabet Translator on ChatGPT
Chinese Alphabet Soundboard on the App Store