Is there shortcut to learn Chinese characters ( Han Zi ) ? My foreign friends keep asking me how to learn Chinese characters (Han Zi)... Is there any quick way to learn Chinese characters? To tell the truth, I think there is no shortcut to master Chinese characters... One has to practice writing every character again and again to memorize it. Since there are lots of characters, Chinese students have to spend several years to learn how to write... Year / Grade in School VS. How many characters have been learned? 1st ~ 2nd Grade: 700~800 characters 3rd ~ 4th Grade: 1500~1800 characters 4th ~ 6th Grade: About 3000 characters It is said that after one has learned more than 3000 characters, he can understand over 90% contents from Chinese magazines or newspaper. And fortunately... Since there are some repeated elements in Chinese characters, once you've learned more and more of them, you will find your learning curve also shortened more and more. Good luck on your learning!