Ouch, I just learned from my iPod that I've been writing the very basic 那 character using the wrong stroke order for many years. I had been starting with the leftmost downward stroke, and couldn't get 那 to come up as a possible choice of character on the iPod.
A little investigation confirmed that starting with the other natural (to me) first choice of stroke, going left to right at the top, then down, is correct, and that brings up 那 as a choice from which to select.
It is just wonderful to have such convenient chances with the iPod to easily practice Chinese characters (and split infinitives).
ah, but is that the "correct" order according to all the authorities? Sometimes I see different stroke orders depending on which reference or program I consult.
ReplyDeleteWell, it is the same stroke order given by the Besta (無敵; without enemies ["matchless?"]) electronic Chinese dictionary that I bought in Taiwan (a future blog entry about the Besta has been simmering for a while). Stroke order is not in any of the free Chinese dictionary apps that I have been using.
ReplyDeleteI had the same stroke order problem with 認識 (ren4shi4; to know/understand/recognize). It is no surprise that any occurrence of that 刀 component (dao1; knife) should be written in the same order: top stroke first, the other one second. That principle is undoubtedly one of the basic ones which I haven't always followed because of inertia from writing left to right in English. A capital letter D has some similarity to 刀, and I imagine most people write the vertical line first, as I do.