<p>The <a href="https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/" rel="noreferrer">Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters</a>, when it's finally ready, will be a user-friendly reference about the etymology of Chinese characters, together with mnemonics that can help learning them. The great thing about it is that it is going to be based on modern etymology scholarship, in contrast to many other resources that are based either folk etymology or on Shuowen Jiezi, which contains explanations that are not necessarily correct.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-10T03:02:06.953Z
Outlier's a very good dictionary. Highly recommended.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-19T15:36:22.600Z
Not free anymore :/ https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/collections/chinese/products/outlier-dictionary-of-chinese-characters
user1857492
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-12T13:30:13.273Z
2016-10-12T14:18:47.950Z
2016-10-12T14:18:47.950Z
米好 '-'
<p><a href="http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E8%BB%8A&amp;submitButton1=Etymology" rel="noreferrer">http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E8%BB%8A&amp;submitButton1=Etymology</a></p>

<p>This website gives origins for many characters, as well as pictures of some earlier forms (e.g., from Oracle bones). Keep in mind that the structure of most characters is a phonetic and a semantic component put together (形声字). Most characters aren't pictograms (象形字), ideograms (指事字), or semantic combinations of other characters (会意字); although these types of characters have most captured the western imagination.</p>

<p>Also, etymology is a bit of a misnomer, as that would be for morphemes and words, not their graphical representation. It is, however, commonly called this.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-01T20:26:23.453Z
2016-10-01T20:26:23.453Z
Stumpy Joe Pete
<p>May I suggest 漢語多功能字庫, maintained by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which has a Chinese/English interface, shows character in various scripts, components and pronunciations; and explains etymologies.</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-02T03:57:11.013Z
2018-01-10T05:06:01.630Z
2018-01-10T05:06:01.630Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>This online dictionary seems the right tool for you
<a href="http://www.zdic.net/" rel="noreferrer">http://www.zdic.net/</a>
It looks up the character's definition in several modern and ancient dictionaries, you can also see how the pronunciation and writing has evolved over thousands of years, being different today between mandarin and dialects, traditional and simplified.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-12T06:35:16.990Z
2016-10-12T06:35:16.990Z
Eamin Zhang
<p>Stumpy Joe Pete linked to arguably the best website for looking at historical forms of characters.</p>

<p>Another website tool that exists, but that is only sort of useful, is <a href="http://www.zhongwen.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">zhongwen.com</a>, for exploring the composition of many characters. It organizes characters in a tree but this is strictly about formal character composition, not history. <a href="http://zhongwen.com/d/166/x114.htm" rel="nofollow">Here's an example</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-01T21:23:35.573Z
2016-10-01T21:23:35.573Z
Renato Montes
<p>Is there a website where I can look for history and etymology of Chinese characters? For example 工.</p>

<p>It can be a Chinese website (I am VERY new to Chinese). But better in English.</p>

<p>Please also drop any useful links you regularly used when starting to learn.</p>

<p>Or let's say, how do Chinese understand this: 极 [jí] (extreme)?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-09T17:47:23.873Z
Please only use zdic (for historical definitions) and 漢語多功能字庫 (for modern and fairly well researched explanations), as given by Eamin Zhang and 水巷孑蠻's answers. The others have very inaccurate information.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-25T18:36:59.200Z
Does this answer your question? [What etymology dictionaries are available?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/511/what-etymology-dictionaries-are-available)
Wes
<characters><etymology><resources><websites><glyph-origin>
Where to look for history and etymology of Chinese characters? For example 工
# Where to look for history and etymology of Chinese characters? For example 工

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-01)

Is there a website where I can look for history and etymology of Chinese characters? For example 工.

It can be a Chinese website (I am VERY new to Chinese). But better in English.

Please also drop any useful links you regularly used when starting to learn.

Or let's say, how do Chinese understand this: 极 [jí] (extreme)?

**Tags:** characters, etymology, resources, websites, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please only use zdic (for historical definitions) and 漢語多功能字庫 (for modern and fairly well researched explanations), as given by username_7 and username_6's answers. The others have very inaccurate information.  
> **username_2**: Does this answer your question? [What etymology dictionaries are available?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/511/what-etymology-dictionaries-are-available)  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-10-12. Score: 7

The [Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters](https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/), when it's finally ready, will be a user-friendly reference about the etymology of Chinese characters, together with mnemonics that can help learning them. The great thing about it is that it is going to be based on modern etymology scholarship, in contrast to many other resources that are based either folk etymology or on Shuowen Jiezi, which contains explanations that are not necessarily correct.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Outlier's a very good dictionary. Highly recommended.  
> **username_4**: Not free anymore :/ https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/collections/chinese/products/outlier-dictionary-of-chinese-characters  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2016-10-01. Score: 5

<http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E8%BB%8A&submitButton1=Etymology>

This website gives origins for many characters, as well as pictures of some earlier forms (e.g., from Oracle bones). Keep in mind that the structure of most characters is a phonetic and a semantic component put together (形声字). Most characters aren't pictograms (象形字), ideograms (指事字), or semantic combinations of other characters (会意字); although these types of characters have most captured the western imagination.

Also, etymology is a bit of a misnomer, as that would be for morphemes and words, not their graphical representation. It is, however, commonly called this.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2016-10-02. Score: 5

May I suggest 漢語多功能字庫, maintained by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which has a Chinese/English interface, shows character in various scripts, components and pronunciations; and explains etymologies.

<http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/>


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### Answer by username_7 on 2016-10-12. Score: 5

This online dictionary seems the right tool for you
<http://www.zdic.net/>
It looks up the character's definition in several modern and ancient dictionaries, you can also see how the pronunciation and writing has evolved over thousands of years, being different today between mandarin and dialects, traditional and simplified.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2016-10-01. Score: 0

username_5 Joe username_5 linked to arguably the best website for looking at historical forms of characters.

Another website tool that exists, but that is only sort of useful, is [zhongwen.com](http://www.zhongwen.com/index.html), for exploring the composition of many characters. It organizes characters in a tree but this is strictly about formal character composition, not history. [Here's an example](http://zhongwen.com/d/166/x114.htm).


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