Chinese animation tool
Chinese Character Highlight Animator
Tap the strokes you want to emphasize, add the next part and play. Fade each selection together or trace it in stroke order, then download an animation for your video or lesson.
About this tool
Keep a complete Chinese character visible while its selected parts change color. Use a fade to draw attention to a whole selection, or trace over the existing strokes in their standard writing order. The character stays in place throughout.
Work with up to 10 characters and 24 steps. Choose strokes freely rather than relying on automatic component detection. Repeat characters are edited independently, so the same character can have different highlights in different positions.
Each step starts with a default highlight color, fade animation and timing. Customize its color, animation or pause independently. Choose the base color and background for the whole animation. Animate Before holds the character in its base color before the first step, starting at 0.5 seconds. Your text, stroke selections and animation are processed in your browser; the tool fetches stroke data for the characters you enter.
What it does
Two highlight styles
Fade all selected strokes together or trace the selection in the original character’s stroke order, skipping unselected strokes.
Choose any whole strokes
Tap strokes directly, or open a step card’s stroke-shortcut menu to select a whole character or radical, or clear that character’s selection.
A simple sequence
On a phone, select a step and use Move earlier or Move later to reorder it. On desktop, drag steps to reorder them. Copy, delete and stroke-shortcut buttons are always shown below each step on small screens; on desktop they appear on hover or keyboard focus.
Still steps
Leave a step without selected strokes to show the complete character in its base color for the full animation and pause duration.
Independent step settings
Each step starts with a rose highlight, Fade together, 1 second of animation and a 1-second pause. Click a step card to edit it or reset it to these defaults.
GIF, MP4 and transparent exports
Download GIF or MP4 with a white background or practice grid. Choose Transparent for a GIF with no background or a VP9 WebM with smooth alpha edges. GIF frames are sampled at 60 fps; playback timing depends on the viewer.
How to use it
- 1Enter Chinese charactersThe tool loads available stroke shapes automatically. Changing text after configuring steps asks you to reset them.
- 2Choose a partSelect a step card, then tap the strokes you want to highlight. Open its stroke-shortcut menu to select a whole character or radical, or clear a character’s selection.
- 3Add the next partClick Next part and arrange the step cards by dragging. Select strokes for a highlight or leave them unselected for a still step. Set each step’s style, color, animation time and pause.
- 4Preview and downloadUse Play and the timeline at the bottom of the preview without selecting a step. Click a step card to pause playback and edit its selected strokes. Download a GIF or MP4, or select a transparent background and export transparent GIF or WebM. Video encoding requires a supported browser.
What people use it for
- Explaining character components in Chinese teaching videos
- Comparing strokes and shapes across several characters
- Emphasizing selected parts while narrating a character explanation
- Creating transparent Chinese animations to layer over your own footage
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a part that is not a radical?
Yes. Select any combination of whole strokes. The tool does not require a recognized component and does not identify the historical meaning of your selection.
Does tracing hide the rest of the character?
No. The complete character remains visible in its base color. The highlight color follows the selected strokes while unselected strokes stay visible.
Can different steps use different colors or effects?
Yes. Open Settings for a step to change its color, animation style, animation time or pause. Reset to defaults restores that step’s original settings.
Can I export with a transparent background?
Yes. Choose Transparent under Background and download a transparent GIF or WebM. GIF uses one-bit transparency; WebM retains smooth alpha edges. Test VP9 alpha support in your video editor.
Are GIF exports 60 fps?
GIFs are sampled at 60 frames per second and use alternating 10 ms and 20 ms delays because the format stores time in hundredths of a second. Some viewers lengthen short delays, so use MP4 or WebM when you need consistent 60 fps playback.
What happens when stroke data is unavailable?
The tool identifies the character it could not load so you can retry or change your text. It does not silently skip a character or shift your stroke selections onto another one.
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