Hanzi Sheets
Tian Zi Ge Paper (田字格): Printable Practice Grids
The four-quadrant "field grid" that every Chinese primary school uses — printable with real characters to trace, not just empty squares.
Pre-loaded with ten starter characters on 田 grids. Change the words, grid style or cell size, then print.
No sign-up · Free every day · 10 / 13 / 16 mm cells · A4 or US Letter
What the 田 grid actually teaches
Tian zi ge (田字格, "field grid") is a square split into four quadrants by one horizontal and one vertical guide line. Those two lines do real work: they mark the center of the character, so a learner can see that the vertical stroke of 中 belongs exactly on the middle line, or that the two halves of 明 should sit left and right of the center. Writing on blank paper hides all of this; writing on the grid makes proportion visible.
Most characters are not symmetric blobs — they have a "center of gravity" slightly left or right of center, and parts that should be compressed or stretched. Copying a model character onto a tian zi ge, quadrant by quadrant, is how Chinese children build that sense of proportion.
Tian vs mi vs jing — which grid should I pick?
田 Tian zi ge is the default in mainland primary schools and the best starting point for children. 米 Mi zi ge adds the two diagonals; the extra guides help with slanting strokes (撇 and 捺) once a child writes characters like 人, 木, 大. 井 Jing zi ge divides the square into nine equal parts and is useful for complex, multi-component characters where overall balance matters more than individual stroke angles. Hanzi Sheets offers all three, plus a plain box, from the "Grid style" menu — the preview and the printed PDF always match.
Practical tips
Cell size matters more than grid style. Sixteen-millimetre cells give a six-year-old enough room to control a pencil; drop to 13 mm around Primary 2–3 and 10 mm only when writing is already neat. Print on plain A4 or US Letter — the grids print in light gray, so pencil strokes stay clearly visible on top. If you want empty-grid paper for free writing, set the trace ratio to "All blank" and every cell prints empty.
FAQ
What is tian zi ge?
A square practice grid divided into four quadrants by a horizontal and a vertical center line, named after the character 田. The center cross helps learners place strokes proportionally.
What's the difference between tian, mi and jing grids?
Tian adds a center cross; mi adds both diagonals on top (eight guide regions for stroke angles); jing splits the square into ninths for overall proportion. All three are available in the generator.
What size should my child use?
16 mm for under-8s, 13 mm for most primary-school children, 10 mm for fluent writers.
Can I print blank tian zi ge paper?
Yes — pick "All blank" as the trace-to-blank ratio and every grid prints empty.