A stroke-level large-scale database of Chinese character handwriting and the OpenHandWrite_Toolbox for handwriting research
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR
- 2Psychology Department, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
- 3Primary School Education, Human Science Faculty, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- 4Department of Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
- 5Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR. [email protected]
- 6Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR. [email protected]
Abstract
Understanding what linguistic components (e.g., phonological, semantic, and orthographic systems) modulate Chinese handwriting at the character, radical, and stroke levels remains an important yet understudied topic. Additionally, there is a lack of comprehensive tools for capturing and batch-processing fine-grained handwriting data. To address these issues, we constructed a large-scale handwriting database in which 42 Chinese speakers each handwrote 1200 characters in a handwriting-to-dictation task. Additionally, we enhanced the existing handwriting package and provided comprehensive documentation for the upgraded OpenHandWrite_Toolbox. This toolbox allows users to easily modify the experimental design, capture the stroke-level handwriting trajectory, and batch-process handwriting measurements (e.g., latency and duration). Analysis of our large-scale database indicates that orthographic predictors affect handwriting preparation and execution at the character, radical, and stroke levels. Phonological factors influence handwriting at character and radical levels. Importantly, these lexical effects demonstrate hierarchical attenuation: they were most pronounced at the character level, followed by the radical, and weakest at the stroke level. These findings demonstrate that handwriting preparation and execution at the radical and stroke levels are closely intertwined with linguistic components. This database and toolbox offer valuable resources for future psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research on the handwriting of characters and sub-characters across different languages.
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BibTeX
@article{zebo2026strokelevel,
title = {{A stroke-level large-scale database of Chinese character handwriting and the OpenHandWrite_Toolbox for handwriting research}},
author = {Zebo XU and Shaoyun Yu and Mark Torrance and Guido Nottbusch and Nan Zhao and Zhenguang Garry Cai},
journal = {Behavior Research Methods},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.3758/s13428-026-03001-4},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-026-03001-4},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A stroke-level large-scale database of Chinese character handwriting and the OpenHandWrite_Toolbox for handwriting research
AU - Zebo XU
AU - Shaoyun Yu
AU - Mark Torrance
AU - Guido Nottbusch
AU - Nan Zhao
AU - Zhenguang Garry Cai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/11
JO - Behavior Research Methods
DO - 10.3758/s13428-026-03001-4
UR - https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-026-03001-4
AB - Understanding what linguistic components (e.g., phonological, semantic, and orthographic systems) modulate Chinese handwriting at the character, radical, and stroke levels remains an important yet understudied topic. Additionally, there is a lack of comprehensive tools for capturing and batch-processing fine-grained handwriting data. To address these issues, we constructed a large-scale handwriting database in which 42 Chinese speakers each handwrote 1200 characters in a handwriting-to-dictation task. Additionally, we enhanced the existing handwriting package and provided comprehensive documentation for the upgraded OpenHandWrite_Toolbox. This toolbox allows users to easily modify the experimental design, capture the stroke-level handwriting trajectory, and batch-process handwriting measurements (e.g., latency and duration). Analysis of our large-scale database indicates that orthographic predictors affect handwriting preparation and execution at the character, radical, and stroke levels. Phonological factors influence handwriting at character and radical levels. Importantly, these lexical effects demonstrate hierarchical attenuation: they were most pronounced at the character level, followed by the radical, and weakest at the stroke level. These findings demonstrate that handwriting preparation and execution at the radical and stroke levels are closely intertwined with linguistic components. This database and toolbox offer valuable resources for future psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research on the handwriting of characters and sub-characters across different languages.
SN - 1554-351X
SN - 1554-3528
ER -