stroke count method

{{Short description|Chinese character input method}}

{{Other uses|Stroke order (disambiguation)}}{{cleanup-lang|date=October 2023}}

{{More citations needed|date=November 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

File:Chinese mobile phone keyboard.jpg

File:Nokia 3230 keypad.jpg

File:Stroke input method with examples.png

The Stroke Count Method ({{zh|s=笔画|p=bǐ huà}}), Wubihua method, Stroke input method or Bihua IME ({{zh|s=五笔画输入法|p=wǔ bǐhuà shūrù fǎ}} or {{zh|t=筆劃輸入法|p=Bǐhuà shūrù fǎ}}) (lit. 5-stroke input method) is a relatively simple Chinese input method for writing text on a computer or a mobile phone. It is based on the stroke order of a word, not pronunciation.{{cite web | url = http://www.yale.edu/chinesemac/wubi/hua.html | title = Wubihua for Speakers of English | last = Wicentowski | first = Joe |publisher = Yale University |year=1994 |access-date=10 October 2013}} It uses five or six buttons, and is often placed on a numerical keypad. Although it is possible to input Traditional Chinese characters with this method, this method is often associated with Simplified Chinese characters. The Wubihua method should not be confused with the Wubi method.

Each of the five keys from 1 to 5 are assigned a certain type of stroke (resembling the Eight Principles of Yong; these five are sometimes called {{lang|zh|橫竖撇捺折}}{{efn|In traditional characters, {{lang|zh|橫豎撇捺折}}.}} (héng-shù-piē-nà-zhé) with each character of this phrase being a one-syllable description of the respective five strokes:{{efn|In the list {{lang|zh|橫竖撇捺折}} (héng-shù-piē-nà-zhé), the fourth stroke ({{lang|zh|捺}} [nà]) is also sometimes called {{lang|zh|点}} (diǎn), i.e. {{lang|zh|橫竖撇点折}} (héng-shù-piē-diǎn-zhé) or {{lang|zh|橫豎撇點折}} in traditional characters.}}

1. A horizontal stroke from left to right (一)
2. A vertical stroke from top to bottom (丨)
3. A long diagonal stroke downward from right to left (丿)
4. A very short dash stroke downward from left to right (丶)
5. A horizontal stroke from left to right, ending with a downwards hook to the left (乙)

To input any character, the user simply presses the keys corresponding to the strokes of a character then select from a list of matching characters. The list of suggestions to choose from becomes more and more specific as more digits of the code are entered. The system will not recognize a character input with an incorrect stroke order. Some people find this method of entering characters into a mobile phone to be faster than pinyin. In fact, as pinyin is based upon Mandarin Chinese, many Chinese people – particularly in the southern regions of China like Hong Kong and Macau – who speak other varieties of Chinese and never learned pinyin relied solely on this method of entering characters on their phones, until touchscreen-based smartphones allowed the possibility of handwriting recognition.

Wubihua is one of the easiest to learn methods because it is simple and does not require knowledge of pronunciation or pinyin. However, it tends to be vague, as a Wubihua code will normally match ten characters, and each character has one correct code, which confuses users whose stroke orders are wrong.

Strokes map to Wubihua input generally according to the following table:

class="wikitable"
scope="col" | Wubihua Character ! scope="col" | Stroke Type ! scope="col" | Stroke ! scope="col" | Name of stroke (simplified Chinese and pinyin)
scope="row" rowspan=2 valign="top" | 1 | rowspan=2 valign="top" | Horizontal, or Rising | 30px 30px | 横 Héng
30px | 提 Tí
scope="row" rowspan=2 valign="top" | 2 | rowspan=2 valign="top" | Vertical | 30px 30px | 竖 Shù
30px | 竖钩 Shù Gōu
scope="row" valign="top" | 3 | valign="top" | Falling to the Left | 30px 30px | 撇 Piě
scope="row" rowspan=3 valign="top" | 4 | rowspan=3 valign="top" | Dot, or Falling to the Right | 30px 30px | 点 Diǎn
30px 30px | 捺 Nà
30px 30px | 提捺 Tí Nà
scope="row" rowspan=25 valign="top" | 5 | rowspan=25 valign="top" | Turning | 30px | 横折 Héng Zhé
30px | 横撇 Héng Piě
30px | 横钩 Héng Gōu
30px 30px | 竖折 Shù Zhé
30px | 竖弯 Shù Wān
30px | 竖提 Shù Tí
30px 30px | 撇折 Piě Zhé
30px | 撇点 Piě Diǎn
30px | 撇钩 Piě Gōu
30px | 弯钩 Wān Gōu
30px | 斜钩 Xié Gōu
30px | 横折折 Héng Zhé Zhé
30px | 横折弯 Héng Zhé Wān
30px | 横折提 Héng Zhé Tí
30px 30px | 横折钩 Héng Zhé Gōu
30px | 横斜钩 Héng Xié Gōu
30px | 竖折折 Shù Zhé Zhé
30px 30px | 竖折撇 Shù Zhé Piě
30px | 竖弯钩 Shù Wān Gōu
30px | 横折折折 Héng Zhé Zhé Zhé
30px | 横折折撇 Héng Zhé Zhé Piě
30px | 横折弯钩 Héng Zhé Wān Gōu
30px | 横撇弯钩 Héng Piě Wān Gōu
30px 30px | 竖折折钩 Shù Zhé Zhé Gōu
30px | 横折折折钩 Héng Zhé Zhé Zhé Gōu