A method for teaching how to read and/or write Chinese, includes first, teaching each component in a group of components, and then, teaching how to combine one or more of the components in the group with one or more of the other components in the group to form a Chinese character. The group of components includes a component that is not identified as a Bùsh{hacek over (o)}u, and each component in the group is combinable with one or more other components in the group to form a Chinese character. By first teaching each component and its semantic meaning, a student can become knowledgeable and familiar with each component. The student can then use this depth of understanding to quickly and efficiently recognize and understand Chinese characters—including ones that he may not have previously memorized, or previously memorized and subsequently forgot. Thus, the components in the group of components become similar to the letters in an alphabet of a phonetic language.