---
title: "How to Tell Xiangqi Pieces Apart Without Reading Chinese · Xiangqi Master"
description: "All xiangqi pieces are the same flat discs with a character on top. You tell them apart by character and by starting position, not by shape."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-do-the-xiangqi-pieces-look-like
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do you tell the xiangqi pieces apart?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> Every piece is the **same flat disc**; only the character differs. That is the one genuine obstacle for a new player, and the way through it is position rather than literacy: at the start, each piece type sits in a fixed place, and you learn the seven shapes by where they began.

## The seven characters, by shape

- **車 / 俥** chariot — a boxy character with a vertical stroke through it. Corners.
- **馬 / 傌** horse — four short legs along the bottom. Next to the corners.
- **象 / 相** elephant — the tallest, busiest character. Two in from the corners.
- **士 / 仕** advisor — small and simple, a cross on a line. Beside the general.
- **將 / 帥** general — centre of the back rank, alone in the palace.
- **砲 / 炮** cannon — contains the fire radical 火 on the red side. Two ranks up.
- **卒 / 兵** soldier — five of them, spread along the rank before the river.

## If you would rather not learn them

Most digital boards, including this site's, offer western letters or piece symbols instead. That is a reasonable way to start, but the characters are worth ten minutes eventually: every physical set, every book and every recorded game uses them.

## Related questions

Why do red and black use different characters?

Six of the seven differ between the sides (帥/將, 仕/士, 相/象, 傌/馬, 俥/車, 炮/砲). They are pronounced the same and move the same; it is a convention for telling sides apart.

Are the pieces different sizes?

In better sets, yes — the general is usually largest and soldiers smallest — but this is decoration, not a rule.

## Related xiangqi resources

Chess in Chinese

The words for the game and every piece

Board setup

The board, the river, the palace, and where the 32 pieces go

Xiangqi glossary

Every term, with the Chinese and the WXF spelling

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.