Good calligraphy brushes are hand-crafted. The bristles are made of animal hair, carefully selected, bundled, tied and glued into a bamboo or wooden handle. The hair may be from a sheep, sable, raccoon, weasel, deer, or even a horse's tail. The texture of the bristles can greatly affect the final appearance of the written characters.

In calligraphy practice, the brush is grasped near the middle of its shaft and held perpendicular to the paper. The wrist and elbow do not touch the table and the brush is moved with the whole arm.