available on the market may be made with the hair of any number of animals. Each type of hair has a specific ink capacity, giving distinct brush strokes. Different brushes are used for different styles of calligraphy and writing.

Brushes are classed as soft (??), mixed (??) or hard (??). Hair is laboriously sorted by softness, hardness, thickness, & length, then bundled for specific uses. The most famous and highly prized brushes are a mix of yellow weasel, goat and rabbit hair, known as Húbi (??); highly prized since the Ming dynasty