Characiaceae is a family of green algae in the order Sphaeropleales.

The cells are heteropolar, with basal and apical ends having different shapes.

[3] The taxonomy of Characiaceae has undergone significant revision in the last century.

However, the taxonomic affiliation of the type species of the genus Characium (C. sieboldii) is still unclear, which necessitates further revision of the family.

[4] As of March 2022[update], AlgaeBase accepted the following genera:[1]