Should my child learn traditional or simplified Chinese?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Simplified Chinese characters have fewer strokes. For children, less is more. When it comes to choosing writing Chinese characters, it’s better to get children started with simpler ones so that they don’t get discouraged with too many strokes.

Should I use traditional or simplified Chinese?

Simplified Chinese is typically used when translating for mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, and international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. However, when translating for audiences in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and international immigrant communities, Traditional Chinese is the norm.

Do colleges teach simplified or traditional Chinese?

Although simplified characters are primarily used only in mainland China and Singapore, that still means more than a billion people use this system as opposed to the 50 million who use traditional. Currently, most Western universities that offer Chinese courses teach in simplified.

Do people use traditional Chinese?

Traditional Chinese characters are only still used primarily by those in Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, and many overseas communities, comprising a small minority of the Chinese-speaking population (~50 million people). However, they also remain in use in mainland China for artistic, scholarly, and advertising purposes.

Should you learn traditional Chinese or simplified Chinese first?

Instead, your choice should be based on practical considerations. In essence, if you plan to use your Chinese where simplified characters are used (mainland China and Singapore, for instance), then learn simplified. If you plan to go to Taiwan or Hong Kong, you will be better off learning traditional first.

Is it easier to learn Chinese characters or traditional characters?

It’s arguably easier to learn as it’s less complex than traditional characters. Mandarin Chinese and Chinese dialects from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau use traditional characters. Cantonese, another language mostly spoken in Hong Kong (and some parts of Malaysia and Singapore), also uses traditional characters.

What does “Chinese” mean?

Most of the time, “Chinese” actually means “Mandarin” (“Chinese” is usually used to encompass all dialects, of which Mandarin is one). Another question is whether you will learn simplified or traditional characters.

Why did China simplify its characters?

The first round of simplifications that the Chinese government implemented started in 1956, with a goal of reducing complexity. Some people say that because of character simplification, Chinese characters lost aesthetic and traditional values, including the meanings the base characters held.