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Traditional vs simplified Chinese: which should you learn?

What's the difference?

It's the same language written in two ways. Simplified characters have fewer strokes; many others didn't change at all.

Many changes follow patterns, but with a limit: 言, 金 and 糸 are simplified only when they sit on the left side of a character, as a side component. So 說 → 说 (to speak) and 語 → 语 (language); 錢 → 钱 (money) and 鐵 → 铁 (iron); 紅 → 红 (red) and 給 → 给 (to give). On their own or in another position, they don't change: 言 (word), 警 (alert, as in 警察, police), 金 (gold), 鑫 (prosperity) and 素 (plain) are written the same way in both systems.

How many change? There's no official figure. We ran the numbers on the 3,000 characters in the new HSK syllabus (2021): just over 60%, almost two thirds, are written the same way in both systems, and the rest have a different traditional form. That share applies to this list, not to every Chinese character.

Where is each one used?

Watch out for a common mix-up: traditional is not the same as Cantonese. In Taiwan, people speak Mandarin and write in traditional; in Hong Kong, they mostly speak Cantonese and also write in traditional.

A little history

China published its first simplification scheme in 1956. The general table of simplified characters came out in 1964 and was reissued in 1986 with 2,235 simplified characters. There was a second round of simplification in 1977, but it was abolished in 1986, and those characters are no longer used.

What about exams and pinyin?

• HSK: China's official exam is in simplified characters.
• TOCFL: Taiwan's exam lets you choose between a traditional and a simplified version.
• Pinyin: it has been China's official system since 1958, and Taiwan adopted it as its official romanization in 2009, although Taiwanese schools teach Zhuyin (bopomofo) first, a separate set of symbols for pronunciation.

How to choose

Simplified is also the most common in learning materials. For reference, in a 2025 survey of Mandarin immersion programs in the United States, 92% taught simplified.

Can you learn both?

Yes, but one at a time. Start with the one you'll use and, once you have a foundation, learn to read the other: thanks to the simplification patterns, you won't be starting from zero. For study techniques, see how to memorize Chinese characters and how many characters you need.

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Frequently asked questions

Should I learn traditional or simplified Chinese?

For most people, simplified: it's what mainland China and Singapore use, what the HSK uses and what the UN uses. Traditional makes sense if you're going to live or work in Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau.

Does China use traditional or simplified Chinese?

Mainland China uses simplified. Traditional is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Does Duolingo teach traditional or simplified Chinese?

Simplified. Duolingo's Chinese course uses simplified characters and has no option to learn with traditional characters.

Is traditional Chinese harder?

It has more strokes and takes longer to write, but its shapes often show a character's parts more clearly. For reading, the difference is smaller than it seems.

If I learn simplified, can I read traditional?

With practice, yes. In the HSK list, almost two thirds of characters are written the same way, and many of the ones that change follow fixed patterns, such as 言 becoming 讠 when it sits on the left (說 → 说).

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