Simplified and traditional Chinese write the same language with two sets of characters. 爱 and 愛 are the same word, to love, but the traditional one has more strokes. Many everyday words look exactly the same in both sets, like 你好 (hello) and 水 (water).
What Is the Difference Between Simplified and Traditional?
The difference is in how some characters are drawn. The grammar and the sounds of Mandarin are the same in both. In mainland China, the standard forms are set by the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters, which the State Council published in 2013.
| Simplified | Traditional | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it's used | Mainland China and Singapore | Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao |
| Example | 马 (horse) | 馬 (horse) |
| Example | 谢谢 (thank you) | 謝謝 (thank you) |
| Example | 中国 (China) | 中國 (China) |
How Were the Characters Simplified?
Many characters changed in the same way, because a common part got a shorter form.
- 說traditional, speak说simplified, speakThe speech part 言 on the left becomes the shorter 讠, and the same swap happens in 谢 (thank).
- 門traditional, gate门simplified, gateThe gate 門 becomes 门 by itself and inside other characters too.
- 馬traditional, horse马simplified, horseHorse becomes 马, so 媽 (mom) becomes 妈 and 罵 (to scold) becomes 骂.
- 鳥traditional, bird鸟simplified, birdThe bird 鳥 becomes 鸟, and it changes the same way when it's part of another character.
Some simplified characters stand for more than one traditional one. The simplified 台 is used for 臺, 檯 and 颱, so a converter that turns simplified text into traditional has to pick the right one from the words around it.
Which Should You Learn First?
Start with simplified for mainland China or Singapore, and with traditional for Taiwan or Hong Kong.
In Bubblegum, both Mandarin journeys let you switch between simplified and traditional characters. The 
Taiwan Mandarin journey also uses Taiwan words and Taiwan audio, and Cantonese lessons are written in traditional characters.
How Can You Start Reading?
The Pinyin course teaches the sounds of Mandarin and shows simplified and traditional side by side: 爱 next to 愛, and 马 next to 馬. For Taiwan, the Zhuyin chart draws every symbol as a picture, and the Zhuyin course adds audio. Poppy, your AI tutor in the Bubblegum app, writes Mandarin lessons at your level in simplified or traditional, whichever you pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Someone Who Reads Traditional Read Simplified?
Mostly, yes. Many characters are the same, and the changed parts follow patterns, like 言 becoming 讠. A reader who knows one set can learn the other by learning those swaps.
Is Cantonese Written in Traditional Characters?
In Hong Kong and Macao, yes. Written Cantonese also uses some characters of its own, like 係 (to be) and 唔 (not), which the Jyutping course shows next to their Mandarin forms.
Which Chinese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Chinese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Start with its Pinyin course for mainland Mandarin or its Zhuyin course for Taiwan. Our Chinese app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- The Unicode Standard, Chapter 18, East Asia (simplified Chinese used in most of the PRC and Singapore, traditional in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas communities; most characters are the same in both; 台 stands for 檯, 臺 and 颱; simplified radicals for speech, shell, gate and bird; 説 and 说)
- State Council of the People's Republic of China, Notice on publishing the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters (国发〔2013〕23号, with its table of standard and traditional forms, which pairs 马/馬, 妈/媽 and 骂/罵)
- Bubblegum, Mandarin Chinese (the Pinyin and Zhuyin courses)
- Bubblegum, Taiwanese Mandarin (lessons in traditional characters with zhuyin, Taiwan words and Taiwan audio)
