Different Chinese Writing and Phonetic Systems

This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the two Chinese writing systems and the two phonetic systems used to pronounce the Chinese characters.

Traditional Chinese, also known as 繁體字 (fán tǐ zì) or 正體字 (zhèng tǐ zì), and Simplified Chinese, also known as 简体字 (jiǎn tǐ zì), are two different writing systems used for Chinese characters. Here are the main differences between the two:

Character Forms: Traditional Chinese characters have a long history. They have more complex and intricate forms compared to Simplified Chinese characters. Simplified Chinese characters were introduced in the 1950s by the Chinese government in an effort to simplify the writing system and increase literacy rates in mainland China. In Simplified Chinese, many characters have fewer strokes and simpler structures compared to their Traditional Chinese counterparts. However, about 70% of the simplified Chinese characters remain the same as their traditional forms.
Usage: Traditional Chinese characters are primarily used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China and Singapore.

Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese are mutually intelligible in terms of reading and understanding. Chinese speakers who are familiar with one system can generally understand the other.

Here is an example of how to write “Hello, nice to meet you. I like to eat Chinese food.” in various forms of Chinese.

In Traditional Chinese: 你好，很高興認識你。我喜歡吃中國菜。

In Simplified Chinese: 你好，很高兴认识你。我喜欢吃中国菜。

In Pinyin: Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāo xìng rèn shì nǐ. Wǒ xǐ huān chī zhōng guó cài.

In Zhuyin (Bopomofo): ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ，ㄏㄣˇ ㄍㄠㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄖㄣˋ ㄕˊ ㄋㄧˇ。ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢㄔㄓㄨㄥㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄘㄞˋ。

Pinyin and Zhuyin (also known as Bopomofo) are two different phonetic systems used to represent the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese characters. Here are the main differences between the two:

Script: Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet (Romanization) with diacritical marks, while Zhuyin uses a unique phonetic script comprising symbols derived from Chinese characters.
Usage: Pinyin is widely used in mainland China and internationally for learning and teaching Mandarin Chinese. It is commonly used for typing Chinese characters on computers and mobile devices. Zhuyin is primarily used in Taiwan. Pinyin is getting more and more popular in Taiwan.
Pinyin was introduced in the 1950s as part of a language reform movement in mainland China. The system was developed with the aim of promoting literacy within China and improving communication for non-native speakers. Pinyin provides a relatively straightforward mapping between sounds and letters.

In the United States, Chinese immersion schools and after-school Chinese classes adopt the following combinations of Chinese writing and phonetic systems.

Simplified Chinese + Pinyin
Traditional Chinese + Pinyin
Traditional Chinese + Zhuyin

In schools where children are taught Zhuyin, the introduction of Pinyin typically occurs after the 3rd grade, due to its widespread usage for typing Chinese characters.

Here is a Pinyin to Zhuyin (Bopomofo) conversion table.

a (ㄚ) o (ㄛ) e (ㄜ, ㄝ) i (ㄧ) u, wu (ㄨ) ü, yu (ㄩ) ye (ㄝ)

b (ㄅ) p (ㄆ) m (ㄇ) f (ㄈ) d (ㄉ) t (ㄊ) n (ㄋ) l (ㄌ)

g (ㄍ) k (ㄎ) h (ㄏ) j (ㄐ) q (ㄑ) x (ㄒ)

zh (ㄓ) ch (ㄔ) sh (ㄕ) r (ㄖ) z (ㄗ) c (ㄘ) s (ㄙ)

ai (ㄞ) ei (ㄟ) ao (ㄠ) ou (ㄡ)

an (ㄢ) en (ㄣ) ang (ㄤ) eng (ㄥ) er(ㄦ)

Despite the differences in writing systems (Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese) and phonetic systems (Pinyin and Zhuyin), people in mainland China and Taiwan both speak Mandarin Chinese and follow the same grammar rules. There may be small variations in vocabulary and pronunciation accents; these minor differences do not affect the understanding between people in mainland China and Taiwan.

At KellynKai, our default approach is to teach students Simplified Chinese and Pinyin. However, upon request, we also offer instruction in traditional Chinese and Zhuyin. Begin your Chinese learning journey by signing up with KellynKai today!