If you have been studying Chinese for a while and are considering moving on to learn to write Chinese characters, you have probably already realized that there is not one but two ways to write Chinese.
When China became a communist country, the new leadership faced a series of problems within the country. They had to modernize, build international relationships, and combat a tremendously high illiteracy rate. Chinese peasants throughout the country lacked the ability to read and write. The Chinese government decided to simplify a series of characters to make it easier to learn to read and write Chinese. The result is “Simplified Chinese”. Most of the characters are exactly the same, but a number of characters in common use have been shortened and simplified to facilitate literacy in China.
The counterpoint to this is Traditional Chinese, still widely used in Taiwan and some other countries with Chinese populations. Traditional Chinese should not be confused with “Classical Chinese”, which is a much older and more complex form that only scholars take the time to learn. Traditional Chinese is very similar to the simplified form, except obviously some commonly used words are more difficult to write than in the simplified form.
If you have decided that you want to read and write in Chinese, you have a choice to make. You can learn traditional Chinese or the modern simplified form. There are a couple of things to consider before making your final decision.
If you’re traveling, your destination could make the decision for you. Travelers to Taiwan are advised to learn traditional Chinese because it is widely used there. If you plan to visit China, you can learn simplified Chinese and read it everywhere.
If you have a serious academic interest in reading Chinese, it might be a better idea to go the extra mile to learn traditional Chinese. If you want to read any Chinese that was written before the PRC was formed, you will need to learn Traditional Chinese. If, for a masochistic or heroic reason, you want to tackle classical Chinese, knowing the traditional characters will also help you.
Finally, if you’re still not sure which way you’d like to learn, consider this. If you learn traditional Chinese, it is quite easy to switch to the simplified form. The characters you are learning will always be easier to write than in the traditional way. If you learn Simplified Chinese, it will take a lot of time and effort to learn Traditional Chinese. You lay a better foundation when you learn Traditional Chinese first, but spend a little more time on it.
Consider your options, but don’t worry too much about the writing system you’re beginning to learn. Some commonly used characters are different, but many characters are exactly the same in both forms. It’s not like you have to start from scratch if you need to change later.