Simplified and traditional characters

Two sorts of Chinese characters are in use, traditional and simplified. The traditional characters are the characters that were in use before the advent of the communist in China.

A simplified character is a simpler version of the original one, with less strokes. About 2,000 of the characters used in China have been simplified. The reason why the chinese authorities have introduced the simplified characters in the fifties was to increase literacy. At that time, China had a great number of illiterates. Chinese governement thought that the best way to educate everyone was to make it easier to learn Chinese. The simplified characters are now in use all over Mainland China and Singapore. However, the traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and Malaysia .

Here are some examples of simplified and traditional characters :

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