New Android App version

There’s a new Android app out for Ninchanese, fully ready for Android 11 and 12!

It contains all the features you know and love to learn Chinese. And, it has the bonus of being stabler, safer and faster, especially on the newer versions of Android!

Download it now on the Play Store!

What about the old app?

Unfortunately, with the roll-out of Android 12, the previous app got buggy for an increasing number of learners. As a result, the app started crashing on launch. Maybe it even happened to you. As such, it was time to say goodbye to that version of the Android App.

The old app will soon be entirely deprecated, i.e., no longer in use. So, long live the new Android app instead!

Download it now from the Play Store.

We need your help! The app will exist by downloading it and leaving us a review

We know some of you have been using Ninchanese for a long time and how it’s helped you progress in Chinese. And now, we’re the ones who need your help! So, if you love Ninchanese and download the new Android app, please rate the app and leave us a review.

Every (positive) review you leave the App on the Play Store helps its ranking in the play Store. It does!

Think about how much ratings and reviews affect your decision to download an app. Everyone else works the same.

So ratings and (good) reviews are the best way to get new Chinese learners on Ninchanese. They are also the best way for the app to be visible on the Play Store. That’s because ratings, the words used in a review, and downloads are data Google cares a lot about. So they affect an app’s ranking.

In other words: the new Ninchanese Android app is starting over from zero, so we need your help! Your ratings and reviews will help it tremendously. So, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and a review if you feel like it!

Even if you already rated the old app in the past, we need your support again! We’ll be forever grateful.

Traditional Chinese out of beta

The new version of the Android app is not the only new element in this update. Last but not least, traditional Chinese learning is now available for all.

After being in beta for a time and tested by many learners, learning with traditional characters is ready.

Thank you all for thoroughly testing Ninchanese with Traditional Chinese characters and sending us your feedback!

Want to start learning Traditional Chinese?

Easily switch to Traditional Chinese in your settings.

All you need to do is head to your settings and, more specifically, to the learning tab. Choose whether you want to learn in Simplified or in Traditional Characters. That’s it; you’re all set!

Two independent learning tracks

Good to know: Learning in Simplified and Traditional Chinese are two independent tracks.

In other words, once you’ve switched to Traditional Chinese, you start from the beginning again. Your stats and progress will be at 0 again, so you can learn Traditional Chinese from scratch.

If you want to learn the simplified form again, all you need to do is switch back to that character set in your settings. Then, you’ll be able to pick up where you left off in simplified Chinese.

These settings allow you to quickly choose what character form you want to use and even learn both simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese if you wish to!

Traditional Chinese is essential in the Sinosphere. Traditional Characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and many overseas Chinese communities outside Southeast Asia.

Related: Wondering which Chinese characters to learn? Read this page on Traditional Chinese to see if it’s for you!

Have fun learning on Android and in Traditional Chinese, little dragons!

The Nincha Team

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The post New Ninchanese Android App and Traditional Chinese Available appeared first on Ninchanese.

So, let’s see the difference between Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters. And, let’s find out which Chinese character form is for you!

One way to speak and two writing systems for Chinese characters

First things first. When speaking Mandarin Chinese, all Chinese speakers use the same language.

But that’s not the case in writing. The Chinese language uses two character sets to write: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. That’s right: The written Chinese language uses both Simplified Chinese characters and Traditional Chinese characters.

What is the difference between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese?

Different Chinese-speaking areas use different writing sets. That’s why both Simplified and Traditional Chinese exist.

Where they are used differs

Simply put, simplified Chinese is the primary way of writing in Mainland China and some Chinese-speaking communities.

Traditional Chinese characters are the writing system favored in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Simplified Chinese characters are… simpler

The most striking difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese is their appearance.

As the name Simplified Chinese characters implies, simplified Chinese characters have a goal: to become simpler versions of Traditional Chinese characters. That usually means having fewer strokes than Traditional Chinese characters. Some characters were changed a lot; scholars made some only a little simpler. However, the pronunciation and the meaning are usually the same.

Why are there both simplified Chinese characters and Traditional Chinese characters?

Traditional Chinese Characters are the characters that existed first. They derive from the Ancient Chinese characters, and initially, all Chinese-speaking regions used Traditional Characters.

Then, simplified Chinese characters were introduced to make it easier for Chinese speakers to read and write.

Let’s look back a bit at how they came to be. The history of Simplified Chinese characters is not very long.

Traces of simplified characters have been found as early as under the Qin dynasty. However, the idea of Simplifying Chinese characters solidified around 1920. Famous writers all over China then started theorizing it. The first complete system of Simplified Chinese characters wasn’t created until the 1950s.

Nowadays, the system of Simplified Chinese characters is quite stable, but it’s not entirely complete. There are still scholars working on the language, and new characters are being introduced.

What’s the reason for a new writing system? Why did the Chinese decide to work on Simplified Chinese?

In 1949, after the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, the government decided to launch a new and easy way to write Chinese characters. There are two main reasons for that.

First, they said it was to promote Chinese culture. Simplifying the Chinese language was then seen as essential to popularize Chinese characters and the language itself.

The second, and I think the most important, is they wanted people to be able to read and write Chinese. At that time, more than 80% of the population was illiterate. That was a lot, and so no wonder there was a desire to change that. So improving literacy and encouraging people to learn how to write was a significant factor in the decision.

Ninchanese is an incredible app for learning Chinese!

” I actually graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in Chinese.
I’ve used Ninchanese daily, and it has helped me a lot!  “

 – Connor, Ninchanese User

Try Ninchanese, an award-winning method to learn Chinese today:

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Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters are different in appearance

To better understand how they differ in appearance, let’s see an example of the word Dragon in simplified and traditional Chinese.

The simplified Chinese character for dragon is 龙 long2.
The traditional Chinese character dragon is 龍 long2.

With this example, it’s easy to see the differences between Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters.

The Simplified Chinese character 龙 has fewer strokes and is easier to decipher. However, in traditional Chinese, it has more strokes: 龍. A lot more! But maybe, you’ll find you can imagine more easily from its looks that this character has the meaning of a dragon?

Can you see how the right side of the Traditional character has the shape of a dragon?

What are the pros and cons of Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters?

This example is a good introduction to why there is a debate on Simplified Chinese characters vs.Traditional Chinese characters. There are cons and pros to each writing system, as you can expect.

If everyone seemed enthusiastic about the idea of simplifying characters at the time (it was maybe difficult to think otherwise at that period, but that’s another subject), as time passed by, voices arose. Many scholars believe it’s necessary to keep both systems, recall Traditional Chinese characters, and preserve them.

The first issue is that it created a rift.

It is challenging to recognize traditional Chinese characters for the Chinese people on the mainland who stopped learning Traditional Chinese. As a result, reading ancient texts that use traditional characters is more complicated.

It can also be difficult for people who use Traditional Chinese characters to write in Simplified Chinese characters.

Second, simplified Chinese characters were often about reducing the number of strokes between traditional Chinese characters and Simplified Chinese characters. But that had a few pitfalls.

For example, they sometimes took two or more different traditional characters and fused them to create one simplified character. A good illustration of that is 台.  台 tái in Simplified Chinese means “desk”, “table”, and several other things – it’s also a classifier. As you can see below, this Chinese character also corresponds to several different traditional characters. Several! You can view all of them here.

Moreover, sometimes, the pronunciation became different in the process, but that was quite rare.

Do simplified Chinese characters lack inner meaning?

Lastly, the main argument people in favor of Traditional Characters have is that they created characters that lack inner meanings by simplifying the Chinese characters.

For example, they’ll often use the simplified character “爱 ai4 love”, whose traditional form is “愛 ai4 love”. In its original form, we can see that there is a “心 xin1 heart” component inside. They argue that’s meaningful because we love someone with our hearts. However, in the Simplified Chinese character form, the heart component was removed. So does that mean the Simplified Chinese character might signify “love” but no longer represent it? What do you think?

Which version of the character do you like best?

Lastly, some scholars also say that the Simplified Chinese characters lack beauty, and because they have fewer strokes, it is easy to mistake and confuse similar characters.

A lack of meaning and maybe, beauty are the main cons of Simplified Chinese characters.

Simplified Chinese characters also have pros, of course. Many of them, including the fact that they really did help increase literacy across China.

Here are a few other arguments in favor of Simplified Chinese:

They are usually easier to read and learn. For example, 飞机场 is simpler to memorize and recognize than 飛機場.

Simplified Chinese characters are also a lot faster to write in Mandarin. Since they have fewer strokes, the structure of simplified Chinese characters is also often clearer to recognize. For instance, “丰 feng1 rich” is more straightforward than “豐 feng1 rich”.

So as you can see, both writing systems have their advantages and disadvantages.

As Chinese learners, there’s no real need to go into this debate on which set of characters is best. Both writing systems exist in the Chinese language. They are different, and that’s what matters for you, who’s learning Chinese.

Should you learn Simplified or Traditional Chinese?

So, what Chinese characters should you choose as a beginner? Should you learn simplified Chinese characters or Traditional Chinese characters?  What writing system should you pick to learn Chinese?

Where do you want to go?

Think about where you want to go in the future. Which part of China do you want to go to? Is it Mainland China? A Chinese-speaking country?

Answering those questions is an excellent way to choose between learning traditional or simplified Chinese as a beginner.  It’s all about being practical. Choose based on your learning goals.

If you want to go to mainland China,  since they use simplified Chinese, learn Simplified Chinese characters. Same for Singapore and the Chinese community in Malaysia. They speak Mandarin and use Simplified Chinese characters.

Otherwise, choose to learn traditional Chinese if you plan to go to Hongkong, Macao, or Taïwan.

Related: Mandarin? Cantonese? Which is for me? All about the Chinese language

Why are you learning Mandarin Chinese?

If you don’t have a place in mind, then think some more about why you’re learning Chinese. What interests you? Who do you want to communicate with?

Are you planning on doing business in China? That’s another good reason to learn Simplified Chinese.

Are you more fascinated by the history of China and calligraphy? That might be a good reason to choose to learn Traditional Chinese.

Related: Why learn Traditional Chinese

Should you learn both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese?

Only if you want to. But, especially to start, pick one, either Simplified or Traditional and then see if your needs change.

My experience with both forms of Chinese

I learned simplified first and then some traditional Chinese. I’ve traveled to mainland China many times and then, Taïwan.

It’s true. At first, I felt a little bit lost in Taïwan. The Chinese characters looked more complicated, and the pinyin was not what I was used to. [In Taiwan, they use Bopomofo and Zhuyin in conjunction with pinyin.]

But, when they were speaking, I didn’t see that much difference: Chinese Mandarin speakers use the same language, regardless of their writing system. So it’s quite okay to understand what’s going on.
And with a bit of effort, you realize the characters are not that different. Once you know, for instance, that 个 and 個 are two forms of the same character, pronounced “gè”, and that 后 hòu (after) is 後 in traditional Chinese, your life navigating both writing systems in Mandarin gets a lot easier.

Take your time getting used to the different forms of Chinese

Gradually, you’ll learn to decipher the characters in both writing systems. The most common ones, at least, as you run into them, in Taiwanese dramas for instance. So, there’s no need to worry, even if it takes time and sometimes you’ll get them wrong. You’ll get used to both writing forms.

To make your life easier, the Ninchanese dictionary always shows you both the simplified and the traditional version of a character, and you can switch between the two as much as you want.

Learn Simplified or Traditional Chinese on Ninchanese

So now, you are ready to choose between simplified and traditional Chinese characters! Whatever you choose, Ninchanese has got you covered!

The Ninchanese app is here to help you learn Mandarin Chinese, regardless of what writing system you want!

You can learn simplified Chinese characters. Or, if you want to learn traditional Chinese characters, that’s possible too!

Initially in beta, Traditional Chinese is now available for all on Ninchanese. Once you’ve signed up, all you need to do is choose in your settings what type of Chinese characters you want to learn. You’ll then be all set to start learning Mandarin Chinese, no matter which form of Chinese you’d like to know!

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Try the best way to learn Chinese today.
Ninchanese is free to use!

Sign up now

The post Simplified or Traditional Chinese: which should you learn? appeared first on Ninchanese.