Who Speaks Mandarin Chinese?

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China and Taiwan.

Mandarin Chinese is also spoken in the influential communities of Mongolia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world.

What is “pútónghùa”?

Chinese people also refer to Mandarin Chinese as pútónghùa, zhōngwén, hànyǔ, guǒyǔ.

Chinese characters: Traditional vs. Simplified

The simple way to understand the difference between traditional and simplified Chinese characters is to understand that the newer, simplified characters are based on the traditional characters.

Most traditional characters are still in use even in mainland China, while Taiwan uses traditional characters exclusively.

Even though what is now published in mainland China makes use of the simplified form, original Chinese literary and historical material is still presented in traditional form.