Chinese characters

Chinese characters are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. They have been adapted to write a number of other Asian languages. They remain a key component of the Japanese writing system (where they are known as kanji) and are occasionally used in the writing of Korean (where they are known as Hanja). They were formerly used in Vietnamese (in a system known as chữ Nôm) and Zhuang (in a system known as Sawndip).

Chinese characters constitute the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world. By virtue of their widespread current use in East Asia, and historic use throughout the Sinosphere, Chinese characters are among the most widely adopted writing systems in the world by number of users.

History

The Chinese characters were first invented by the ancient Chinese people. The earliest known Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), where they were inscribed on oracle bones and bronze vessels.

Structure

Chinese characters are primarily morphosyllabic, meaning that most Chinese morphemes are monosyllabic and are written with a single character, though in modern Chinese most words are disyllabic and dimorphemic, consisting of two syllables, each of which is a morpheme.

Types of Chinese Characters

There are two types of Chinese characters: traditional and simplified. Traditional Chinese characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, while simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Learning Chinese Characters

Learning Chinese characters is a challenging task due to the sheer number of characters and their complexity. However, understanding the structure and components of Chinese characters can make the learning process easier.

See Also

• Chinese language
• Chinese writing system
• Chinese calligraphy
• Chinese culture

References

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