Why Learn Chinese Characters?
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Why Learn Chinese Characters?
Hi everyone! I want to talk about three key points to help you understand why Chinese characters are so important for learning Chinese and why it’s essential to study them carefully.
Part 1: Simplified Chinese in Mainland China
First, you should know that in Mainland China, we mainly use Simplified Chinese characters, not Traditional characters.
Simplified characters were developed in the last century to:
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Increase literacy
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Reduce the effort of writing
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Make learning Chinese more efficient
Although some characters look different from Traditional Chinese, there is still a clear correspondence between them. Learning Simplified characters will help you quickly get into modern Chinese. Almost all books, websites, newspapers, and social media use Simplified Chinese. So mastering these characters is essential for reading, communicating, and living in a modern Chinese environment.
Part 2: Why Chinese Characters Are More Important than Pinyin
Many beginners rely heavily on Pinyin at first. But as you progress, you’ll realize that Pinyin is just a tool for pronunciation, while Chinese characters truly carry the meaning of words.
For example, the Pinyin “shì” can correspond to dozens of different characters:
是 (is), 事 (matter), 市 (city), 试 (test), 室 (room), 视 (look), 式 (style), 饰 (decorate), 示 (show), 世 (world)…
If you only see the Pinyin, you won’t know the meaning of the sentence. This is why Chinese must rely on characters to make meaning clear. It’s also why in our P.S.A. system, we emphasize Structure and Application of characters so much.
Other advantages of learning Chinese characters:
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Each character has its own meaning.
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Many words share the same Pinyin; characters help distinguish them.
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Reading Chinese requires characters—Pinyin cannot replace them.
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Your brain remembers characters more like images, which helps with long-term memory.
Learning Chinese characters is truly the first step to entering the Chinese world.
Part 3: Some Characters Have Multiple Pronunciations
Another feature of Chinese is that some characters have multiple pronunciations, which Pinyin alone cannot fully resolve.
For example, in our course, Lesson 33 features the character 漂. In the video, we pronounce it piāo, but in daily life it can also be pronounced piào (as in 漂亮, beautiful) or piǎo (as in 漂白, bleach). If you only learn Pinyin, you won’t know which pronunciation to use.
Other examples include: 行, 重, 乐, 了, 好, 长, 只, 着, 少, 都, 种… all are multi-pronunciation characters.
Characters themselves—through their structure, context, and meaning—help you figure out the correct pronunciation and usage. So learning Chinese characters is really about learning the logic and expression of the Chinese language itself.
Why You Must Learn Chinese Characters
In short, Chinese characters are not just symbols for pronunciation—they are the core of the Chinese language. They determine how we express ourselves, how we read, and how we understand meaning.
I hope today’s sharing helps you see the true value of Chinese characters. Keep practicing, and explore more of the fascinating world of Chinese characters!
And one more thing—if you’re also interested in Pinyin, tones, and pronunciation, we have a dedicated Pinyin course. You can choose to study it alongside this course, so you can improve both your characters and pronunciation at the same time.