Traditional Chinese characters 繁體字 (繁体字) / 正體字

fántǐzì / zhèngtǐzì · from Chinese

What are Traditional Chinese characters?

Traditional Chinese characters are the older, unsimplified standard forms, used today in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan officially calls them 正體字 zhèngtǐzì, standard characters, rather than complex characters. They preserve more of the historical components, which can make etymology and phonetic hints easier to spot. Most classical texts and much calligraphy use traditional forms.

Examples

龍 lóng (dragon; simplified 龙); 愛 ài (love; simplified 爱, without 心 heart); 臺灣 / 台灣 Táiwān

Kungfucius says: In Taiwan, love still has a heart in it. Literally: 愛 keeps the 心.