How many Chinese characters are there?
This question has a complicated answer. For example, the number of Chinese characters also depends on how you count them. You may already know that the traditional and simplified characters often look very different. You should count different looking characters separately. A Chinese surname Chen 陈 (chén, simplified form) is 陳 in the traditional form. Do you count 陈 and 陳 as the 1 character or two characters? They look different and there is no offence in counting them separably.
Some characters are more complicated. They may have different sounds in traditional and simplified form. 著 is a perfect example.
Depending on the context, 著 can represent both simplified and traditional forms.
- 著 (zhù, zhuó, zhe) can be used in simplified form, such as 四大名著.
- 四大名著 (Sì dà míng zhù): Four Great Classical Novels
However, simplified form of 著 is 着, a character with multiple sounds (多音).
- 着: zháo, zhāo, zhe, zhuó
- 看着 (kàn zhe): seeing
Back to the question: How many Chinese characters are there? Nobody knows how many characters are there. However, the actual number is in the thousands.
It’s important to tell you that the natives use over 2,000 characters in simple day-to-day communication. However, most of the educated Chinese know anywhere about 5,000 characters. Obviously, not all characters are used frequently. For example, a civil engineering student may know certain different characters than a medical student. Each field of specialization has some special characters. You don’t need to run behind such characters.
Hence, if you are learning Chinese, you can aim at learning 2,000 characters.
How to learn 2,000 Chinese characters?
Read books. Read books without looking at pinyin. You can start from HSK level 1 books. You can find some suitable study materials on my Amazon homepage and on this site (Affiliate disclosure):
- Books for Beginners to Learn Chinese Characters
- Remember & Recognize Chinese Characters
- Brain Games for Fast Reading Chinese Characters
You should learn pinyin in the very beginning. You should know the different tones and the sounds like zi (子), zhi (之), ji (及). These are very different sounds. However, foreigners often mix these sounds.
Further, in the beginning, it’s okay to look at the pinyin of unknown characters. But you should stop checking pinyin ASAP. Learn how to find pinyin of unknown characters. Learn how to use a Chinese dictionary.
Apart from reading Chinese characters, you should also try to communicate with the native speakers. Talk more and more in Chinese. If you have crossed HSK level 2, you can think of going for an immersion program in mainland China. Live like a Chinese and you will learn Chinese fast. Once you are HSK 4 something, you can buy a laptop in Chinese language. If you are living in China, it’s very easy to buy a Chinese laptop. Use Baidu Map for navigation, eat at Chinese restaurants, travel solo in China. Do all your daily activities in Chinese. You will learn Chinese fast.
