Simplified

In my experience, finding quality textbooks that focus on Traditional Chinese, or preparing for the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) can be a challenge. For instance the 6 volume textbook series, "A Course in Contemporary Chinese (當代中文課程)", is excellent - however can be quite hard to find. In stark contrast, material that uses Simplified characters are rather abundent and easily accessible.

This page is to encourage you to use whatever you have at your disposal. If books that teach Simplified Mandarin are easy to find in your region - use them! Character preference should not be a barrier towards learning.

The differences between Mainland Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin are minimal, similar to the relationship of Brtish English and American English. The same grammar rules apply to both. The only real difference is the use of some words (i.e. Pineapple in China is 菠萝, whereas in Taiwan it is 鳳梨) and ultimately the use of Simplified vs Traditional characters.

It is due to this, that Simplified might make sense for you. I generally believe that you might make faster progress if you use Simplified characters in the beginning - and then learn Traditional characters later.

In many cases, it might make sense to learn both Simplified and Traditional characters. This comprehensive approach would make it so that you have total media access regarding books and media, can provide more cultural and historical depth - especially into the origin of some characters, where the meaning gets lost in the simplified form - and ultimately allows you to talk to a broader range of Chinese people through text. Additionally, nations like Singpore use Simplified Chinese in some places.