Simplified Chinese characters

Simplified Chinese characters are one of two standardized character sets used to write the Chinese language, with the other being traditional characters. Their widespread adoption during the 20th century was part of efforts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to promote literacy. Today, they are the standard forms used in mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore, while traditional characters are officially used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Simplification of Chinese script typically involves reducing a character's total stroke count or streamlining which strokes appear in a given component.