Chinese characters are the basic symbols of Chinese writing; each character represents a syllable and a unit of meaning. In written Chinese, characters form words and sentences. In modern Chinese, Chinese characters are the primary form for recording information and communication.

Chinese characters can form words on their own, or combine with other characters to form words. A word is a unit that expresses a complete meaning, usually consisting of one to two characters. A sentence is made up of words to convey more complex information.

Chinese characters have structure, including strokes and components. Components can be radicals and roots, often providing semantic or phonetic hints. A Chinese character typically has internal spatial distribution rules to keep writing clear.

Modern Chinese has two main writing forms: Simplified Chinese characters and Traditional Chinese characters. Simplified characters are commonly used in Mainland China and Singapore, while Traditional characters are commonly used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The languages are the same, but the glyphs differ.

In computing, Chinese characters are stored and transmitted using encodings. Common encodings include UTF-8 and GB2312. Encodings map Chinese characters to a set of numbers, which computers use to process text.

The commonly used Chinese characters in daily language appear frequently in basic conversation and reading. Mastering commonly used characters helps in recognizing words and understanding sentences. A list of commonly used characters is a foundational resource for language learning and input method design.

Each Chinese character corresponds to a syllable; in Mandarin, pronunciation is represented by Pinyin. Pinyin includes initials and finals and has four tones to distinguish meaning. In writing, you use Chinese characters, and in pronunciation, you use syllables.

Modern Chinese commonly uses Pinyin input methods and stroke input methods to input Chinese characters. Pinyin input methods select characters based on pronunciation, suitable for users who know the pronunciation. Stroke input methods select characters based on the writing order, suitable for users who remember the character shapes.

Chinese typography usually uses monospaced/full-width Chinese characters to keep text neat. There are generally no spaces between Chinese characters or within words. Punctuation marks come in two forms: Chinese full-width and English half-width, which affect visual appearance.

Chinese characters are used in daily communication, reading, writing, and digital communication. Phones and computers rely on character encoding to display and transmit Chinese characters. Understanding the relationship between Chinese characters and characters helps in smoothly using Chinese software and platforms.