Globally, most new Chinese language media — like blogs, newspapers, magazines, and books — are written in simplified characters. Their design makes it easier to learn written Chinese. Today, Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia all use the simplified characters. On the other hand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau still use the traditional characters. You’ll also see the traditional characters in “Chinatowns” throughout the world. For most learners, the simplified characters are the way to go. Still, if you want to speak Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, or an older “Chinatown” district, you should learn the traditional characters. As you learn one set of Chinese characters, you’ll probably start to recognize and understand many of the same characters from the other set. A Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese tutor can show you how to convert words from one set of characters to the other.