Uses the OpenCC dictionaries (opencc-js), loaded from jsDelivr (about 0.6 MB) the first time you type. One simplified character can stand for several traditional ones (发 → 發 or 髮): the phrase dictionary picks the right one from the words around it.
About the Simplified ⇄ Traditional Chinese converter
Chinese is written in two ways. Simplified Chinese (简体字) is used in mainland China and Singapore. Traditional Chinese (繁體字) is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. This tool converts both ways (繁简转换), live as you type.
It is not a simple letter swap. Many simplified characters stand for two or more traditional ones: 发 is 發 in 发展 (develop) but 髮 in 头发 (hair). The tool uses the OpenCC dictionaries of words and phrases, so it picks the right character from the words around it. It can also use Taiwan words (软件 → 軟體, 鼠标 → 滑鼠) or the Hong Kong forms.
Features
- Both directions — 简 → 繁 and 繁 → 简, or Auto-detect to find out which one your text is
- Right character in context — 头发 → 頭髮 but 发展 → 發展; 之后 → 之後 but 皇后 stays 皇后
- Taiwan words — 软件 → 軟體, 信息 → 資訊, 出租车 → 計程車, 打印机 → 印表機
- Taiwan, Hong Kong or standard — the character forms of each place (裡 / 裏, 臺 / 台)
- Changes are marked — changed characters are highlighted, with a count
- Swap — send the result back to convert it the other way
- Private — your text never leaves your browser; only the dictionary comes from the CDN
One simplified character, several traditional ones
| Simplified | In this word | Traditional |
|---|---|---|
| 发 | 发展 (develop) | 發展 |
| 发 | 头发 (hair) | 頭髮 |
| 后 | 之后 (after) | 之後 |
| 后 | 皇后 (empress) | 皇后 |
| 干 | 干净 (clean) | 乾淨 |
| 干 | 干部 (official) | 幹部 |
| 只 | 一只猫 (one cat) | 一隻貓 |
| 钟 | 钟表 (clocks) | 鐘錶 |
| 钟 | 钟情 (to love) | 鍾情 |
| 里 | 公里 (kilometre) | 公里 |
Taiwan, Hong Kong and standard Traditional
The same simplified text gives slightly different results:
| Simplified | Taiwan, with Taiwan words | Taiwan, characters only | Hong Kong | Standard (OpenCC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 里面 | 裡面 | 裡面 | 裏面 | 裏面 |
| 台湾 | 臺灣 | 臺灣 | 台灣 | 臺灣 |
| 面条 | 麵條 | 麵條 | 麪條 | 麪條 |
| 软件 | 軟體 | 軟件 | 軟件 | 軟件 |
| 信息 | 資訊 | 信息 | 信息 | 信息 |
| 鼠标 | 滑鼠 | 鼠標 | 鼠標 | 鼠標 |
| 出租车 | 計程車 | 出租車 | 出租車 | 出租車 |
| 打印机 | 印表機 | 打印機 | 打印機 | 打印機 |
| 网络 | 網路 | 網絡 | 網絡 | 網絡 |
| 视频 | 影片 | 視頻 | 視頻 | 視頻 |
| 程序 | 程式 | 程序 | 程序 | 程序 |
Choose Taiwan, with Taiwan words for readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong for Hong Kong, and Standard when you need the classic dictionary forms. When you convert Traditional to Simplified, the same choice tells the tool where the text comes from, so 軟體 goes back to 软件.
Frequently asked questions
Is the conversion always right?
It is right for most texts, but no converter is perfect. A few characters depend on the meaning in a way the dictionary cannot see, for example in names of people, poetry and old texts. Read the result once, and look at the marked characters.
Simplified to Traditional is harder than the other way. Why?
Going from Traditional to Simplified, several characters become one (發 and 髮 both become 发), which is easy. Going back, the tool must choose, and it needs the words around the character to do it.
What is the difference between Taiwan and Hong Kong Traditional?
Most characters are the same. A few have a different standard form, like 裡 (Taiwan) and 裏 (Hong Kong). Taiwan also uses many own words, like 軟體 for software and 計程車 for taxi. Pick the place your readers live in.
Does it convert words like "software" into Taiwan words?
Only with Taiwan, with Taiwan words. Then 软件 becomes 軟體 and 信息 becomes 資訊. The other choices change only the characters.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The dictionary is loaded once from the jsDelivr CDN, and the text is converted in your browser.
Good to know
- Latin letters, numbers and punctuation are not changed
- With Auto-detect, text that is the same in both scripts (like 中文 or 你好) shows "no characters to change"
- Credits: opencc-js (MIT License) with the OpenCC dictionary data (Apache License 2.0), loaded from jsDelivr
Related tools
- Pinyin Converter — Chinese characters to pinyin with tones
- Chinese Zodiac Calculator — the animal of any birth year
- Lunar Calendar Converter — solar to lunar dates and back
- File Encoding Converter — fix GBK, Big5 and UTF-8 text files
- Character Counter — count the characters of a text
- Furigana Converter — Japanese kanji to hiragana and romaji
How to use it
- Type or paste Chinese text in the left box. The first time, the dictionary loads (about 0.6 MB)
- Auto-detect finds out if the text is Simplified or Traditional. Or press 简 → 繁 or 繁 → 简
- Choose the Traditional Chinese standard: Taiwan with Taiwan words, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Standard
- Changed characters are marked. Press Copy to copy the result, or Swap to convert it back
