Traditional Chinese Fonts and Handwriting Styles

In Taiwan, three names cover most of what you will read. 楷書 (kǎishū, regular script) is the upright handwriting-style script that school children copy and that standard character shapes are modelled on. 明體 (míngtǐ, serif) is the usual style for printed body text, such as books and newspapers. 黑體 (hēitǐ, sans-serif, literally “black”) is the usual style for screens, signs and headings. Handwriting adds more styles on top, of which 行書 (xíngshū, running script) is the one you are most likely to need to read.

This article explains what each is, why they look different, and how to read the handwriting you will meet in Taiwan.

The three print styles

Taiwan name	Pinyin · Zhuyin	What it looks like	Where you meet it
楷體 / 楷書	kǎitǐ · ㄎㄞˇ ㄊㄧˇ	Upright, each stroke distinct, like careful handwriting	Copybooks and school materials
明體 (宋體)	míngtǐ · ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄧˇ	Thin horizontals, thicker verticals, small triangular flourishes at stroke ends	Books, newspapers, long text
黑體	hēitǐ · ㄏㄟ ㄊㄧˇ	Even-width strokes, no flourishes	Phone and computer screens, signs, headings

The same character, such as 學 (xué, ㄒㄩㄝˊ, to study), looks quite different in each. In 明體 the flourishes at stroke ends are decoration. In 楷體 the stroke starts and ends are the ones a pen makes. In 黑體 there is nothing but the skeleton. Reading across all three is normal for Taiwanese readers, and it becomes normal for learners with exposure.

Fonts you are likely to see on a Taiwan-set computer or phone include 標楷體 (a regular-script font that ships with Windows), 新細明體 and 細明體 (serif fonts on Windows), 微軟正黑體 (a sans-serif font on Windows), and 蘋方-繁 (PingFang TC, the sans-serif system font on Apple devices). The open-source 思源黑體 (Source Han Sans, Noto Sans CJK) has a Traditional Chinese version. The 繁 or TC in the name marks the Traditional Chinese version.

MOE standard shapes

Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (教育部) standardised the shape of Traditional characters. According to its dictionary entry for 標準字體, it commissioned National Taiwan Normal University to draw up the 常用國字標準字體表, published in September 1982, with lists for less common and rare characters in 1982 and 1983. The standard forms were then turned into fonts. The Ministry offers the standard 楷書 and 宋體 font files as free downloads, with licence terms on its language-resources site (language.moe.gov.tw), so check the terms for your use.

For a learner, the practical point is that a 楷書 font built on the MOE standard forms is a sound model to copy. There is also a practical reason to choose Taiwan-set fonts when you study. On a computer or phone, a font that is not set for Traditional Chinese as used in Taiwan may draw a few characters in another region’s shape. Choosing a font marked 繁 or TC avoids this, and it keeps your flashcards consistent with what you will see on the street.

Which font to use for official and school writing

In Taiwan, 標楷體 is widely used for official documents and for school and university submissions. The Executive Yuan’s 文書處理手冊 (7th edition, checked) asks for neat, upright writing but does not name a font, so treat 標楷體 as common practice and check the requirement for your own document. The same manual says official seals are cut in seal script (篆字).

Print versus handwriting

A print font and a pen do not draw characters the same way. A serif font adds the flourishes mentioned above, and a sans-serif font replaces strokes with even bars. Neither is a model for how to write. Copy a 楷書 model instead, and use the stroke order rules in Chinese stroke order rules (筆順) to guide the order. The methods in how to write Chinese characters pair well with a 楷書 copybook.

The handwriting styles you may meet

Style	Pinyin · Zhuyin	What it is	Where you may see it
楷書	kǎishū · ㄎㄞˇ ㄕㄨ	Regular script. Strokes are separate and upright	Schoolwork, careful notes, printed copybooks
行書	xíngshū · ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄕㄨ	Running script. The MOE dictionary describes it as sitting between 楷書 and 草書, more flowing than 楷書 but more orderly than 草書	Quick handwriting, brush-written signs
草書	cǎoshū · ㄘㄠˇ ㄕㄨ	Cursive script, made for fast writing	Calligraphy; hard to read without training
隸書	lìshū · ㄌㄧˋ ㄕㄨ	Clerical script, with wide, flat shapes and flared horizontal strokes	Calligraphy and decorative lettering
篆書	zhuànshū · ㄓㄨㄢˋ ㄕㄨ	Seal script, an older, rounded form	Name seals (印章 yìnzhāng) and decorative uses

Look for 行書 in two places. One is on hand-lettered shop signs (招牌 zhāopái), and the other is on 春聯 (chūnlián), the red paper couplets hung around Lunar New Year, which are commonly brush-written. The shapes are looser than in print, and strokes run together. Reading 行書 is the useful skill, and it comes with exposure. Writing it is optional. For the full set of scripts, see Chinese calligraphy for beginners.

Reading handwritten notes

If you are reading a note from a Taiwanese friend, teacher or relative, a few things will help.

• Strokes join. Where a printed character has separate strokes, handwriting joins them, so a character can look like one curved line. Slow down and think about stroke order: the strokes will still be in order.
• Components change shape. The same part can look different at the left, top or bottom of a character, and handwriting simplifies more. A 氵 (water) on the left often runs together into one or two connected strokes.
• Everyday handwriting uses shorter forms. Many people write 台 for 臺 and 体 for 體. The MOE dictionary’s entry for 簡體字 gives 体 as a simplified form of 體, and 台 as a variant of 臺 (see the guide to character variants). When you write for exams or formal use, write the standard form.
• Context fills gaps. Native readers use context to read messy handwriting, and you can too. Read the whole line first, then return to the character you could not read.

When you meet a character you cannot read, a handwriting input in a dictionary app lets you draw it and shows candidates. The site dictionary search can then give you the reading and meaning.

What to do with this as a learner

1. Learn to read all three print styles. Switch the font on a flashcard deck now and then so that you are not tied to one shape.
2. Copy 楷書 when you write. It is the model for stroke order and proportion.
3. Recognise 行書 on signs and notes, but do not try to write it until you are comfortable with 楷書.
4. Pick Taiwan-set fonts (繁 or TC) for study materials, so your shapes match the textbooks.

Zhong teaches Traditional characters first, and checks your strokes when you handwrite.

Related reading

• Chinese stroke order rules (筆順)
• How to write Chinese characters
• Reading Traditional Chinese characters
• Traditional character variants: 台 or 臺?