Ambiguities in Chinese character simplification

A number of Chinese characters are simplified-traditional multipairings (简繁一对多; 簡繁一對多), which do not have a one-to-one mapping between their simplified and traditional forms.^[1]

This is usually because the simplification process merged two or more distinct characters into one.^[2] In most cases, these traditional characters are homonyms, having the same pronunciation but different meanings. As a result, converting text from simplified to traditional characters is difficult to automate, especially in the case of common characters such as 后⇄后後 (behind, empress), 表⇄表錶 (table, clock), 奸⇄奸姦 (traitor, rape) and more.

In a smaller number of cases, a single traditional character is mapped to multiple simplified characters as the character is only simplified in one of its usages.

The following is an exhaustive list of all characters whose simplified and traditional forms do not map in a one-to-one manner. Simplified characters are marked with a pink background, and traditional characters with lavender.

^ Jordan, David K. (24 September 2021). "More Than You Want To Know About Simplified Characters". China-Related Resources. University of California, San Diego. Archived from the original on 28 April 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2024. An important take-away message is that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between simplified and traditional characters, and that any procedure (or computer program) that "converts" between the two systems is destined to make mistakes if it does not take account of context.
^ Liu, Yuli (16 January 2023). "The All-Too Complicated History of Simplified Chinese". Sixth Tone. Shanghai United Media Group. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024. This involved choosing a single character variant, usually one with fewer strokes, and making it the official form.

[1] Jordan, David K. (24 September 2021). "More Than You Want To Know About Simplified Characters". China-Related Resources. University of California, San Diego. Archived from the original on 28 April 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2024. An important take-away message is that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between simplified and traditional characters, and that any procedure (or computer program) that "converts" between the two systems is destined to make mistakes if it does not take account of context.

[2] Liu, Yuli (16 January 2023). "The All-Too Complicated History of Simplified Chinese". Sixth Tone. Shanghai United Media Group. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024. This involved choosing a single character variant, usually one with fewer strokes, and making it the official form.

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