Ambiguities in Chinese character simplification


A number of Chinese characters are simplified-traditional multipairings, which do not have a one-to-one mapping between their simplified and traditional forms.
This is usually because the simplification process merged two or more distinct characters into one. 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 Simplified: 后 ⇄ Traditional: 后後, S: 表 ⇄ T: 表錶, S: 奸 ⇄ T: 奸姦 and more.
In a smaller number of cases, a single traditional character is mapped to multiple simplified characters for different uses, which occurs because the simplification scheme contains a list of bespoke simplifications for certain heavily-used meanings.
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 prefixed with "S", and traditional characters with "T".

2 to 1

Special cases

  • , :
  • * yāo is written 幺 or 么 in simplified and traditional.
  • * me and ma are written 么 in simplified and 麼 or 麽 in traditional.
  • * mó is written 麽 in simplified and 麼 or 麽 in traditional.
  • , :
  • * le is written 了 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * liǎo is written 了 in simplified and 瞭 in traditional.
  • * liào is written 瞭 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * shí is written 什 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * shén is written 什 in simplified and 什 or 甚 in traditional.
  • * shèn is written 甚 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * huǒ is written 伙 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * huǒ is written 伙 in simplified and 夥 in traditional.
  • * huǒ is written 夥 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * yú is written 余 in simplified and traditional.
  • * yú is written 余 in simplified and 餘 in traditional.
  • * Yú is written 馀 in simplified and 餘 in traditional.
  • , :
  • * jiè is written 借 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * jiè is written 借 in simplified and 藉 in traditional.
  • * jiè and jí are written 藉 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * gān and gàn are written 干 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * gān is written 干 in simplified and 乾 in traditional.
  • * gàn is written 干 in simplified and 幹 in traditional.
  • * qián is written 乾 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * zhēng is written 征 in both simplified and traditional.
  • * zhēng is written 征 in simplified and 徵 in traditional.
  • * zhǐ is written 徵 in both simplified and traditional.
  • , :
  • * è and wù are written 恶 in simplified and 惡 in traditional.
  • * ě is written 恶 in simplified and 噁 in traditional.
  • * è is written ? in simplified and 噁 in traditional.
  • , :
  • * zhù is written 苎 in simplified and 苧 in traditional.
  • * níng is written 苧 in simplified and 薴 in traditional.
  • , :
  • * píng is written 苹 in simplified and traditional.
  • * píng is written 苹 in simplified and 蘋 in traditional.
  • * pín is written ? in simplified and 蘋 in traditional.
  • , :
  • * zhōng is written 钟 in simplified and 鐘 in traditional.
  • * zhōng is written 钟 in simplified and 鍾 in traditional.
  • * Zhōng is written 锺 in simplified and 鍾 in traditional.