Traditional Chinese character refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han Dynasty, and have been more or less stable since the 5th century during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The term "traditional" is used to contrast traditional characters with another standardized set — simplified Chinese characters, standardized by the government of the People's Republic of China since the 1950s.

Today traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Among overseas Chinese communities, traditional characters are most commonly used. Keller, Andrée Tabouret. [1997] (1997). Vernacular Literacy: A Re-Evaluation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198236352 In contrast, Simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia in official publications. The debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters has been a long-running issue among Chinese communities.