Most learners meet 学, 写, and 说 first, then open a book from Taipei, a Hong Kong newspaper, or a letter from a grandparent and find 學, 寫, and 說 instead. This free printable worksheet prints the traditional form of ten characters you already know, each inside 田字格 (tián zì gé) grids with pinyin above. The traditional form is what you trace and what you write from memory.
What simplification actually changed
Seen together, the ten characters fall into three groups. Some were replaced wholesale by a cursive shorthand: 門 became 门, 車 became 车, 馬 became 马, 東 became 东, 見 became 见, and 書 became 书. Others swapped one component for a smaller one — 說 became 说 when the speech radical 言 shrank to 讠, the same swap behind 話 and 话, 語 and 语, 讀 and 读, so learning the pair once unlocks a whole family of characters. A third group was rebuilt: 國 became 国, keeping the enclosure but setting 玉 inside instead of 或, and 學 became 学 by replacing the crowded top with three short strokes.
Where the conversion gets tricky
The mapping is not always one to one. Simplified 后 stands for both 後 (after) and 后 (queen), and 干 covers 乾 (dry) and 幹 (to do) — the right choice depends on the meaning of the whole word. That is why the sheet converts each word through its dictionary entry rather than swapping character by character, and why it flags any word whose traditional form it cannot verify instead of guessing. Every character here has one unambiguous form, which makes this a clean place to start.
Trace each row a few times, then fill the blank squares from memory. The script control switches the same page back to simplified whenever you want. For extra repetition, print blank 田字格 writing grid paper, or paste your own vocabulary into the printable Chinese worksheet generator and set the script to traditional. If you want to see how each character is built, the stroke order worksheet adds one stroke per cell.
Words on this worksheet: 學 (xué) — learn, study; 寫 (xiě) — write; 說 (shuō) — speak; 門 (mén) — door; 車 (chē) — car; 馬 (mǎ) — Horse; 東 (dōng) — east; 書 (shū) — book; 見 (jiàn) — see, meet; 國 (guó) — country, state, nation. See also:
Thousand Character Classic (千字文 qiān zì wén) ·
Chinese poems for kids.
Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.
Frequently asked questions
Is this worksheet free to download as a PDF?
Yes. The Traditional Chinese Characters worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed. Press Print / Download PDF: on a computer the PDF opens ready to print or save, and on a phone it goes to your share sheet. A4 or US Letter follows your country.
What level is this worksheet?
It suits learners from about HSK 2. That is an editorial estimate for the Traditional Chinese Characters topic, not an official HSK word list, so a few of its 10 words may be harder. Each word prints with tone-marked pinyin and an English meaning to help.
Can I print copies for my class?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like — it's free. For a class set, press Change the words and open More options to add an answer key, a class line or a dictation page; the Student PDF leaves the key out. Test turns the sheet into a quiz.
Can I change the words or use traditional characters?
Yes. Press Change the words to open this sheet in the generator, then add, remove or replace words, up to 20 per sheet. Set Characters to Traditional to switch the whole sheet to traditional characters; a word with no verified traditional form stays as you typed it.
How should I practice with this worksheet?
Trace the gray guides first, saying each word aloud, then cover the model and write the characters from memory in the blank boxes. Scan the sheet's QR code or open the Practice tab to watch each stroke animate, trace it, then recall it without a guide. Revisit missed words a day or two later.