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 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 marked with a pink background, and traditional characters with lavender.

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万⇄万萬　 丑⇄丑醜　 丰⇄丰豐　 于⇄于於　 云⇄云雲　 亘⇄亘亙　 仆⇄仆僕　 仑⇄侖崙　 价⇄价價　 仿⇄彷徬　 优⇄优優　 体⇄体體　 佣⇄佣傭　 克⇄克剋　 党⇄党黨　 冬⇄冬鼕　 冲⇄沖衝　 准⇄准準　 几⇄几幾　 出⇄出齣　 划⇄划劃　 别⇄别彆　 刮⇄刮颳　 制⇄制製　 千⇄千韆　 卜⇄卜蔔　 卤⇄鹵滷　 卷⇄卷捲　 历⇄歷曆　 发⇄發髮　 叠⇄曡疊　 只⇄衹隻　 叶⇄叶葉　 吁⇄吁籲　 合⇄合閤　 吊⇄吊弔　 同⇄同衕　 后⇄后後　 向⇄向嚮　 吨⇄吨噸　 听⇄听聽　 周⇄周週　 咸⇄咸鹹　 咽⇄咽嚥　 哄⇄哄鬨　 喂⇄喂餵　 回⇄回迴　 团⇄團糰　 困⇄困睏　 圣⇄圣聖　 坏⇄坏壞　 坛⇄壇罈　 坝⇄垻壩　 复⇄復複　 夸⇄夸誇　 奸⇄奸姦　 姜⇄姜薑　 宁⇄宁寧　 它⇄它牠　 审⇄審讅　 家⇄家傢　 尽⇄盡儘　 局⇄局侷　 岭⇄岭嶺　 岳⇄岳嶽　 布⇄布佈　 帆⇄帆颿　 帘⇄帘簾　 广⇄广廣　 庄⇄庄莊　 庞⇄龐厖　 弥⇄彌瀰　 弦⇄弦絃　 当⇄當噹　 录⇄彔錄　 彩⇄彩綵　 彩⇄彩綵　 御⇄御禦　 忏⇄忏懺　 志⇄志誌　 怀⇄怀懷　 怜⇄怜憐　 惊⇄惊驚　 愿⇄愿願　 才⇄才纔　 扎⇄扎紮　 扑⇄扑撲　 托⇄托託　 扰⇄扰擾　 折⇄折摺　 拐⇄拐枴　 挂⇄挂掛　 挨⇄挨捱　 据⇄据據　 摆⇄擺襬　 斗⇄斗鬥　 旋⇄旋鏇　 旋⇄旋鏇　 昆⇄昆崑　 曲⇄曲麯　 术⇄术術　 朱⇄朱硃　 朴⇄朴樸　 机⇄机機　 杆⇄杆桿　 杯⇄杯盃　 松⇄松鬆　 板⇄板闆　 极⇄极極　 柜⇄柜櫃　 栗⇄栗慄　 梁⇄梁樑　 欣⇄欣訢　 欲⇄欲慾　 欲⇄欲慾　 汇⇄匯彙　 沈⇄沈瀋　 泞⇄泞濘　 注⇄注註　 洁⇄洁潔　 洒⇄洒灑　 洼⇄洼窪　 涂⇄涂塗　 涌⇄涌湧　 淀⇄淀澱　 游⇄游遊　 湿⇄濕溼　 漓⇄漓灕　 烟⇄煙菸　 症⇄症癥　 痒⇄痒癢　 眯⇄眯瞇　 确⇄确確　 离⇄离離　 秃⇄禿鵚　 秋⇄秋鞦　 种⇄种種　 稗⇄稗粺　 筑⇄筑築　 签⇄簽籤　 篱⇄篱籬　 糊⇄糊餬　 累⇄累纍　 纤⇄縴纖　 罔⇄罔網　 翳⇄翳瞖　 肮⇄肮骯　 肴⇄餚殽　 胜⇄胜勝　 脏⇄臟髒　 腊⇄腊臘　 腌⇄腌醃　 致⇄致緻　 舍⇄舍捨　 芸⇄芸蕓　 苏⇄蘇囌　 范⇄范範　 茧⇄茧繭　 荐⇄荐薦　 药⇄葯藥　 获⇄獲穫　 蔑⇄蔑衊　 虮⇄虮蟣　 蚕⇄蚕蠶　 蜡⇄蜡蠟　 表⇄表錶　 袒⇄袒襢　 证⇄證証　 谷⇄谷穀　 赞⇄贊讚　 趟⇄趟蹚　 踊⇄踊踴　 辟⇄辟闢　 适⇄适適　 适⇄适適　 郁⇄郁鬱　 酬⇄酬詶　 酸⇄酸痠　 采⇄采採　 里⇄里裏　 阖⇄闔閤　 雇⇄雇僱　 雕⇄雕鵰　 霉⇄霉黴　 面⇄面麵　 须⇄須鬚　 饥⇄飢饑　 鸩⇄鴆酖　

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冬⇄冬咚鼕　 叹⇄嘆歎叹　 并⇄并並併　 当⇄當儅噹　 沈⇄沈沉瀋　 熏⇄熏燻薰　 系⇄系係繫　 胡⇄胡鬍衚　 鬃⇄鬃騣鬉　

1 to 4

台⇄台檯臺颱　 复⇄复復複覆　 欢⇄歡懽讙驩　 蒙⇄蒙懞濛矇　

2 to 1

線⇄线缐　 著⇄著着　

Special cases

• 么⇄么麼, 麼⇄么麽:
  • yāo (tiny) is written 幺 or 么 in simplified and traditional.
  • me (particle expressing tact) and ma (interrogative particle) are written 么 (but not 幺) in simplified and 麼 or 麽 in traditional.
  • mó (insignificant) is written 麽 in simplified and 麼 or 麽 in traditional.
• 了⇄了瞭, 瞭⇄了瞭:
  • le (completed action marker) is written 了 in both simplified and traditional.
  • liǎo (bright, understand) is written 了 in simplified and 瞭 in traditional.
  • liào (to watch from a height or distance) is written 瞭 in both simplified and traditional.
• 什⇄什甚, 甚⇄什甚:
  • shí (ten, miscellaneous) is written 什 in both simplified and traditional.
  • shén (what) is written 什 in simplified and 什 or 甚 in traditional.
  • shèn (extremely, exceed) is written 甚 in both simplified and traditional.
• 伙⇄伙夥, 夥⇄伙夥:
  • huǒ (meals) is written 伙 in both simplified and traditional.
  • huǒ (partner, combine) is written 伙 in simplified and 夥 in traditional.
  • huǒ (many) is written 夥 in both simplified and traditional.
• 余⇄余餘, 餘⇄余馀:
  • yú (first person pronoun) is written 余 in simplified and traditional.
  • yú (to remain) is written 余 in simplified and 餘 in traditional.
  • Yú (a surname) is written 馀 in simplified and 餘 in traditional.
• 借⇄借藉, 藉⇄借藉:
  • jiè (to lend) is written 借 in both simplified and traditional.
  • jiè (to rely on) is written 借 in simplified and 藉 in traditional.
  • jiè (pad, mat) and jí (numerous and disorderly) are written 藉 in both simplified and traditional.
• 干⇄干乾幹, 乾⇄干乾:
  • gān (implication) and gàn (to defend) are written 干 in both simplified and traditional.
  • gān (dry) is written 干 in simplified and 乾 in traditional.
  • gàn (main part) is written 干 in simplified and 幹 in traditional.
  • qián (first of the bagua or first hexagram of the I Ching) is written 乾 in both simplified and traditional.
• 征⇄征徵, 徵⇄征徵:
  • zhēng (journey, campaign) is written 征 in both simplified and traditional.
  • zhēng (punish, seek, characteristic, levy) is written 征 in simplified and 徵 in traditional.
  • zhǐ (fourth note of the Chinese pentatonic scale) is written 徵 in both simplified and traditional.
• 恶⇄惡噁, 噁⇄恶𫫇:
  • è (evil) and wù (to hate) are written 恶 in simplified and 惡 in traditional.
  • ě (in ěxīn (nauseous)) is written 恶 in simplified and 噁 in traditional.
  • è (oxygen) is written 𫫇 in simplified and 噁 in traditional.
• 苎⇄苧, 苧⇄薴:
  • zhù (boehmeria) is written 苎 in simplified and 苧 in traditional.
  • níng (limonene) is written 苧 in simplified and 薴 in traditional.
• 苹⇄苹蘋, 蘋⇄苹𬞟:
  • píng (silvery wormwood) is written 苹 in simplified and traditional.
  • píng (in píngguǒ (apple)) is written 苹 in simplified and 蘋 in traditional.
  • pín (four-leaf clover) is written 𬞟 in simplified and 蘋 in traditional.
• 钟⇄鍾鐘, 鍾⇄钟锺:
  • zhōng (bell) is written 钟 in simplified and 鐘 in traditional.
  • zhōng (vessel for alcohol) is written 钟 in simplified and 鍾 in traditional.
  • Zhōng (a surname) is written 锺 in simplified and 鍾 in traditional.