How many letters in the Chinese language?

The Chinese language doesn't use letters in the same way that English does. Instead, it uses characters.

There are thousands of characters in the Chinese language. The exact number depends on what you consider to be a "character". Some estimate:

* Simplified Chinese: around 3,500 for basic literacy, with more than 20,000 in common usage.

* Traditional Chinese: around 5,000 for basic literacy, with more than 50,000 in total.

It's important to note that:

* Chinese characters are logographic, meaning they represent words or concepts, not individual sounds.

* Different dialects of Chinese may have slightly different characters.

* The number of characters people use in everyday life is much smaller than the total number available.