Approximately 3,000 characters make up about 99 percent of a Chinese newspaper's written content. So, if you can acquire those 3,000-odd characters, you shouldn't have much trouble figuring out what's in the news.

However, "full" Chinese literacy requires approximately 2,000 to 3,000 characters, while basic literacy requires approximately 2,000 characters. For lots of fun, try technical writing in Chinese - that requires an estimated 6,000 characters.

You can find out more information about Chinese writing at Omniglot.com.
Source(s):
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chinese.htm
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=101


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