zhHans

zh-Hans is the IETF language tag that designates Chinese written in the Simplified Chinese script. It is a variant of the Chinese language tag zh and uses the Han script subtag Hans. The tag is used in computing and localization to distinguish Simplified Chinese from zh-Hant, which denotes Traditional Chinese.

In practice, zh-Hans can be combined with region subtags to form tags such as zh-Hans-CN for Mainland China and zh-Hans-SG for Singapore. These tags appear in software, websites, and data formats to indicate both the language and the script variant, aiding display, input, and localization processes. The tag is commonly used in HTML, XML, and software internationalization to request or deliver content in Simplified Chinese.

History and writing system perspectives: Simplified Chinese characters were developed and promoted by the People’s Republic of China in the mid-20th century to increase literacy. Several character sets support Simplified Chinese, including GB2312, GBK, and the broader GB18030 standard, which is widely used in modern software and systems in China. zh-Hans coexists with zh-Hant for contexts involving Traditional Chinese characters (such as in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao).

Practical usage: as a language tag, zh-Hans guides rendering and localization in apps, websites, and databases. When precision is required, including a regional subtag (for example, zh-Hans-CN) clarifies both the language variant and the target region. In many environments, zh-Hans serves alongside or instead of locale-specific tags like zh-CN, depending on the granularity needed.