UN Chinese Language Day

April 20, Saturday

Chinese Language Day is celebrated annually on April 20 at the UN. This day was established by the United Nations in 2010 as part of an initiative to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity. The choice of date is associated with the memory of the Chinese writer and philosopher Cang Jie, who is considered the creator of the first hieroglyphs.

This day is associated with the tradition of honoring Cang Jie, who is considered a legendary figure in Chinese history. He was a court historian who lived during the era of the legendary Emperor Huang Di. Legend has it that Cang Jie invented Chinese characters, inspired by the tracks of birds and animals.

Interesting facts about the Chinese language
One of the oldest written languages. Chinese writing is more than 3,000 years old.

Hieroglyphs instead of an alphabet. The Chinese language uses a system of logograms (hieroglyphs), each of which can express a word or concept.

Tonal system. In Chinese, tone (intonation) is key, changing the meaning of words.

Widely spoken. It is the most widely spoken language in the world, with over 1.3 billion speakers.

UN Chinese Language Day – days left: 118. Create Countdown to Event

UN Chinese Language Day in other years

2021 April 20, Tuesday
2022 April 20, Wednesday
2023 April 20, Thursday
2025 April 20, Sunday

UN Chinese Language Day in other countries