Chinese Punctuation Rules Checker (中文标点规范)

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Chinese punctuation rules checker (GB/T 15834-2011 standard). Paste text → auto-detects ASCII vs fullwidth issues, multiple punctuation runs, ASCII ellipsis + one-click auto-fix.

RT-CHN-077 · Chinese Language & Script

Chinese Punctuation Rules Checker (中文标点规范)

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How to use

Paste Chinese text

Any text containing Chinese characters works. Mixed Chinese-English also fine.

Click "Check punctuation"

The tool scans for: ASCII halfwidth punctuation, multiple-punctuation runs, ASCII ellipsis (...), CJK-English spacing, etc.

Review results

Results grouped by severity (Error / Warning / Info). Each shows count, samples, and explanation.

One-click auto-fix

Click "Auto-fix" to convert all ASCII punctuation to fullwidth Chinese punctuation. Fixed text is ready to copy.

GB/T 15834 — China\'s Chinese Punctuation Standard

China\'s national standard GB/T 15834-2011 "Use of Punctuation Marks" is the authoritative reference for Chinese punctuation, effective June 2012. It specifies 16 fullwidth punctuation marks: 。 , ? ! ; : "" 「」 () —— ……, etc.

5 most common errors

(1) ASCII comma (,) in Chinese context — should be 「,」. (2) ASCII period (.) — should be 「。」. (3) ASCII ellipsis (...) — should be 「……」 (6 dots = U+2026 × 2). (4) Multiple punctuation runs (!!! or ???) — standard allows only one per sentence. (5) ASCII straight quotes ("") — should be curly "" or Chinese 「」.

"The real reason for fullwidth: Chinese characters are square. Halfwidth (50% width) breaks visual rhythm next to Chinese; fullwidth (100% width) maintains a unified grid."

Regional adoption

SG + MY Chinese education often overlooks the fullwidth/halfwidth distinction — local Chinese publications frequently misuse ASCII punctuation. HK + Taiwan strictly enforce fullwidth — this is basic professional Chinese typography.

Practical tips

(1) Input method switching: Chinese IME defaults to fullwidth, English IME defaults to halfwidth — don\'t mix. (2) Content copy-pasted from English documents must be fixed. (3) WeChat / Weibo / Moments are lenient, but formal documents (resumes, contracts, emails) must comply.

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10 facts about Chinese punctuation

01

Classical Chinese had no punctuation. Modern Chinese punctuation was imported from the West in the 1919 New Culture Movement — directly influenced by the May Fourth Movement.

02

The 「。」 (period) was imported from Japan in 1919 — the round shape distinct from Western ".". Classical Chinese used no-symbol spacing to mark sentence ends.

03

Mainland vs HK/TW quote conventions: mainland uses curly "" (Western-style); HK/Taiwan use traditional 「」 and 『』.

04

The Chinese ellipsis is SIX dots (……) not three. Correct encoding: U+2026 × 2.

05

"!!!" or "???" chains violate GB/T 15834. The standard permits only one per sentence.

06

"&" has no Chinese equivalent — should be replaced with 「与」 or 「和」.

07

《》 book title marks are unique to Chinese — marking books, films, articles. English uses italics or quotes instead.

08

「、」 (enumeration comma) is unique to Chinese — used for listed single characters/words (e.g. 红、橙、黄、绿). English uses regular commas.

09

The Chinese em-dash is TWO fullwidth dashes (——), not one. Used for thought breaks / inline notes.

10

SG + MY Chinese publications often misuse ASCII punctuation — HK/TW/mainland professional typography is strict about it.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • (1) ASCII halfwidth punctuation (, . ? ! : ; ") in Chinese context; (2) Punctuation chains (!!! ???); (3) ASCII ellipsis (...) replacing Chinese (……); (4) Missing CJK-English spaces (info-level).

  • No. It only replaces punctuation (halfwidth → fullwidth). Content and sentence structure are completely preserved.

  • No. All checking and fixing runs in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.

  • Quotes require human judgment (open vs close) — the tool flags but does not auto-fix them. Manually replace with 「「」」 or 「""」.

  • China's national standard "Use of Punctuation Marks" — published 2011, effective June 2012. All professional Chinese publications, textbooks, contracts should comply.

  • Same principle (fullwidth) but local differences. HK/TW prefer traditional 「「」」 and 『』 quotes; mainland uses 「""」.

  • Not strictly. Daily chats, no one cares. But formal documents (resumes, contracts, emails, reports, publications) must comply.

  • When imported in 1919, matching the visual length of English's 3 dots — Chinese characters are ~2× English character width, so 6 dots equals 3 ASCII dots visually.

  • China's national standard GB/T 15834-2011, publicly published.

  • Yes. All RECATOOLS tools are 100% free, ad-supported.

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