Is it worth learning Chinese handwriting or just stick to typing on your phone?

I moved to Shanghai 6 months ago and thought pinyin typing would be enough for everyday life. But last week I tried to order food at a local place and the menu had handwritten specials I couldnt read at all - took me 15 minutes to get someone to translate. On the other hand, my friend says handwriting is a total waste of time since everyone types now anyway. Which side do you fall on for actually living in China?

2 comments

2 Comments

martin.vera6d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I read something similar actually, someone online said they got stranded at a train station in some small town because the digital signs were broken and everything was handwritten. They ended up missing their train. Honestly I think a little handwriting goes a long way, even just for emergencies like that.

wren8266d ago

Wait, did your friend actually try living there without it? My buddy Dave thought the same thing, moved to Beijing for work, and after a month he couldn't even read the pharmacy labels for basic cold meds. He ended up taking a weekend crash course just to learn like 50 characters for street signs and menus, said it saved his ass more times than he could count lol.