Which script style, also known as standard script, is the most common in modern Chinese calligraphy?

Regular script, or Kaishu, is the most common script style in modern Chinese calligraphy and text.

Known in Chinese as 楷书 (kǎishū), regular script is valued for its clearly separated strokes, balanced structure, and consistent proportions. Its legibility makes it the usual starting point for calligraphy students and the basis for many printed and digital Chinese typefaces. Beginners often practice the character 永 because it contains many fundamental stroke types.

Regular script emerged during the Three Kingdoms period and became dominant during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It reached stylistic maturity in the Tang dynasty (618–907), when masters such as Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing, and Liu Gongquan established influential models.

Running or semi-cursive script is faster and more connected, while clerical script has older, distinctive flattened forms. Seal script is still important in historical study and seal carving, but it is not the ordinary modern style. Regular script can therefore be both an artistic calligraphy style and the visual foundation of everyday Chinese writing.