The consensus regarding the quantity of commonly used characters in contemporary Chinese remains elusive. Through an analytical examination of the character utilization within the “Glossary of Media Words in the Year” segment of the Language Situation in China (2011–2022) (referred to as the Green Book), this study provides significant insights. The analysis reveals a remarkable consistency and concentration among the high-frequency characters featured in the Green Book’s annual media word compilations over a decade. Notably, there is a substantial presence of shared characters across various years. Specifically, when the coverage rate reaches 99%, the aggregate count of shared characters within the annual media word compilations over a decade totals 2,148. These most frequently employed characters exhibit stable utility and possess elevated textual coverage rates, positioning them as the preeminent high-frequency characters utilized within the public linguistic landscape over the past decade. Interestingly, the figure of 2,148 is considerably lower than the widely acknowledged tally of 3,500 common characters. This discrepancy suggests that 2,148 could be a benchmark for selecting the most frequently used characters in modern Chinese over recent decades. Consequently, this research advocates refining and updating the number of commonly used characters in modern Chinese. Additionally, it recommends a more nuanced classification system and the establishment of a definitive boundary delineating ancient versus modern Chinese characters.