Left-lateralized early neurophysiological response for Chinese characters in young primary school children

► We report for the first time the development of word-related N170 in Chinese children at 7, 9, and 11 years of age. ► All age groups even the youngest children showed an increased and left-lateralized N170 response for Chinese characters. ► The amplitude of the N170 decreased with age. ► The developmental pattern of word-related N170 is highly similar among readers of different scripts.