Chinese Characters VS Japanese Characters
By Fei Gao on Nov 14, 2023
Differences between Chinese Characters and Japanese Characters
Chinese Characters VS Japanese Characters
Chinese characters and Japanese characters both originated in China, but they have gradually developed some differences over the long course of history. These differences are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Shape
The biggest difference between Chinese characters and Japanese characters in terms of shape is simplification. China began the Chinese character simplification movement in the 1950s, simplifying thousands of characters to make them more concise and easier to write. Japan also carried out a simplified Chinese character movement in the late 19th century, but the scale was not as large as China.
In addition to simplification, Chinese characters and Japanese characters also have some other differences in shape. For example, some of the characters in Japanese characters evolved from the variant characters of Chinese characters, such as "圖" and "図". "圖" is a traditional character, while "図" is a Japanese character. For example, some of the characters in Japanese characters evolved from the cursive or running script of Chinese characters, such as "人" and "人".
Pronunciation
Chinese characters and Japanese characters also have some differences in pronunciation. The pronunciation of Chinese characters is mainly divided into the modern Mandarin Chinese pronunciation and the ancient Chinese pronunciation. The pronunciation of Japanese characters is mainly divided into two types: onyomi and kunyomi.
Onyomi is the pronunciation formed by Japanese characters after they were introduced to Japan from Chinese, based on the phonetic rules of Chinese. Kunyomi is the pronunciation formed by Japanese characters based on the phonetic rules of the Japanese vernacular.
For example, the modern Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of the Chinese character "人" is "rén", and the ancient Chinese pronunciation is "rén". The onyomi of Japanese characters is "hito", and the kunyomi is "ひと".
Usage
Chinese characters and Japanese characters also have some differences in usage. The usage of Chinese characters is mainly influenced by Chinese traditional culture. The usage of Japanese characters is influenced by both Japanese traditional culture and Chinese culture.
For example, the meaning of the Chinese character "大丈夫" is "a person with a broad mind and no small details". The meaning of the Japanese character "大丈夫" is "it's okay, no problem".
For example, the meaning of the Chinese character "青" is "blue". The meaning of the Japanese character "青" is "green".
In conclusion, although Chinese characters and Japanese characters are of the same origin, they have some differences in terms of shape, pronunciation, and usage. These differences are the natural result of the development of the languages and cultures of the two countries.
