Difference Between Japanese And Chinese

About people know both Chinese and Japanese languages use "Chinese characters" only what is the departure betwixt Chinese and Japanese characters?

Let's have a look at the Chinese character Hànzì (汉字/漢字) and Japanese Kanji (漢字) individually and then compare the difference.

Chinese character Hànzì (汉字 / 漢字)

Chinese characters originated from pictures, so it is likewise called pictographic characters (hieroglyphs). In linguistics, a pictographic character is likewise called a logogram as well. Many other languages used logograms in history similar Egyptian hieroglyphs. Yet, Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used arrangement of writing in the world co-ordinate to some experts.

Chinese characters started about 4,000 years ago. At that place were many unlike ways of writing logograms in the beginning. The starting time Chinese character standardisation was led past the get-go Emperor – Qin Shi Huang during the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC). He unified the eight calligraphic styles in other states and absorbed some simplified characters and pop way scripts to create the standardised Qinzhuan (Qin-Dynasty seal) script. This significantly advanced the evolution of Chinese characters. At that place are some changes since then merely the second significant change was led by Chairman Mao during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1964, Cathay government officially adopted simplified Chinese characters for apply in china.

Nowadays, we take simplified Chinese characters equally the official Chinese language in mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and other international organisations, while traditional Chinese characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and to a express extent in Due south Korea. While some overseas Chinese media nonetheless utilise traditional Chinese characters, more and more overseas Chinese media inverse to simplified Chinese characters. 汉字 is a simplified Chinese character while 漢字 is a traditional Chinese graphic symbol.

It used to be very hard to convert betwixt simplified Chinese characters and traditional Chinese characters before the reckoner was used in typing and printing. You lot had to re-write the whole article. Yet, it is now very like shooting fish in a barrel to convert between simplified and traditional Chinese characters using online conversion or even in MS Discussion.

It is hard to say which i is better. While it is true that traditional Chinese characters are more than meaningful, it is too true to say simplified Chinese characters are much easier to write.

Hither is the departure of "Beloved" between the simplified Chinese character 爱 and the traditional Chinese character 愛. The pronunciation is the same Ài. As shown in the below picture, the simplified Chinese grapheme has no heart 心 (Xīn). Dear without a heart? This is the normal criticism of the simplified Chinese character from the Taiwanese.

Love without a HEART — The difference between traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters

Initially, almost Chinese characters are monosyllabic (i character is a unmarried word), but in the modern Chinese linguistic communication, more than 60% of the mutual words are polysyllables, mainly disyllables (ii characters to form a discussion).

How many Chinese characters are in that location? The answers are varied. The biggest Chinese graphic symbol lexicon is believed to be the "Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants", it collected over 100,000 Chinese characters including many no-more-used characters. Normally, most modern Chinese dictionaries. The "Tabular array of General Standard Chinese Characters" (Tōngyòng Guīfàn Hànzì Biǎo 通用规范汉字表 ) published in 2013 includes eight,105 characters, three,500 as primary, 3,000 as secondary, and one,605 as third. The new HSK (Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì 汉语水平考试, Chinese Proficiency Examination) designed for non-native speakers in July 2021 covers three,000 characters and 11,092 words at its highest level (level nine).

In summary, there are nearly 3,000 common Chinese characters in modern life. People use well-nigh 500 characters in daily life. Though at that place are many dissimilar dialects in China, they all write the same Chinese characters.

Japanese Kanji

Chinese characters were adopted for recording the Japanese language from the fifth century AD, it is chosen "kanji" (漢字).

Initially, Chinese words were borrowed into the Japanese language without any modify and used Chinese-based pronunciation known as "on'yomi". Native Japanese words could also be written using a similar meaning to Chinese characters but will go along the native Japanese pronunciation known as "kun'yomi". For example, the Chinese grapheme "刀" （Dāo）will be read equally "Katana" in "kun'yomi" since the give-and-take is native to Japanese. While in "日本刀" the pronunciation is "nihontō" (on'yomi) considering it is borrowed from Chinese which ways "Japanese sword".

The Japanese regime started simplifying Chinese characters afterwards Earth State of war II. Some characters were given simplified forms chosen shinjitai (新字体, new character forms); the older forms were then labelled the kyūjitai (旧字体, old graphic symbol forms). For example, 龍 is simplified every bit 竜 (dragon). Pronunciation is the same: ryū (on'yomi) or Tatsu (kun'yomi). Considering the Chinese government only started simplifying Chinese characters in the 1950s, at that place might be some relations between these. All the same, the way they simplified Chinese characters is not all the same. Allow'south again have the dragon equally an instance, while the traditional Chinese characters are the aforementioned "龍 ", The Japanese simplified Kanji is "竜 " only the Chinese simplified Chinese character is "龙"(Lóng).

How many Japanese Kanji are at that place? According to the "Frequently used Chinese characters" (常用漢字 jōyō kanji ) designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 2010, in that location are 2,136 Chinese characters. There are other Kanji used in personal and place names.

In summary, a well-educated Japanese may know about ii,000 – 3, 000 Kanji. Young people know less Kanji these days.

The difference between Chinese and Japanese characters

It is clear from the above that Japanese characters (Kanji) are borrowed from Chinese characters.

While most of the Japanese characters are nonetheless the same as the traditional Chinese characters and mostly with similar meanings, there are some differences:

Japanese Kanji has two different pronunciation systems for Chinese characters: "kun'yomi" (for original Japanese words) and "on'yomi" (for borrowed Chinese words). And the "on'yomi" may not be like to today'due south Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. Some of the "on'yomi" is based on Chinese dialect.
While traditional Japanese Kanji is the aforementioned as traditional Chinese characters, simplified Japanese Kanji (shinjitai, new character forms) might exist different from simplified Chinese characters.
Most Japanese Kanji has a similar meaning to Chinese characters just non always.

The about used Chinese graphic symbol and Japanese Kanji difference example is "手纸/手紙(Shǒuzhǐ)" and "手紙(Tegami)". In Chinese characters, it means "toilet paper" while in Japanese it means "letter".