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If you're not familiar with Asian scripts, the written form of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese may look the same to you. It is true that Chinese characters are sometimes used in both Korean and Japanese writing. However, the 3 scripts used for these 3 different languages are quite different. If you learn to notice special character shapes and text formatting, you should be able to distinguish between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean writing, even if you can't read any of them.
Steps
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Look for circles and ovals to identify Korean writing. Ovals and circles are fairly common in Korean script but virtually unused in Chinese or Japanese characters. If you see a lot of open ovals and circles, as well as open squares, you can be fairly certain that you are looking at Korean script. [1] X Research source- While Japanese has curvy shapes, it doesn't have complete circles within the characters as Korean does.
- Korean has an alphabet, just like the English language. However, the written language combines 2 or 3 letters into a single character representing the syllable of a word. So you'll also see strong vertical or horizontal lines separating the letters. [2] X Research source
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Recognize complex square characters as Chinese characters. Chinese characters (called hanzi in Chinese and kanji in Japanese) may appear in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. However, if the writing is in nothing but Chinese characters, then what you're looking at is Chinese. It is the only language of the 3 to rely solely on hanzi. [3] X Research source- Chinese characters are extremely detailed. Strokes don't cross outside the square perimeter of any character, giving a line of script a consistent, uniform appearance.
- In contrast, Japanese has a more open and airy style of script.
- While Korean characters are orderly and regimented, they aren't quite as dense or complex as Chinese characters, with a lot more open space.
Tip: Chinese characters aren't common in modern Korean writing. However, if you're looking at an older text, you may see Chinese characters interspersed among Korean script, especially for words of Chinese origin.
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Identify Japanese script as light and loose. Loose, curvy lines that aren't constrained to a small box are Japanese hiragana . The characters are extremely simple compared to Korean or Chinese characters, some only requiring a single stroke of the pen to reproduce. [4] X Research source- For a quick shortcut, look for the character "の." Neither Korean nor Chinese have a character that looks anything like "の." It's typically pretty easy to remember and spot. If you see this character in a passage of writing, it's most likely Japanese writing, even if you notice a few Chinese characters.
- Japanese also uses Katakana. To spot Katakana, look for straight lines. One of the most recognizable Katakana symbols is シ and ツ, which look like smiley faces. If you see either of these, you are looking at Japanese text.
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Determine the orientation of the script. Apart from the characters, you can often tell Chinese, Japanese, and Korean apart based on whether the script is written vertically or horizontally. You also may be able to tell which writing system you're looking at based on whether the script is read from right to left or from left to right. [5] X Research source- If Japanese is written vertically, the columns are read from top to bottom starting at the top right-hand corner of the page. However, if Japanese is written horizontally, it is read from left to right, just like European languages. [6] X Research source
- Look for line spacing to figure out if the script is written vertically or horizontally. Horizontal text will have space between the lines, while vertical script will have space between columns.
- Japanese comic books and magazines use vertical writing, so they're read from right to left. This is why the spine of the book is on the right. [7] X Research source
Tip: Even if you don't know how to read the writing, you can still usually tell which direction it's read from which margin is justified. If the text is left-justified, for example, you would read from left to right.
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Look for spaces between words. Neither Chinese nor Japanese separate individual words with spaces as European languages do. However, Koreans have adopted this convention and put spaces between words. [8] X Research source- Even if you can't read the script, you should be able to identify characters blocked together into words. Think about how you would tell what were words if you were looking at written Greek or Russian.
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Identify Western-style punctuation. While Japanese has its own punctuation marks, Korean uses the same punctuation marks as European languages. If you see these punctuation marks, you're likely reading Korean. [9] X Research source- Occasionally, you'll see Chinese script with a question mark or an exclamation point. However, if you also see other punctuation marks, such as commas or periods, you're likely looking at Korean script.
- Mandarin is the official language of China and is a popular language spoken in non-Chinese-speaking regions.
- The Beijing accent is the basis for its accent, and the vocabulary is from the northern part of China.
- The grammar is based on the early 20th century, modern literature. So it does not use Confucius grammar or any old Chinese grammar.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I know if it is Kanji or Chinese?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerKanji are Chinese characters. If the writing you're looking at is made up solely of kanji without any other types of characters, it is most likely Chinese. If you see other characters that look different, such as Japanese hiragana, you're more likely reading Japanese. Even though Japanese uses some of the same kanji that appear in Chinese, they may be pronounced differently or even have a different meaning. If you see kanji alongside Korean script, it typically represents a word borrowed from Chinese.
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QuestionIs Google translate accurate?Bernadine Ryza Solis SadacCommunity AnswerIt depends on the language. Filipino/Tagalog or Spanish to English is more accurate, since Filipino/Tagalog and Spanish have the same/similar sentence structure to English. As Korean and/or Chinese has a drastically different sentence structure, translating it to English is really hard and the translator might get confused.
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QuestionWhat can I do if I found a symbol and want to know what it means?Community AnswerIf you have a smartphone, download the Google Translate app. It allows you to point your phone at a text and get an automatic translation. If you know someone who knows Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, you can also ask them.
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References
- ↑ https://legendsoflocalization.com/is-that-written-in-chinese-or-japanese/
- ↑ https://zkorean.com/hangul/structure
- ↑ https://www.lingualift.com/blog/tell-chinese-japanese-korean-apart/
- ↑ https://www.lingualift.com/blog/tell-chinese-japanese-korean-apart/
- ↑ https://www.lingualift.com/blog/tell-chinese-japanese-korean-apart/
- ↑ http://nihongo.monash.edu/jwriting.html
- ↑ https://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/right-to-left.html
- ↑ https://www.koreanwikiproject.com/wiki/Word_spacing
- ↑ https://www.lingualift.com/blog/tell-chinese-japanese-korean-apart/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean writing, look out for ovals and circles for a sign that it’s Korean, since these shapes are not usually used in Chinese or Japanese. Chinese characters will appear as complex squares, with lots of strokes within them. If you see loose, wavy lines that aren’t limited to a small box, you’re probably looking at Japanese writing. Alongside the character types, identify Korean by looking out for spaces between the words, which are not used in Chinese or Japanese. If you see text organized in columns which are read vertically from right to left, you’re looking at Japanese. For tips on how to tell the difference between Chinese, Korean, and Japanese by looking for punctuation marks, keep reading!
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