External differences between the Japanese and the Chinese. How to distinguish Chinese from Japanese and Korean

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It is very difficult to distinguish a Korean from a Chinese or Japanese without special training. But this is only at first glance - they look the same. The art of distinguishing Southeast and East Asians from each other becomes very simple if you know a few simple rules.

Phenotype difference

Let's say right away: without practice, it is not easy to distinguish between Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. Even they themselves cannot always do this with 100% accuracy.

The Chinese nation is multi-ethnic, 56 different nationalities live there, and some of them are not at all similar to the Chinese in our minds. For example, the Uyghurs are more similar to the Tajiks. Therefore, it is simply impossible to derive any average type of Chinese phenotype.

Also, the problem of differentiation is complicated by the fact that the same Japanese islands experienced more than one wave of migration of both Chinese and Koreans, so in the course of history the phenotypes again underwent changes.

However, some signs can still be identified.

For example, it is believed that the faces of the Japanese are elongated and oval, the nose is more pronounced, and the eyes are large and wide. It is also believed that the Japanese have larger heads.

Japanese women often use a pale white complexion in their makeup and use active whitening products. It is believed that Japanese men and women are the whitest among Asians. Chinese women use cosmetics less than Japanese women.

Among these three nations, the Chinese have the darkest skin, so they do not like to tan to make their skin lighter.

Chinese faces are rounder than Japanese and Korean faces, and the Chinese usually have the widest cheekbones. Korean faces tend to be flat, with high, square cheekbones. Koreans also usually have thinner noses.

There is also a figurative way of differentiating the Chinese and the Japanese. Thus, they say about the Chinese that they look like kittens, while the Japanese look like fish, that is, their eyes are a little bulging.

It is also believed that Koreans can be distinguished by their small palms.

Behavior

Chinese, Japanese and Koreans can also be distinguished by their behavior. The most impulsive and loud among these Asian peoples are the Chinese. They usually speak in ways that are unusual for our ears and can spit on the ground without being embarrassed by the fact that they are in a public place. The Japanese, on the contrary, are extremely reserved and delicate, so in Japan, even in public places, it is always very quiet.

Plastic

Finally, one of the distinguishing features of Korean women and men is often their “made”, doll-like faces. Plastic surgery in Korea is one of the main trends.

According to statistics, South Korea ranks first in the world in performing plastic surgeries among both the female and male population. So if in front of you is a face of standard Asian beauty, a little unnaturally exaggerated, then most likely it is Korean or Korean.

Fashion style

The fundamental differences between the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese can be traced “by their clothes”. The Japanese most often wear clothes from world brands and have good taste. The Chinese do not always match the tone and beautiful combination of clothing elements; they have their own style, different from the Japanese.

For example, you can easily meet a Chinese woman on the street in the evening in her pajamas; Japanese women never do that. Chinese men allow themselves to wear cheap sportswear.

The Japanese, if they use a sporty style, wear only expensive things known throughout the world. Koreans are somewhere in the middle in terms of clothing style: they are ahead of the Chinese, but have not yet caught up with the Japanese.

Language

Another way to distinguish these three peoples is by language. The Chinese, regardless of dialect, have a tonal language, and Koreans like to put characteristic sound markers of politeness at the end of phrases, which can be distinguished with proper experience. However, even here you can be mistaken: it is believed that the Shanghainese dialect of Chinese resembles the Japanese language. The Japanese language has no accents or raised tones, it is monotonously polite, they speak in a muffled tone.

To put this knowledge into practice and distinguish the Chinese from the Koreans and Japanese, watch video clips with the most popular hits in these countries today.

Japan: Torisetsu (Nightcore) - Kana Nishino

Chinese, Koreans, Japanese... Few Europeans can accurately determine who is who. It is not at all clear how to distinguish them from each other. “Why is this so important,” the reader will think.

To the Caucasian race, all Asians look alike, and vice versa.

The relations between our peoples on the world political arena are becoming closer. International trade relations are also flourishing. In order to avoid getting into trouble when communicating with a representative of a particular nation, it would be nice to learn to understand their characteristics, which will help in the future to quickly distinguish one from another. This is what we will try to do.

The difference between Chinese and Korean and Japanese: 9 differences

Below is a list of signs that identify the features of the category under consideration. They will help you figure out how to distinguish a Chinese from a Korean and a Japanese. Typical evaluation criteria will serve as tools.

Face

Knowledge of physiognomy will help to unravel the Asian phenomenon most accurately.

Koreans have a somewhat square face, characteristic angular features, a small narrow flattened nose, a miniature mouth, and a high forehead. The outline of the hairline frames the forehead like a rainbow. Eyebrows "house". Skin color is darker than others.

The Chinese face is round, often flat, the nose is wider, especially the wings of the nose. The mouth is a little bigger. High, wide cheekbones stand out. The eyebrows are slightly arched. Skin is lighter.

The Japanese have a more elongated face with a regular oval shape. Their features are softer. Accurate nose. Thin lips frame a normal-sized mouth. Eyebrows are often straight. The brightest of all the mentioned nationalities.

If in front of you is an Asian man with a doll-like face of unimaginable beauty; The standard that came out of the gloss is a Korean who resorted to medical correction. Today, North Korea ranks 1st in the world in plastic surgery. Everyone resorts to it, without gender differences.

IMPORTANT: Although white skin is held in high regard by everyone, there are representatives of certain subcultures in Japan who actively use solariums.

Eyes

An excellent way to accurately identify these nationalities is to look closely at the eyes. “Yes, they are all narrow-eyed and it’s certainly not possible to learn to distinguish by their eyes,” many will say. Later you will be able to see that this is far from the case.

Representatives of China are identified by narrow eyes that fly up along the outer edge of the bridge of the nose like the wings of a bird. According to the general perception, they create a cat's face.

The Korean woman has larger ones, almond-shaped.

The Japanese woman’s “black eyes” are placed as if on a horizontal line, slightly protruding, framed on top by horizontal “dashes” of eyebrows.

Girls try to get closer to the appearance of Europeans by increasing the shape of their eyes, actively using decorative cosmetics: thick eyelashes or false eyelashes, often with a deviation from their growth line; eyeliner; tinted eyebrows.

Another characteristic feature of the Asian phenotype is the eyelids. They have a peculiar fold called epicanthus.

Hairstyle

Judging by their hairstyle, Chinese women are more conservative and prefer to wear long straight hair; bowl cut haircuts or side-swept bangs are popular among guys.

Korean young men decide to experiment with their hair: they cut off their temples and create standard hairstyles. Girls love slightly bleached hair, different shades of chestnut, and try to give it volume. They also come with short hair.

Residents of Japan are the most advanced in style. Here experiments are carried out both with color (the greatest variety) and with haircuts. Wax is used liberally in shaping the style.

Makeup

A common feature is yellowish skin, white is popular. For this reason, all representatives of the fair sex try to whiten their faces and all visible areas of their skin in every possible way. Cosmetic preparations with an active whitening effect are the most popular products that do not linger on the shelves of retail chains. Correcting the oval of the face using bronzer, sculptor and other various make-up tricks is popular.

Chinese women use little decorative cosmetics, Koreans use more, Japanese women use a lot of makeup for evening makeup. At traditional festivals you can often see “geisha makeup”.

The body is carefully protected from excessive insolation in order to prevent unwanted tanning and skin aging. The whitest-skinned Asians are the Japanese.

This photo of a Korean woman will allow you to compare the change in appearance. Cosmetics have the magical ability to transform narrow eyes.

Body type

Many people believe that all Asians are similar in appearance and build: small and skinny, and in old age - crooked. This is wrong. They are different, but the percentage of overweight people is very small. The reason lies in a healthy diet. Fish, rice, seafood, seaweed - this is the usual Japanese diet. In these countries, fast food is not popular, and therefore there are practically no diseases associated with metabolic disorders.

Among today's youth there are many athletically built people. It is clear that they do not bypass gyms. Eastern martial arts, qigong and wushu practices help eliminate congestion both in individual organs and in the entire body, promoting the correct distribution of energy flows along the meridians. These factors contribute to achieving excellent health and well-being.

Cloth

Chinese women treat their wardrobe without much fuss. In comparison with other representatives of the group in question, they are clearly losing. They form not entirely successful combinations both in color and style, easily mixing conflicting variations in one set. They don't really care about that. The favorite clothing of middle-aged Chinese men is cheap sportswear. Representatives of privileged circles of society dress much more elegantly, but compared to the general background they are few in number. Classics prevail in a business wardrobe.

The leaders in style and proper wardrobe formation are again the Japanese.

Their style is impeccable and consistent. They are recognizable. If a Japanese person wears a tracksuit, it will certainly be an expensive, branded one. Samurai know their worth. They are the most well-groomed among Asians.

In terms of clothing style, Koreans are a cross between the Chinese and Japanese. They dress comparatively better than the Chinese, but there is room for improvement. They give preference to sexuality, sometimes insolence appears. At national holidays, the folk style is in the lead.

Behavior

The Chinese differ most clearly from the general background. They are more unceremonious and emotional. Throwing a scandal in front of everyone, shedding a tear, posing as a victim of deception, or openly showering compliments on the first person they meet - that's all about them. In transport they behave less restrained, they tend to chat loudly among themselves or on the phone.

Answering the question: how do the Japanese differ from the Chinese in terms of behavioral characteristics is as easy as shelling pears. The Japanese are unobtrusive and somewhat aloof. They behave very dignified in public places, and are delicate in business relationships. It is not in their rules to organize public showdowns or conduct loud dialogues. They speak in a low voice, so it is always quiet in their environment. The Japanese do not interfere in other people's lives, they are correct. It makes no sense to even compare them according to this criterion with Koreans, for whom feigned politeness and politeness are typical. Behavior is often audience-oriented. There is no rigid behavioral line in communication; it changes, is not stable, and changeable.

Language

A significant criterion for the differences between the nationalities under consideration is the manner of speaking and speech background. The Chinese language is distinguished by a characteristic ascending and descending background sound (there are 4 of them). Changing intonation affects the semantic load. The speech sounds emotional, with background changes.

It is easy to distinguish the Japanese language - it sounds organic, without jerks or lunges. Monotonously polite notes of speech without stress and tonal jumps are comfortable for perception, speech is muffled.

The Korean language has many words with the combination of consonants “kh”, “th”, “chh”, which is why you involuntarily become wary if you accidentally witness their dialogue. For some reason it seems like they are constantly fighting. At the end of phrases they insert the same words - polite phrases that you can learn to distinguish.

Who is taller

Of the group under consideration, the Korean is tallest. much smaller, even squat, many have a frail build. The Japanese are a little taller, stronger and healthier. Many researchers attribute the reason to the daily diet of the troika. Koreans love meat, just like Mongolians. Just as you cannot force a Mongolian or a Korean not to eat meat, the Chinese and Japanese cannot be forced to eat seafood. This is understandable; the Mongolian lifestyle, as a nomad, fixed this gastronomic addiction almost at the genetic level. What about other Asians, what are the differences with Mongolian predilections? After the scientific community presented disappointing research results regarding their nutrition and growth, differences in nutrition with the latter began to gradually disappear. They also began to actively introduce meat products into the diet, so their height has increased noticeably over the last half century - by 10-15 cm. Now an outsider is unlikely to notice the difference in height between these nationalities. It remains to compare according to other criteria.

Why do the Chinese have narrow eyes?

It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously, as well as why the moon is yellow or the watermelon is striped. There are many hypotheses on this matter. Let's try to solve the genetic mystery.

Asians' eyes are not so small; this visual perception is created due to the fact that they are located with a certain slope, and the upper eyelid has a characteristic structure in the form of an overhanging fold (epicanthus). The strong fatty layer surrounding the eyelids creates some swelling, also visually narrowing the incision, the eyes look like slits. This is a feature of the Mongoloid race, which includes the Chinese.

If you look at the origins, you will notice that the physiological characteristics have been refined over thousands of years and have a simple dependence on the natural conditions of the environment. Narrow eyes protected their owners from sandstorms, strong winds, and bright sun. Nowadays, this feature is perceived by many as a kind of “zest” that Nature itself endowed the Chinese with.

How to distinguish a Vietnamese from a Chinese

It is difficult to distinguish a Chinese from a Vietnamese, but it is possible. There are few special differences. The Vietnamese are similar to the southern Chinese and have dark skin color. They have the same flat faces, short stature, and slightly narrower eye shape.

The skin of the Chinese has a yellowish tint.

Behavioral differences are also observed. The Vietnamese are distinguished by modesty and restraint, the Chinese behave more relaxed.

Vietnamese girl

These criteria constitute a basic list of possible differences, but it is very conditional. Recently, there has been a massive assimilation of society. Due to the popularization of mixed marriages in our society, many boundaries and differences are gradually being erased. Narrow-eyed or not, we are all different in appearance, but each is unique in our own way. You should not be a supporter of the superiority of one people over others. The external signs of an individual are only his external distinctive feature. It is important to prioritize moral, cultural and other universal values ​​that coexist in harmony with the universal ones. Respect for foreign culture and mentality, tolerance and cooperation - these are the urgent tasks of our time.

How is a Japanese different from a Chinese? It is quite difficult for the average resident of a European country to answer this question. However, for Asians themselves, the differences between representatives of these nations are simply obvious. Let us also find out how a Japanese differs from a Chinese in appearance. Photos of these nationalities, which will help identify differences, will also be presented in the material.

Why is it so difficult to distinguish representatives of Asian nations?

It is worth noting that the Japanese and Chinese have extremely similar phenotypes. China is a populous country. Dozens of different ethnic groups live on its territory. Currently, there are more than 50 separate nationalities in China. Among them there are those who are completely different from the Chinese, but more like the Mongols. Based on this, it is extremely difficult to form an idea of ​​the phenotype of the average Chinese person.

As for the Japanese, the territory of the islands where representatives of this nation live has repeatedly been subject to an influx of migrants from China, as well as Korea. It so happened historically that these phenotypes were somewhat “mixed” with each other. That is why it can be difficult for us to determine how a Japanese differs from a Chinese in appearance.

Differences in appearance

How is a Japanese different from a Chinese? It is believed that the majority of Japanese people have oval faces. Compared to the Chinese, they have a pronounced nose. The Japanese have large eyes and a wide slant. In addition, it has been proven that the Chinese do not have such large heads.

What is the main difference between the appearance of a Chinese and a Japanese? As practice shows, most Chinese people have wide, prominent cheekbones. There is an interesting idea for differentiating the faces of the represented nationalities. Thus, the Chinese believe that their appearance is similar to that of a cat. The Japanese are more like fish, because their eyes protrude a little.

Skin tone

In Japanese culture, it is common for women to use pale and white tones in their makeup. For this reason, women in this country actively use cosmetics that allow them to “whiten” their skin.

On the contrary, Chinese women strive to maintain a natural appearance. They practically do not use cosmetics. The Chinese have naturally darker skin compared to the Japanese.

Height

How does a Japanese differ from a Chinese, besides appearance? Anthropologists say that the average Chinese is shorter than the Japanese. According to scientists, modern Japanese are, on average, 5-10 cm taller than the Chinese. Research in this area shows that this trend will only intensify over time. However, back in the middle of the last century, the Chinese and Japanese were approximately the same height.

Behavior

How does a Japanese differ from a Chinese in terms of behavior? The Chinese are considered the most impulsive and “loud” among all representatives of the Asian type of appearance. They are distinguished from the background of other nationalities of the presented phenotype by active gestures during a conversation, bright facial expressions, and activity when in public places.

The Japanese are distinguished by extreme restraint in all areas of life. Representatives of this nation try to demonstrate interest in conversation with their interlocutor and never interrupt a participant in a conversation mid-sentence. The Japanese are delicate when conducting business. In public places they try to be quiet and modest.

Sound of speech

Japanese speech is dominated by low, muffled tones. During a dialogue, they do not prefer to focus on individual words and do not raise their voices.

The Chinese, regardless of nationality, have an abundance of high tones and ringing sounds in their pronunciation. Representatives of this nation usually speak quickly and support their own speech with appropriate emotions, as well as active body movements.

Clothing style

The fundamental differences between the Chinese and Japanese can be seen in the clothing they wear in public. The Japanese style is more American and European. Most citizens of this country have good taste. The Japanese prefer clothes from well-known world brands over things that can be purchased on the regular market.

The Chinese have their own, clearly distinguishable style. Representatives of this nation feel absolutely no embarrassment when appearing in public in homely attire. For example, a resident of the Middle Kingdom can easily be found on the street, walking in an ordinary robe.

Chinese men prefer comfortable and practical clothes. It is their custom to go out in public in tracksuits. In general, the Chinese style is not particularly pretentious and does not focus on placing the right accents when creating an image.

Quite often, people make attempts to determine the nationality of their interlocutor by his appearance, some features characteristic of natives of this particular country. And very often such “characteristic features” become something like stereotypes, resulting in such beliefs as “all Irish are redheads” or statements like “the gap between the front teeth is characteristic of Italians.” But at the same time, many residents of European countries are completely unable to distinguish a resident of one Asian country from another, for them “all Asians look the same, you can’t understand who he is, Chinese or Japanese, how are they even different?” At the same time, the inhabitants of Asia themselves distinguish each other with almost absolute accuracy, although exceptions do occur, since there are still a number of certain differences.

National diversity and unity

When starting a conversation about the differences between one nation and another, you should at least look a little at the history of the countries under discussion. And the fact that China is not a monolithic country in its ethnic composition will immediately emerge, and the residents of Beijing and, for example, Taiwan will differ significantly from each other. At the same time, Japan is a mononational country, and the Japanese are more or less similar in appearance to each other. However, there are some characteristic features that will help answer the question: “How are the Chinese different from the Japanese?”

Characteristic external features

It is not as difficult to distinguish a Chinese and a Japanese standing next to each other as it might seem at first glance. The Japanese, as a rule, are taller than the Chinese by an average of ten centimeters, and such a difference is very noticeable and immediately noticeable. Of all the Asians, the Japanese are the fairest-skinned (and the skin of the Chinese actually has a yellowish tint, which is why Chinese women do not like to sunbathe so much), they have more elongated faces (as, indeed, do the Koreans).

The eyes of Japanese and Chinese are also different. The former have a wider cut, while the latter have a pronounced single eyelid (by the way, in nearby South Korea, plastic surgery is practiced, thanks to which a “European” double eyelid is achieved, so popular among Asian fashionistas who are ready to do any tricks for it ). In addition, the Japanese have a thinner and more prominent nose, while the Chinese have a rather flattened nose. The Japanese have softer hair than the Chinese, and they also have less facial hair.

Video on the topic

Personal care

The differences between the Chinese and Japanese are also noticeable in how they relate to their own appearance. It is believed that the Japanese are very worried about what people around them will think of them and are very worried about their reputation. They care much more about their appearance, unlike the same Chinese. The skin of Japanese women, as opposed to the skin of Chinese women, is almost always much more well-groomed; they may pay a little less attention to their clothes, but their hair and makeup will always be thought out with special care. Chinese women are often reproached for their lack of sense of style, incorrect combination of colors in clothes, lack of makeup, and unkempt hair.

For example, quite often on the street you can meet a Chinese woman dressed in a home suit, or even in pajamas. A Japanese woman will never allow herself to do this. The Japanese generally prefer higher quality clothing, often from well-known brands.

Many often note the Japanese love of stockings with displeasure, saying that they emphasize the curvature of Japanese women’s legs. There is an opinion that Japanese women’s legs are somewhat short and crooked, while Chinese women’s legs are quite long and straight. And the calf muscles of the latter are not so large and developed.

Behavior

What distinguishes the Chinese and Japanese apart from their appearance is their manner of behavior. There is this half-joking advice: if you meet a group of Asian tourists and don’t know who they are, then look at their behavior. If they make noise, then they are Chinese, and if they quietly take pictures and look at the sights, then they are Japanese. But in every joke, as you know, there is only a part of the joke, and this expression can also tell you how to distinguish a Chinese from a Japanese.

Due to established cultural characteristics, including the peculiarities of upbringing, the Chinese are distinguished by great noisiness and impulsiveness, when compared with the same Japanese, who, on the contrary, are taught modesty and delicacy from early childhood. Therefore, many Chinese in public places do things that no Japanese would allow themselves to do, for example, talk loudly and emotionally, and spit at their feet without the slightest shadow of embarrassment.

Results

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that there are quite a lot of things by which you can understand how the Chinese differ from the Japanese, especially if you practice in this. Or have the opportunity to communicate with both of them live. It is enough just to remember some external differences, for example in the structure of the face, skin color, manner of dressing, and learn the most characteristic behavioral traits of a particular nation (however, without elevating this set of traits to the rank of absolute truth, remembering that they are only general rules).

Phenotype difference

Let's say right away: without practice, it is not easy to distinguish between Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. Even they themselves cannot always do this with 100% accuracy.

The Chinese nation is multi-ethnic, 56 different nationalities live there, and some of them are not at all similar to the Chinese in our minds. For example, the Uyghurs are more similar to the Tajiks. Therefore, it is simply impossible to derive any average type of Chinese phenotype.

Also, the problem of differentiation is complicated by the fact that the same Japanese islands experienced more than one wave of migration of both Chinese and Koreans, so in the course of history the phenotypes again underwent changes.

However, some signs can still be identified.

For example, it is believed that the faces of the Japanese are elongated and oval, the nose is more pronounced, and the eyes are large and wide. It is also believed that the Japanese have larger heads.

Japanese women often use a pale white complexion in their makeup and use active whitening products. It is believed that Japanese men and women are the whitest among Asians. Chinese women use cosmetics less than Japanese women. Among these three nations, the Chinese have the darkest skin, so they do not like to tan to make their skin lighter. Chinese faces are rounder than Japanese and Korean faces, and the Chinese usually have the widest cheekbones.

Korean faces tend to be flat, with high, square cheekbones. Koreans also usually have thinner noses. There is also a figurative way of differentiating the Chinese and the Japanese. Thus, they say about the Chinese that they look like kittens, while the Japanese look like fish, that is, their eyes are a little bulging.

It is also believed that Koreans can be distinguished by their small palms.

Language

Another way to distinguish these three peoples is by language. The Chinese, regardless of dialect, have a tonal language, and Koreans like to put characteristic sound markers of politeness at the end of phrases, which can be distinguished with proper experience. However, even here you can be mistaken: it is believed that the Shanghainese dialect of Chinese resembles the Japanese language. The Japanese language has no accents or raised tones, it is monotonously polite, they speak in a muffled tone.

Behavior

Chinese, Japanese and Koreans can also be distinguished by their behavior. The most impulsive and loud among these Asian peoples are the Chinese. They usually speak in ways that are unusual for our ears and can spit on the ground without being embarrassed by the fact that they are in a public place. The Japanese, on the contrary, are extremely reserved and delicate, so in Japan, even in public places, it is always very quiet.

Fashion style

The fundamental differences between the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese can be traced by their clothes. The Japanese most often wear clothes from world brands and have good taste. The Chinese do not always match the tone and beautiful combination of clothing elements; they have their own style, different from the Japanese. For example, you can easily meet a Chinese woman on the street in the evening in her pajamas; Japanese women never do that. Chinese men allow themselves to wear cheap sportswear.

The Japanese, if they use a sporty style, wear only expensive things known throughout the world. Koreans are somewhere in the middle in terms of clothing style: they are ahead of the Chinese, but have not yet caught up with the Japanese.

Plastic

Finally, one of the distinguishing features of Korean women and men is often their “made”, doll-like faces. Plastic surgery in Korea is one of the main trends.

According to statistics, South Korea ranks first in the world in performing plastic surgeries among both the female and male population. So if in front of you is a face of standard Asian beauty, a little unnaturally exaggerated, then most likely it is Korean or Korean.