How To Tell Chinese From Japanese Writing

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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.

1
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]
- 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]
2
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]
- 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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3
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]
- 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.
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1
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]
- 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]
- 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]
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.
2
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.
- 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.
3
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.^[8]
- 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.
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Question

How 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 Editor

Staff Answer

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Kanji 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.
Question

Is Google translate accurate?

Bernadine Ryza Solis Sadac

Community Answer

It 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.
Question

What can I do if I found a symbol and want to know what it means?

If 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.
Question

How do I know if the text is a symbol or character?

You should be able to tell the difference by looking at the size and how heavy the stroke is.
Question

What if they all seem the same to me?

If you expose yourself to the different languages, you'll learn the difference.
Question

Can I use this as a first step to translate a text?

If your first step is to determine which language the text is written in, then this may be helpful. However, this article is not going to help you do anything but potentially identify the language.
Question

How can I translate Chinese symbols from my vase into English by using my laptop?

You can try using your track pad to write the characters.
Question

Will this help with pronunciation?

Being able to tell the languages apart will not help with pronunciation unless you know what the symbols actually mean.
Question

Are Japanese and Chinese letters the same?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

While Chinese characters can appear in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese writing, you can tell Chinese and Japanese writing apart. The written Japanese language also has its own characters, so if the writing only has Chinese characters, then it's Chinese. Also, if the writing consists of complex square characters, then it's Chinese. Chinese characters are extremely detailed and strokes don't cross outside the square perimeter of any character, which gives a line of script a consistent, uniform appearance. Japanese has a more open and airy style of script.
Question

Is kanji just Chinese?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

No, kanji is actually used in Japanese writing. However, kanji is similar to Chinese writing, which is known as hanzi, and uses many of the same letters. But, kanji also has 2 additional syllables called hiragana and katakana, which don't appear in hanzi. Many hanzi letters appear in other languages such as Korean and Japanese, but there are differences between the way other languages use them, such as punctuation and the way the letters are represented.

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

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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