Are you tired of hearing people with no brain at all think that Japan and China are the same thing? In this article, I will explain the glaring differences between the countries Japan and China.
This is a very complex subject to address; both are completely different countries from each other. And yet, in the 21st century, people have the audacity to say that Japan and China are the same or equal.
The same thing happens when talking about language, appearance, culture, and cuisine. This is completely wrong; it’s like comparing a man and a woman; both are human but are totally different.
Japan was heavily influenced by China throughout its history; many things in Japan originated from and were influenced by China, so it is reasonable to note some similarities; however, currently, the two countries are completely different from each other.
In this article, we will analyze some important points of each country so that people do not make these confusions and stupid statements anymore. Remembering that my specialty is Japan, so I apologize if I do not delve too much into China.
Table of Contents
Differences between life in Japan and China
Both countries have influences from Buddhism; however, in Japan, Shintoism also predominates. In China, in addition to Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism predominate. Unfortunately, religious freedom in China is limited, and some are prohibited from practicing their faith in that country.
Currently, both countries are world powers, but China still has an extremist policy, almost based on the slavery of its inhabitants and discrimination against women and foreigners. Of course, we cannot generalize.
Many Chinese live in precarious and poor conditions, receiving low wages, even though China is the largest economic power in the world and also has the largest population in the world.
China is a communist dictatorial and totalitarian state. Moreover, there is a limitation and control over what people do or access on the internet, for example. In Japan, you have all the freedom that you do not have in China.
The Japan is a developed, democratic, and capitalist country; there, human rights are respected, and you have full religious, economic, and social freedom. Japan has a constitutional monarchy where the emperor is above the government but has limited power.
The quality of life in Japan is significantly higher than in China, which also faces a lot of pollution due to its large industry. Of course, both countries have their advantages and disadvantages; you may need to examine what you want from each of them.
Differences between the Japanese and Chinese languages
Although Japanese uses ideograms from traditional Chinese, both are completely different languages from each other. Japanese is a syllabic language composed of just over 100 syllables and a 46 kana alphabet that is simple to write.
Chinese, on the other hand, is composed only of ideograms and is a tonal language; a word can change with a simple tone. To learn more, read our other article about the differences between the Chinese and Japanese languages by clicking here.
China is not the only country that speaks Chinese; several other countries in Asia speak this language, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. In China, many languages and dialects are spoken, such as Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese, etc.
Have you heard about the unfunny joke that Brazilians make about Asians regarding chicken pastel? This joke only works with Chinese people because, in the Japanese language, there is no “L” phoneme, just as in Chinese, there is no “R”.
Differences between the cuisine of Japan and China
A large part of the Japanese cuisine came from China. Things like sushi, ramen, gyoza, nikuman, and various other dishes and snacks that we know by their Japanese names in Brazil are actually of Chinese origin.
In Japan, they do not eat insects or dogs. This is part of Chinese culture and other countries in Asia. It is worth remembering that this is part of the traditions, culture, and living conditions of the Chinese.
The fact that some city in China consumes dogs does not mean that this is a main dish of the cuisine. In Brazil, we eat rabbits and other questionable animals, but that does not mean that these animals represent Brazilian cuisine.
Japan also does not escape these delicacies; there is even horse meat sushi and some dishes of somewhat scary sea creatures. Still, they are rare delicacies that are not part of the standard cuisine.
Both countries normally eat rice, noodles, meat, pizza, sandwiches, and various other common dishes like in Brazil. Even though sushi and various other dishes are of Chinese origin, they end up being more popular in Japan.
Those who have the erroneous idea that in Asia they only eat raw fish will be disappointed. Eating sushi in Japan is like eating pizza in Brazil. Ask yourself, do you eat pizza every day?
Other differences between China and Japan
To conclude, I will mention some obvious differences that need to be mentioned:
- China is located on the Asian continent, while Japan is a group of islands;
- Contrary to what some think, Japan celebrates the Western New Year and not the Chinese New Year. However, without fireworks;
- Chinese names usually have only one syllable. Japanese names tend to have about three syllables and end in a vowel;
- Many other countries in Asia have been influenced by China in their culture and development, such as Korea;
- Japanese people have longer faces, rounder eyes, and larger than those of Chinese;
- Japanese are more shy and have a strict code of ethics, especially professional, respecting social etiquettes;
If you want to know more about Japanese culture, here you will find everything you need to know about Japan. xD
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