While both the Chinese and the Japanese are more formal with older people, the Japanese people are also more formal even with people who are only a year or two older. For example, if you were in your first year of study at a Japanese university, you would be polite and formal with fellow students who were in their second year of study. The Japanese observe high levels of self-discipline and decorum in public. You would rarely see Japanese people arguing or expressing anger with each other publicly, while the Chinese don’t necessarily have a problem with this.
Much of the pop culture difference comes from the difference between the governments of the two countries. China has a communist government and economy, which makes it a much less consumer-based society. Japan, in contrast, has a booming capitalist system that feeds its citizens’ desires to be enriched and entertained. China’s films and music tend to be filled with government propaganda and a strong political agenda, which means they aren’t very popular outside the country.
Japanese temples and sacred gardens are located throughout the country, and elaborate formal ceremonies are public occasions. Many Japanese also attend Christian churches, a practice that is far less common in China.
Because of China’s size, it is difficult to generalize about a universal Chinese culture. Different regions of China have their own customs, traditions, and beliefs. China is more diverse while Japan tends to be more homogenized. As an island, Japan has remained relatively isolated from external influences throughout history. This makes Japan’s culture unique compared to many others. In contrast, Chinese traders have long been exposed to many different cultures and nationalities and incorporated various styles, beliefs, and practices. [5] X Research source
Rice in China is typically fried and mixed with vegetables, eggs, and sauce. Japanese rice is more often sticky rice. While rice may serve as the base for a Chinese meal, in Japan it is more often offered as a side dish. Japanese fresh vegetables are typically steamed and served separately, while Chinese vegetables are usually fried along with the meat and mixed together.
In China, the bow is more typically replaced with a Western-style handshake unless you’re greeting an elder. Chinese people may nod their head to show respect while shaking hands. In contrast, a short nod of the head in Japan would be considered rude unless you were greeting a close friend who was the same age as you or younger.
The Chinese, in contrast, don’t have any cultural prohibition against speaking loudly or talking on the phone in public places. So if you see a group of Asian people laughing and talking loudly, they’re more likely to be Chinese than Japanese.
For example, in China, silence is often seen as agreement to do something. If the person disagrees, they will more likely talk around the negative and stress the commonalities before telling you what they’d rather do. Because the Chinese language is tonal, Chinese people cannot rely on their tone of voice to communicate their meaning. This makes gestures and body language far more important than they would be otherwise. For the Japanese, nonverbal communication is more a sign of respect and politeness. The deepness of your bow and the distance you stand from someone when talking all indicate their standing in relation to you.
Hiragana characters are curvy and light, and some of them are actually kind of cute. They’re usually pretty easy to tell apart from the angular, complex kanji. One character, in particular, to look for is の. It occurs relatively frequently and looks like nothing in Chinese script. If you see this character, you can be assured you’re looking at something Japanese. The Japanese have a more angular script, katakana, that is used for loan words transliterated from another language, such as English.
In contrast, Japanese is a relatively monotone language. Japanese speakers may modulate the tone of their voice to express emotion or intention, as you would in English if you raised your tone at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
Chinese, on the other hand, has multiple vowel sounds depending on a vowel’s position in a word and the tone in which it is said. If you hear a lot of variation in vowel sounds, you’re likely listening to someone speaking Chinese.
If you’re listening to someone speak in a relatively monotone voice and all of the words end in a vowel, you can be fairly confident that they’re speaking Japanese.
Keep in mind that if someone was born in a Western country, they may have a first name common in that country, rather than a traditional Japanese or Chinese name. You still may be able to determine their nationality by looking at their surname.
