In history, such as the country’s “Sakoku” self-imposed embargo period where no outsiders were allowed in the country at all, Japan has not had much migration, and for this reason, they are quite homogenous with little genetic influence from other places.Ĭhina is a huge country with many different minorities mixing different genetics. For people living in the West, these differences might be easily noticeable, but for people in other parts of the world, they might look very similar indeed!įirstly, Japanese roots are mixed but it is agreed that they have largely originated from southeast Asia and Indonesia. It could perhaps be compared to the origins of European settlers, with Scandinavian people generally having a higher proportion of people with blonde hair and paler skin, for example, and people from the Mediterranean tending to be darker and with brown hair. The origins of these three nationalities are all very different, which lends weight to the assertion that although they may share some traits, they are all actually very different from each other. Hopefully, you can avoid the same embarrassment that I did, and be able to correctly guess where someone is from – or at least be able to tell whether or not they are Japanese. This is based on cultural as well as natural characteristics and is from my own personal experience of having many friends from Japan, Korea, and China. This article will focus on some differences and similarities of these three nationalities, and what to look out for when you meet someone for the first time which could give you an idea of where they come from. But being able to distinguish quickly by noticing just a few small details can help you avoid an awkward situation. Of course, wrongly assuming someone’s nationality is not the crime of the century, and most people will understand and politely correct the mistake. Usually, they were from China or Korea, totally new to Japan, and had to correct me. Whilst studying at university in Japan as an international student, I had more than one experience of mistaking Chinese and Korean people for Japanese people and speaking Japanese to them.
Before coming to Japan, I had no idea how to distinguish Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people from one another. Can you tell if a person comes from a specific country just by looking at their initial appearance? Perhaps you look at their hair, their face shape, or their clothes, and you can attempt to make a guess at their country of origin before you hear them speak.