Many kanji words have different meanings between Chinese and Japanese. For example, 手紙 is tegami, "letter", in Japanese, but means "toilet paper" in Chinese. Here is a table of examples:
Kanji word | Japanese pronunciation | Japanese meaning | Chinese pronunciation | Chinese meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
怪我 | kega | injury | guai4 wo3 | blame me |
勉強 | benkyō | study | mian3 qiang2 | Adjective meaning inadequate, unconvincing, strained, far fetched v. manage |
不勉強 | fubenkyō | idleness, lack of application, lazy study habits, inactivity | bu4 mian3 qiang2 | It's alright. I don't force my way. |
先生 | sensei | teacher | xian1 sheng5 | Mr. (Mister) - in Taiwan often contracted as 先. But also "teacher" in some dialects. |
切手 | kitte | stamp | qie1 shou3 | to cut the hands |
急行 | kyūkō | express train | ji2 xing2 | urgently walking |
上手 | jōzu | adroit, proficient, expert, dextrous, dexterous, adept, practiced, deft, practised, skilled | shang1 shou3 | start to get familiar with, or get to know how to do, something |
下手 | heta | awkward, inept; inexpert, untrained; inapt | xia4 shou3 | proceed, start to do something, commence |
天井 | tenjō | ceiling, ceiling price, top price, maximum acceptable or required price | tian1 jing3 | a roof frame, atrium, small yard; courtyard or skylight |
娘 | musume | daughter, offspring | niang2 | mother |
湯 | yu | hot water, hot spring | tang1 | soup |
有難う | arigatō | thank you | you3 nan4 | catastrophic, disastrous, calamitous |
吃る | domoru | to stutter, to stammer | chi1 | to eat |
邪魔 | jama | to disturb, to come's in one way, an obstacle | xie2 mo2 | the devil |
文句 | monku | complaint | wen2 ju4 | sentence flow |
丈夫 | jōbu | strong, robust | zhang4 fu5 | husband |
大丈夫 | daijōbu | OK, alright | da4 zhang4 fu5 | a gentleman, an upright person, a man of honour |
演出 | enshutsu | to direct, to produce (a play) | yan3 chu1 | to perform, to act (in a movie/drama/show) |
Japanese also contains some "Chinese" characters which were invented in Japan. See Which kanji were created in Japan?
This was contributed to the "wiki sci.lang.japan FAQ" (see FAQ Format). Apologies to the contributor but I have lost your name. Thanks to Angel Fong for corrections.
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