There is a common belief that the Chinese language is better than Japanese simply because the Japanese writing system borrows heavily from Chinese characters. While it’s true that Japanese writing has roots in Chinese, this fact alone does not suggest linguistic superiority. One of the most compelling arguments against this idea is the existence and development of Wasei Kango (和製漢語)—or “Japanese-made Chinese words.” In fact, the influence of Wasei Kango extends even further, as many of these Japanese-coined terms were later borrowed back into modern Chinese. This two-way linguistic exchange dispels the myth that only Japanese has borrowed from Chinese.

1. What is Wasei Kango?
Wasei Kango refers to words that were coined in Japan using Chinese characters to describe concepts, ideas, or innovations that were uniquely Japanese. These words were not derived from existing Chinese terms but were newly created in Japan to address the cultural, social, and technological changes of the time.

Some prominent examples include:

経済 (keizai) – meaning "economy"
電話 (denwa) – meaning "telephone"
民主 (minshu) – meaning "democracy"
教育 (kyouiku) – meaning "education"
These terms were developed in Japan during its modernization period in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, addressing the need to describe new concepts in politics, science, and society.

2. Wasei Kango as a Form of Japanese Innovation
The creation of Wasei Kango demonstrates that Japanese speakers did not merely imitate Chinese characters; they adapted and transformed them to meet the needs of their own language and society. By inventing new words using kanji, Japanese innovators used Chinese characters as a creative tool, reflecting distinctly Japanese ideas and cultural changes.

This innovative adaptation counters the claim that Japanese is somehow inferior for adopting Chinese characters. In fact, Wasei Kango shows that Japanese is not a passive recipient of Chinese influence but an active developer of new vocabulary, reinforcing its own linguistic identity.

3. The Chinese Borrowing from Japanese
One of the strongest arguments against the idea that the Japanese language has merely borrowed from Chinese is the fact that many Wasei Kango terms were later adopted into modern Chinese during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As China underwent its own modernization efforts, it found many Wasei Kango terms useful and appropriate for describing new concepts and technologies.

For instance:

経済 (jīngjì) – "economy"
電話 (diànhuà) – "telephone"
教育 (jiàoyù) – "education"
民主 (mínzhǔ) – "democracy"
The incorporation of these Wasei Kango terms into Chinese illustrates that the influence was reciprocal, rather than one-sided. It wasn’t just Japanese borrowing from Chinese; Chinese also borrowed from Japanese, adopting terms that did not previously exist in the Chinese language. This mutual borrowing shows that language evolution is interactive, not hierarchical, and certainly not evidence of one being superior to the other.

4. Mutual Borrowing Dispels the Myth
The two-way exchange of vocabulary between Chinese and Japanese fully dispels the myth that only Japanese has borrowed from Chinese, or that Chinese is inherently better as a result. Borrowing and adaptation are natural aspects of language development, and they occur between all languages in contact. Wasei Kango is a perfect example of how languages enrich each other through interaction, rather than serving as a metric of superiority or inferiority.

5. Wasei Kango and Japanese Linguistic Identity
Wasei Kango is not just about borrowing characters; it represents the distinct linguistic identity of Japanese. By adapting Chinese characters to create new words that meet Japanese needs, the language has maintained its own grammatical and cultural framework. The existence of Wasei Kango illustrates that Japanese can actively shape and transform borrowed elements, making the language versatile and capable of conveying uniquely Japanese concepts.

Conclusion: Dispelling the Superiority Myth
The claim that Chinese is better than Japanese due to the adoption of kanji by the Japanese is a misguided and oversimplified notion. The development of Wasei Kango not only showcases Japanese innovation but also highlights the reciprocal nature of linguistic influence. The fact that modern Chinese adopted many Wasei Kango terms debunks the idea that the influence was one-sided or indicative of Japanese inferiority.

Ultimately, both Chinese and Japanese languages have their own complexities, strengths, and cultural contributions. The existence of Wasei Kango clearly demonstrates that the relationship between Chinese and Japanese is one of mutual enrichment, not hierarchy. No language is inherently better than another; they each serve their unique cultural contexts and communication needs.

In the 1994 film Fist of Legend, Jet Li’s character, Chen Zhen, discusses “chemical analysis” in Chinese, but the local Chinese characters around him appear confused, unfamiliar with the term. This scene effectively captures a real historical phenomenon: during Japan's rapid modernization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan coined many modern scientific and technical terms—often using kanji—that China had yet to adopt.

These Japanese-created words, known as Wasei Kango (和製漢語), included terms for chemistry, economics, and politics, which became common in Japan well before China integrated them into its own language. Chen Zhen’s scene symbolizes how Japan was often ahead in adopting and translating Western scientific concepts, creating a gap in terminology that China would only close later. This exchange illustrates that borrowing was not one-sided, debunking the notion that Japanese was simply a derivative of Chinese; instead, it shows how Japanese innovations in language and knowledge contributed significantly to modern Chinese vocabulary.

You know what's worse? Nowadays when you ask Chinese people about this many of them would not even admit the fact that they have indeed been borrowing a lot from Japanese. Many of assumed the Chinese words they've learned are all invented in China, when it's not.

TO ALL CHINESE SPEAKERS: Many of you don't even know you're actually speaking Japanese! Those words are NOT Chinese! They are JAPANESE!

This post has been edited by Hoka Nobasho: Oct 26 2024, 10:31 PM

That's like saying all Chinese people are weebs

Easy only. Just stop using Japanese words and see how you survive.

All these are Japanese words:

経済 (keizai) / 经济 (jīngjì) – "Economy"
民主 (minshu) / 民主 (mínzhǔ) – "Democracy"
電話 (denwa) / 电话 (diànhuà) – "Telephone"
教育 (kyouiku) / 教育 (jiàoyù) – "Education"
文化 (bunka) / 文化 (wénhuà) – "Culture"
科学 (kagaku) / 科学 (kēxué) – "Science"
技術 (gijutsu) / 技术 (jìshù) – "Technology"
社会 (shakai) / 社会 (shèhuì) – "Society"
労働 (roudou) / 劳动 (láodòng) – "Labor"
病院 (byouin) / 病院 (bìngyuàn) – "Hospital"

whether it’s calling someone on the phone, getting medical treatment, or participating in the economy, you’re using Japanese-made words

This post has been edited by Hoka Nobasho: Oct 26 2024, 11:01 PM

save money

病院 (byouin)—meaning "hospital" in Japanese—is indeed considered Wasei Kango. The term was coined during Japan’s modernization in the Meiji era by combining 病 ("illness") and 院 ("institution"). It was developed to describe Western-style medical facilities that did not exist in pre-modern Japan or China. As Japan established new concepts to accommodate Western-style hospitals, the term 病院 became widely used in Japan before being adopted into modern Chinese as 病院 (bìngyuàn).

The adoption of 病院 into modern Chinese vocabulary further demonstrates the Japanese origin of this term, making it a clear example of how Wasei Kango terms were borrowed by China during its own modernization efforts. This etymology confirms that the term is not traditional Chinese but rather a Japanese innovation that China incorporated later.

The fact that 病院 is recognized as a borrowed term in other East Asian languages, such as Korean (병원), further supports its classification as Wasei Kango, originally stemming from Japan’s efforts to translate and adapt Western concepts into kanji

Why do you get caught every time being the person who is most affected by this? I remember that you even tried to use a Cantonese insult in katakana before just so you think you could get to me? Are you really that desperate to get my attention? I bet you are the ones who have been reporting on my harmless posts as well.

Yes, that is correct. If you don't want to use any Japanese words, good luck communicating anything about science, politics, or economics!

Imagine China economy crash because they dunno how to communicate using the right words

Japan already existed even before they borrow Chinese writing. It is Chinese people who cannot survive now if they don't use Japanese words.

Why do people like you only want to see people fail? You hate people for a living? What life are you living?

Then why not stop using Japanese words when you are speaking in Chinese and see how?

Sounds like jealousy to me.

Simple, because they are Japanese words, not Chinese words. Japan can still rely on their hiragana/katakana, but if China drops all the Japanese words, they don't have their own words to use.

Okay, stop using Japanese words and see what happens.

let’s not twist things: Wasei Kango is not just about using old words; it’s about redefining and modernizing them to fit new, Western-inspired concepts during Japan’s rapid modernization in the Meiji era.

For example, 经济 used to mean managing state affairs, but in Japan, it was adapted to mean "economy" in the modern sense, reflecting the rise of industrial capitalism. Same with 民主 (democracy)—while it might have appeared in ancient texts, it was Japan that reshaped it to mean democratic governance as we know it today.

Looks like you missed the title completely. Plenty of Chinese would be willing to jump on what you've said to reinforce it.

This post has been edited by Hoka Nobasho: Oct 27 2024, 12:07 AM

Then make your own words

It's not Chinese words