Discover how identical Chinese characters developed distinct meanings in Korean and Japanese. This article explores the historical adoption, semantic evolution, and modern usage of Hanja and Kanji, revealing surprising differences in interpretation between the two languages. 1. Introduction “Imagine looking at the same Chinese character, but a Korean and a Japanese speaker interpret it … Read more
Discover how the same Chinese characters transformed differently in Korea and Japan. This article explores the historical adoption, phonetic evolution, and modern usage of Hanja and Kanji, revealing how each language created unique systems for pronunciation and meaning. 1. Introduction: The Role of Chinese Characters in Korean and Japanese Chinese characters—known as Hanja in … Read more
Discover the evolution of Korean writing from mixed Hanja-Hangul scripts to Hangul-only usage, and explore the differences between Korean and Japanese kanji reading systems, including on’yomi and kun’yomi, in shaping language practices. Introduction: The Role of Sino-Korean and Sino-Japanese Readings When learning Korean and Japanese, students often notice that many words are derived from … Read more
