{"id":1815,"date":"2024-07-08T17:16:07","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T17:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/?p=1815"},"modified":"2024-07-08T17:20:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T17:20:21","slug":"is-it-better-to-learn-chinese-or-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/2024\/07\/08\/is-it-better-to-learn-chinese-or-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it better to learn Chinese or Japanese?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1815\" class=\"elementor elementor-1815\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-227e6b7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"227e6b7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f7e7273\" data-id=\"f7e7273\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab4f1b7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ab4f1b7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>The cultures of China and Japan, with their beautiful calligraphy, stunning architecture, long history and influence on the global stage attract learners from around the world to try their hand at these fascinating languages. While both language learning experiences are truly rewarding and interesting, each comes with different challenges. If you\u2019re on the fence about which language to start with, getting a lay of the land is the first step in deciding which is best for you!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1404666 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1404666\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dc9e315\" data-id=\"dc9e315\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a312716 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a312716\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Two different worlds of language<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b8eaaa7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b8eaaa7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-392a37b\" data-id=\"392a37b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07c1654 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07c1654\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>First of all, while it might be easy to assume that Japanese and Chinese might share some kind of DNA, they come from completely different language families, which means that Chinese is about as similar to Japanese as English is!<\/p><p>That being said, due to their proximity to one another, the two languages have borrowed vocabulary from each other. More specifically, more than 50% of Japanese words are borrowed from Chinese, and about 70% of modern Chinese words relating to sociology, humanities, and natural science are borrowed from Japanese.\u00a0<\/p><p><ruby><br \/><\/ruby>In essence, it\u2019s best to think of Chinese and Japanese as two completely separate and unrelated languages that have borrowed from each other over their long history. This means that learning one can help you learn another, but only when it comes to specific vocabulary. Things like grammar and pronunciation won\u2019t have any correlation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-76f3093 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"76f3093\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a777dcf\" data-id=\"a777dcf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-468052c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"468052c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Compare and Contrast\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a64cd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8a64cd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we\u2019ve already mentioned, Chinese and Japanese are very different languages. There are significantly more differences between them than similarities.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bd4d3ec elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bd4d3ec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Differences<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-473f021 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"473f021\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To better unpack between the two languages, we\u2019ll break them down according to <i>writing<\/i>, <i>grammar<\/i>, and <i>pronunciation<\/i>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb3bf18 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bb3bf18\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Writing System<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d88a67 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7d88a67\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>While both languages use Chinese characters, the overall structure of their writing systems are completely different. While Chinese uses Chinese characters only, Japanese has a total of 3 sets of characters that work in tandem to make up its system: Two sets of symbols used for conveying pronunciation, similar to alphabets, and Chinese characters, Kanji, which are used to express meanings and concepts. As a general rule, if you see text that is composed entirely from Chinese characters, you can be certain it\u2019s Chinese. If you see text that mixes Chinese characters with other symbols, you\u2019re probably looking at Japanese.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-378ba87 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"378ba87\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1873\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f205192 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f205192\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Grammar<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1fa6bc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1fa6bc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One of the most dramatic differences between Chinese and Japanese can be found in their grammar. First of all, the basic word order is opposite between the two languages, with Chinese operating under a subject, verb, object (SVO) word order (similar to English), and Japanese using a subject, object, verb (SOV) order. Notably, Japanese also has a system for verb conjugation, while Chinese does not.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-029bcac elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"029bcac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1871\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20065d2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"20065d2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pronunciation<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44fef9c elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"44fef9c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Pronunciation is another point where Chinese and Japanese are almost impossible to compare. For starters, Chinese is primarily composed of words that are either one or two syllables, while Japanese words are usually composed of more \u201cmoras\u201d (syllables). This, however, pales in comparison to the biggest difference between the two\u2013 that being that Chinese is a tonal language, while Japanese is not. This gets a bit complex, as Japanese pronunciation includes something called pitch accent, but I would argue that tones are one of the most prominent and unique aspects of Chinese pronunciation. Essentially, the inflection of a Chinese syllable can have a massive impact on the meaning of a word.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-df306cf elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"df306cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1872\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73ff918 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"73ff918\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Other Differences<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb531a8 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"eb531a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A final key difference has to do with how formality is expressed. While there are certainly ways to express politeness and respect in Chinese, the Japanese system of formality is embedded very deeply into the language, with its effect on verb conjugation standing out the most.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f8bc67f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f8bc67f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1876\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/6.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc9e3c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fc9e3c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Similarities<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4234b98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4234b98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Use of Chinese Characters<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d51b24 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7d51b24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Both Chinese and Japanese use Chinese characters (\u201chanzi\u201d in Chinese, \u201ckanji\u201d in Japanese). While this is a fairly important connection between the two languages, there\u2019s still quite a bit of nuance to unpack.<\/p><p>First of all, any given character might be written in a different way depending on the language, or not appear at all. The two languages also vary greatly in how exactly these characters are used. Chinese, for example, will often have just one, monosyllabic pronunciation of a character, while Japanese kanji often have multiple readings, some with multiple syllables. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca97854 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ca97854\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1874\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/4.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1e3bae elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a1e3bae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Shared Vocabulary<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecedefa elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ecedefa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount of common vocabulary in between the two languages means that learning one will often help you learn the other. This overlap is so prominent that native Chinese speakers will sometimes be able to read Japanese sentences by piecing together the Chinese characters they can recognize. It is important to note, however, that this is only really obvious in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">writing<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Shared vocab will often sound completely different in the two languages.<\/span><\/p><p>First of all, any given character might be written in a different way depending on the language, or not appear at all. The two languages also vary greatly in how exactly these characters are used. Chinese, for example, will often have just one, monosyllabic pronunciation of a character, while Japanese kanji often have multiple readings, some with multiple syllables.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19a442f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"19a442f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-768x768.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1875\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-35d0bbb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"35d0bbb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-219b795\" data-id=\"219b795\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4acf634 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4acf634\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Advantages and Challenges\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26d4071 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"26d4071\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Chinese and Japanese are equal parts interesting and challenging. As someone who\u2019s spent time learning both, I would argue that they end up being about equally difficult, just in different ways. Looking at the pros and cons might help you decide which is right for you!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-71f589e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"71f589e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-36d6cc8\" data-id=\"36d6cc8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9fe841 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b9fe841\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Chinese<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-ac089df elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ac089df\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-7c65d32\" data-id=\"7c65d32\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c385acc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c385acc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Advantages<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3450805 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3450805\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ Only one writing system<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71cd9b1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"71cd9b1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0While Chinese characters are challenging, one writing system means that you only have one system to deal with.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20ff894 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"20ff894\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ Simpler grammar<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1fcc1e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e1fcc1e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Chinese word order (subject, verb, object) is similar to English, and might be more intuitive for English speakers or other European languages.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f850462 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f850462\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ More internally consistent<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2efa6ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2efa6ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Chinese generally has fewer loan words than Japanese, and each character is usually limited to one reading. This translates to less complexity overall.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-dbeb1e1\" data-id=\"dbeb1e1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24cafb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"24cafb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Challenges<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2b3856 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a2b3856\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- More difficult pronunciation<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae3290b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ae3290b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Along with the many consonants and vowels that might be alien to many English speakers, Chinese tones can be difficult to master.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6bf552c elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6bf552c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- More Chinese characters<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d39dc15 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d39dc15\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0There are approximately 3500 commonly used Chinese characters, as opposed to the 2136 common Japanese Kanji<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bed6dbb elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bed6dbb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- Less accessible<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8bed258 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8bed258\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0While there is a system of romanization for Chinese to help learners get started, the beginning stages of Chinese learning can be especially challenging because the language is written exclusively with Chinese characters, which must be memorized.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-04ba7a1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"04ba7a1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c70cf11\" data-id=\"c70cf11\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11bc4bd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"11bc4bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Japanese<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-d62a3d4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d62a3d4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-639ec08\" data-id=\"639ec08\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e183957 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e183957\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Advantages<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45bdfe6 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"45bdfe6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ Easier pronunciation<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4285b10 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4285b10\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0Japanese syllables (moras) are usually easier to replicate for English speakers, as they are typically simple consonant-vowel pairs, like \u201cka\u201d or \u201csu\u201d. While pitch accent is still important, it has less weight on the meaning of words than Chinese tones.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75f96cd elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"75f96cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ Less Chinese characters<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ef54a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ef54a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>While the way they\u2019re used in Japanese might be slightly more complex, there are fewer total Chinese characters to memorize.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0df2814 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0df2814\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">+ More accessible<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a1e5eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1a1e5eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Because Japanese has symbols used for writing things phonetically, learners can typically ease their way into the language and learn words before having to memorize Chinese characters.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-5ef7d30\" data-id=\"5ef7d30\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-04e1b9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"04e1b9d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Challenges<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e73091 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1e73091\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- More complicated writing system<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-083cfcf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"083cfcf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0After picking up the phonetic symbols of Japanese, learners will still eventually have to learn Chinese characters, along with the various rules surrounding how each set of symbols is used.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1445652 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1445652\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- More character readings<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d557eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d557eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0Chinese characters in Japanese almost always have at least two readings, with some having many more. Having to remember which character reading to use in different contexts can be a challenge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13d8783 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13d8783\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h6 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">- More complicated grammar<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe4ce48 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fe4ce48\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Japanese grammar, with its word order, use of particles, verb conjugation, tense, and levels of politeness can prove challenging when compared to the early stages of learning Chinese grammar.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a6713f9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a6713f9\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-86d16df\" data-id=\"86d16df\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8c78ff9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8c78ff9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Which is right for you?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a623587 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a623587\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, which language you choose will come down to your interests and goals. Both Chinese and Japanese are equally rich in history and culture, and can help open a door into a different world of experience. Why not start with one, then learn the other! For learning tips and other resources, check out All Language Resources&#8217; pages on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alllanguageresources.com\/chinese\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chinese<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alllanguageresources.com\/learn-japanese\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Japanese<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">If you are already learning Chinese,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/2022\/11\/21\/10-things-to-do-to-get-better-at-chinese\/\" style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\"> here<\/a><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\"> are some tips for improving your Chinese. If you are looking to improve your reading and listening, check out our&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/more\" style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">Du Chinese&nbsp;app<\/a><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><br><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">If you are already learning Japanese, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/yomuyomu.app\/more\">Yomu Yomu app<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The cultures of China and Japan, with their beautiful calligraphy, stunning architecture, long history and influence on the global stage attract learners from around the world to try their hand at these fascinating languages. While both language learning experiences are truly rewarding and interesting, each comes with different challenges. If you\u2019re on the fence about&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[16,38,69,70],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/yifeng-lu-pMSIUfvI_18-unsplash.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1815"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1908,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions\/1908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}