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Japanese Kanji symbols and Chinese

You would never know the following fact. Back to Contents

Believe it or not, it is the real thing that not a few Japanese people who does not know Chinese can read and understand text written in Chinese by using special method such as the following method.

1. Historical backgroud
About 1500 years ago, Kanji had been brought up to Japan from China, and The Japanese had no letters for writing until then. But, The Japanese at those days invented method native to Japanese, please see Japanese Kanji symbols #2 in the left column. Todays, all Japanese people can phonate Kanji #2 in two ways, which is HITO and JIN. Though HITO in Japanese means Humans, Japanese people at those days left another pronunciation similar to Chinese, JIN(CHIN). As a result, The Japanese could apply Kanji in Chinese to Japanese letters which have the same meaning. Though it would be difficult to understand, Japanese Kanji symbols have two aspects. In other words, Japanese are very strange language, which includes letters of another language, and are composed of inherent letters (Kana letters) and letters of another language.

2. How to read and understand text in Chinese
Though it's natural to differ between language, Japanese and Chinese differ in word order, and so The ancient Japanese added several special sign, which means reading order, to original text in Chinese for reading as Japanese like the left column. Though it may be unbelievable thing, The Japanese can really read and understand Chinese text as Japanese, adding these signs to original Chinese text. What is more important, to understand Japanese text, which are also Chinese text, such as the left column was indispensable knowledge for Samurai in Edo-priod (A.D1603-1867). At those days, Japan's highbrows could learn Confucianism without translating to Japanese from Chinese. Probably phenomenon like this never exists in the world's history, and most of Japanese highschool student must learn KANBUN , which is Japanese like the left column as the example, even in the todays. Again, sentence in the left column is in Japanese but also is in Chinese. What The ancient Japanese invented is the very groundbreaking theory, and to my regret, you would never know the fact.

 

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