Corrections

Chinese and Japanese

• Some Chinese learners who come from the non-Chinese character cultural area say that Japanese have a great advantage to know Chinese characters before learning Chinese.

• Yes, it is true that we Japanese know a lot of them.

• In my opinion, it isn't sure.

• For example, Chinese characters don't necessarily have the same meanings to both people.

• For instance, the character "聞" means smelling in Chinese, but hearing or listening in Japan.

• The word "手紙" means toilet paper in Chinese, but a letter in Japanese.

• Chinese is to Japanese what Latin is to many European languages, and Japan used to adopt Chinese cultures, the government system, coins and so on as well as its characters.

• Today, however, we can't say that the relationships between Japan and China is very good.

• Anyway, it is obvious that Japanese has been influenced by Chinese, and Japan and China have been neighbours for a long time.

• I suppose that they shouldn't forget it.

• Lastly, I'd like to end my talk with a tanka, or a traditional Japanese short poem made by ABE-NO Nakamaro (701~770), who passed away when he was in China.

• The moon in the sky now I looked up at in China is the one I had seen from Mt.

• Since about a thousand years ago, we have seen the same moon.