4 ms·
The friendly article notes that both Japan and Korea likely acquired the word long before the Silk Road. Relevant random factoid: it's possible to tell when ma
by _0nac 9y ago
The friendly article notes that both Japan and Korea likely acquired the word long before the Silk Road.
Relevant random factoid: it's possible to tell when many Chinese words were imported into Japan based on the pronunciation, which varies based on where the Chinese capital (and hence the ruling class dialect) happened to be. See "Onyomi" under
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji.
- ekianjo 9y agoYeah I am aware, I speak Japanese.
- schemathings 9y agoAnd if you're an American in Japan speaking to a Japanese who speaks English they say Chinese alphabet (a literal translation) rather than Kanji (based on my 6 trips there)
- drawnwren 9y agoAren't there also some words in Kanji that don't have Chinese origins? Like 硝子 for example?
- clw8 9y agoI somehow missed that part of the article, but that's not true. Tea is cha in Korean and Japanese, and that pronunciation post-dates Old Chinese. (which is why Min Nan is different, as it preserves numerous features from Old Chinese)