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Syntax-wise, Koreans and Japanese are very close. The sound systems are also close (e.g. no p/f v/b distinction). Kanji and Hanja are just Japanese/Korean versi
by nemonemo 7y ago
Syntax-wise, Koreans and Japanese are very close. The sound systems are also close (e.g. no p/f v/b distinction). Kanji and Hanja are just Japanese/Korean versions of Chinese. Some words are shared and some nursery rhymes have the same melody. They even memorize the multiplication table with the same melody. In many ways, their languages and cultures have evolved with proximity for a long time, like thousands of years.
English and Korean are just two languages that would have almost no way of influencing each other directly for a long long time. They evolved independently, and once one is familiar with one language system, learning the other is just... painfully difficult in my experience.
If you see grammar errors in my comment, a Japanese person would very likely show similar mistakes in their English writings.
- kaesar14 7y agoInterestingly enough, I feel that your grammar is pretty much spot on perfect, at least from this excerpt. It's the cadence and rhythm of the way you write and format your sentences that subtly suggest you're not a native English speaker. Maybe the thing that most sticks out to me is saying "English writings." I don't think a native speaker would say writings, just "in their English", or perhaps "In their written English." Your English is fantastic, this is me simply musing on what you're suggesting.
- nemonemo 7y agoThank you, you made my day. I spent way too much time reading commets in HN, and that effort paid off. :)
- kaesar14 7y agoOf course! Coming from someone who's tried (and failed) to learn a bit of Mandarin, even the spoken language was quite tough. Chinese/Japanese/Korean -> English/Romance languages is quite a tough lingual gap to bridge, and you should be proud of yourself for achieving fluency!