[Jamie]

I can't tell East Asian races apart because I grew up in a white community and never met many Asian people. Could someone explain the differences between Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Filipino, etc.? I'd love to be able to describe people more accurately and make better guesses about where people originate from.

User Detail :  

Name : Jamie, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Torbay, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : designer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[JerryS]

You might as well give it up. I remember walking down the hall with a co-worker when a passing Asian woman spoke to her in some language other than English. She just smiled and nodded, then she muttered to me: 'I wish those Japanese would stop it and realize I'm Chinese. How would they like it if I spoke to them in Korean?' My point is that even THEY can't reliably tell at a glance, any more than you could tell a Swiss from an Austrian from a Dane.

User Detail :  

Name : JerryS, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Jay31104]

In general I have found that Japanese have longer faces, rounder eyes, thinner noses and are very light-skinned (unless they're from Okinowa - in which case they are darker and look more like Hawaiians), Chinese are light also, but often have rounder faces, narrower eyes and broader noses. Koreans and Filipinos seem to be a little taller and darker, but with more European features (Spanish influence maybe), though some Koreans have quite African features. Not knowing the difference between the various Asian groups is similar to not being able to tell Germans, Italians, Irish and Brits apart, or Iraqis, Egyptians, Saudis, Iranians, Palestinians, Israelis, etc. - they may all have a common 'look,' but the differences within that 'look' are immense. And just so you don't feel bad, my Japanese friend said he doesn't understand why it's considered offensive to not know Asian groups from each other, as he's never been able to tell which Asian country people are from, and he's Asian.

User Detail :  

Name : Jay31104, Gender : M, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, 

[Matthew]

I have known several different people from those different cultures, and I almost chuckled to myself because I used to be just like you. Now, however, I can tell a Korean from a Japanese person with the best of them. And yet I cannot clearly give you any physical characteristics that would define a person, because culture also plays a part in one's appearance. You will just have to get out and make some new friends from those cultures, and you, too, will be knowledgeable after some time.

User Detail :  

Name : Matthew, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, 

[Jesna]

Japanese people seem to have eyes that are more open and slant upward. Their last names seem to always end in and 'o' or 'a'. Japanese teenagers seem to dress really trendy with bold colors. Chinese people seem to have more narrow eyes that go straight across or downward. Phillipinos usually have darker skin and look slightly hispanic. Many also have spanish surnames. Vietnamese people seem to have high cheek bones and brownish, crooked teeth.

User Detail :  

Name : Jesna, City : Fairfax, State : VA Country : United States, 

[JE-Johnson]

I've lived in Japan (4 different cities in 3 different regions)for the last 18 yrs. I have been to Korea twice, but not to China. I work in an American multi-national company, which has a human resources emphasis on encouraging diversity. Of course tho, most people are Japanese, since this is Japan. I feel that you cannot distinguish Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese from each other. Unless, you see a whole group of one nationality, like a sightseeing tour, and then I think I could distinguish a Japanese group from a Korean group. That's my opinion, based on years of experience. Keep in mind tho, that Okinawan people, who are Japanese nationality, are somewhat different from 'Yamato' Japanese. Yamato is the name of the ethnic group of typical Japanese people. Back to Matthew's comment, I don't understand how culture could influence a person's facial appearance. I personally am 100% Scandinavian, but I wonder if you could tell me from a Dutch person or a German. JJ P.S.: this software required me to specify a U.S. state, even tho it had allowed me to select 'Japan' as my country--absurd!

User Detail :  

Name : JE-Johnson, City : Mitaka, State : CO Country : Japan, 

[Don]

There is a mind-boggling diversity of ethnic groups within Asia, not just between countries, but also within them. For example, China is a multi-ethnic nation. The Han people comprises 90% of the population, but there are 55 other ethnic minorities, including Mongolians, Russians, Koreans, Manchus, among others. It doesn't make sense to talk about what the 'typical Chinese' looks like, any more than the 'typical American". Moreover, the Asian diaspora extends throughout the rest of the world. In many cases the immigration happened several generations or even centuries ago. So a person with Asian features may be ignorant of or disinterested in the culture of their forefathers and assimilated into the majority. So, it's impossible to identify ethnic origin on physical appearance alone. Even if you could, draw conclusions at your own risk. A more relevant indicator of attitudes, preferences, habits, etc. are the circumstances unique to the experience of each individual.. As fourth-generation descendant of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in the 19th century, growing up in multi-ethnic California, I've often had the following exchange with folks unaccustomed to Asian faces: THEM: Where are you from? ME: Los Angeles THEM: No, I mean before that? ME: My mother's womb. THEM: No, you know what I mean. What nationality are you? ME: American THEM: No, I mean, like what country are you from? ME: The U.S. THEM: Then where were your parents from? ME: Sacramento. THEM: No, come on, where did your grandparents come from? ME: Wyoming. THEM: No, no, you know what I mean? ME: I do? [Feigning ignorance] Ok ... if you're asking about my ethnic ancestry, my great-grandparents were from Japan. THEM: Oh, so you're Japanese. ME: No, I'm American. My great-grandparents were Japanese. THEM: You don't have an accent. Say something in Japanese. ME: Why should I have an accent? I don't know Japanese. THEM: What! You don't know the language? What a shame. [Why don't they say that when a American of German ancestry doesn't know German?] THEM: When was the last time you were in Japan? ME: Never been there. THEM: What! Never been to Japan! How sad. They are such an industrious people, ... [other platitudes] ME: Uh, I've got to go now ... It's natural to be curious about others, so if you want to know where they're from, why not ask? Better yet get to know them as individuals, not as members of an ethnic group.

User Detail :  

Name : Don, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Episcopalian, Age : 46, City : Northern California, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Corporate Executive, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[frumpy-anus21726]

i once saw a black man's nostrils with an asian baby living inside of them because the african cannibal's nostrils were so huge and the asian baby had such a small penis that it could live inside of the african native's nostrils although the african did drive a car.

User Detail :  

Name : frumpy-anus21726, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : mentally ill, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : i hate religion, Age : 29, City : belmar, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Katie26712]

I can't, and I don't think anyone can with certainty. I've been wrong more than I've been right, unless I happen to be in a heavily (insert Asian country here) area. I decide that some feature is definitely Korean, and two weeks later I see someone Chinese that looks like my grandma. Don't bother trying. Just ask.

User Detail :  

Name : Katie26712, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : mixed-race (Asian and White), Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Cheron]

I think you should just ask them. Don't say anything like, 'I can't tell what you are.' Just say, 'Where is your family's origin'. Otherwise just let it go. You can't tell where, one black person or white person originated from. It's the same thing for people of Asian descent.

User Detail :  

Name : Cheron, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 30, City : Twin Lake, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Data Entry, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Kevin]

Being of asian-origin, I have noticed that mostly asian people can tell apart other asian races (whether they're from china, korea, phillipines, japan, etc.) i usually am able to tell by skin tone and facial structure, considering I have been around people of many cultures.

User Detail :  

Name : Kevin, Gender : M, Race : Asian, Age : 20, City : Woodland Hills, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Network Engineer, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Paul30467]

As the longer-nosed spouse in a Filipina-European mixed couple, I have gotten fairly good at distinguishing some nationalities, despite the great diversity that is actually present within many countries of South East Asia. Facial structure is rarely sufficient (or even necessary) to place a nationality, but I find that body language and certain typical movements are dead give-aways. For example, Filipinos passing each other by will often raise their eyebrows and widen their eyes in recognition or to express assent, while a Chinese person tends to give a quick nod without really lowering the head, unlike the slower and much more emphatic nodding by someone from Japan. The different accents also stand out after a while, as do differences in body posture while walking.

User Detail :  

Name : Paul30467, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 37, City : Riverside, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Betty]

It's probably the easiest way to learn to tell. I can tell between Asian ethnicities mostly because I study people's facial features. This trick works for me and is a bit hard to describe, but sometimes I imagine them wearing traditional hairstyles (like the Japanese momoware or the Chinese queue) to help me work out their ethnicity.

User Detail :  

Name : Betty, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Asian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 17, City : Medford, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Tali24826]

Korean folks- are lighter skinned and have smaller eyes. Japanese folks- shorter than Chinese folks Chinese folks- can look like anything Filipino folks- have bigger eyes and are darker Vietnamese- are a bit darker than Chinese folks

User Detail :  

Name : Tali24826, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 18, City : NYC, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Factory Worker, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class, 

[Lish25729]

haha! my answer: don't bother, just ask. the point is there is no 'japanese' look, or 'korean' look or whatever else. sure, some facial features seem more prevailent in some countries, but that's mostly just how the media protrays it to you. in actual fact, even within the same east asian country, different regions may have peoples of different features in itself. old genetic traits of different peoples that were unique to them have long since been mixed up and interlinked. cross immigration has been going on for a long time, for example chinese people settling in malaysia, indonesia and the philipines, koreans in japan, japanese in korea, russians in china etc. a blond haired, blue eyed strapping bloke off the street in chicago probably calls himself american, not scandinavian, right? if you MUST try to tell us all apart and have nothing better to do, observe other traits, not physical features. generally japanese and korean working women will be very well groomed, excellently dressed,and very coordinated in their outfits. the thai and laoations have a very unique native speech. mainland chinese often have quite heavily accented mandarin, other chinese people less so. malaysia and indonesia are islamic countries; their citizens will either be muslims or very familiar with islamic practices. oh, and check out food preferences too. ps. thailand and the philipines are located in south east asia

User Detail :  

Name : Lish25729, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : KL, State : NA Country : Malaysia, Occupation : student, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Author]

Posts