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Chinese has hidden connections to languages you already know.
I speak:
You probably already know 10 of these words!
Tap any card to reveal the full explanation.
学生
xuéshēng
student
がくせい (gakusei)
Exact same characters! Japanese 学生 (gakusei) and Chinese 学生 (xuéshēng) mean the same thing. The characters are completely identical — you already know this word.
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電話
diànhuà
telephone
でんわ (denwa)
電話 is identical in both languages! 電 means electricity, 話 means speech/talk. The compound logic is the same: 'electric speech'. Different pronunciation, exact same meaning.
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音乐
yīnyuè
music
おんがく (ongaku)
音楽 in Japanese vs 音乐 in Chinese — the first character 音 (sound) is identical. The second differs slightly: 楽 (traditional) vs 乐 (simplified Chinese). Same meaning, both mean 'sound enjoyment'.
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大学
dàxué
university
だいがく (daigaku)
大学 is identical! 大 = big/great, 学 = learning. 'Great learning'. Japanese daigaku and Chinese dàxué use the exact same characters with the same meaning.
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图书馆
túshūguǎn
library
としょかん (toshokan)
図書館 vs 图书馆 — these are the same characters! 图/図 = maps/pictures, 書/书 = books, 館/馆 = hall. 'Hall of pictures and books'. The simplified Chinese forms differ visually but are the same words.
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新闻
xīnwén
news
しんぶん (shinbun)
新聞 (Japanese) vs 新闻 (Chinese) — the first character 新 (new) is identical. The second: 聞 (Japanese, traditional) vs 闻 (Chinese, simplified) are the same character! Different pronunciation (shinbun vs xīnwén), identical meaning.
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意思
yìsi
meaning / idea
いみ (imi)
Japanese 意味 (imi) = meaning. Chinese 意思 (yìsi) also means 'meaning'. Both share 意 (thought/intention) as the first character, but diverge on the second. Close cousins, not twins — don't mix them up.
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手纸
shǒuzhǐ
toilet paper
てがみ (tegami)
⚠️ DANGER! In Japanese, 手紙 (tegami) means 'letter' (postal letter). In Chinese, 手纸 (shǒuzhǐ) means 'toilet paper'. The characters look nearly identical! Never write 手纸 when you mean a letter in Chinese — and never say 手紙 to a Japanese person expecting toilet paper.
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汽车
qìchē
car / automobile
じどうしゃ (jidousha)
Japanese says 自動車 (jidousha = self-moving vehicle) while Chinese says 汽车 (qìchē = steam car). Same concept, completely different vocabulary choices. A good reminder that even closely related languages can go their own way.
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娘
niáng
mother / woman (archaic/dialectal)
むすめ (musume)
⚠️ Tricky! In Japanese, 娘 (musume) means 'daughter' or 'young girl'. In Chinese, 娘 (niáng) means 'mother' or 'woman' (older usage). Exact opposite family relationship — same character, opposite generation!
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勉強
miǎnqiǎng
reluctant / barely adequate
べんきょう (benkyou)
⚠️ Japanese 勉強 (benkyou) means 'to study' — used every day by students. Chinese 勉强 (miǎnqiǎng) means 'reluctant', 'barely', or 'to force someone'. If a Chinese person says 勉强, they're NOT talking about studying!
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先生
xiānsheng
Mr. / husband / teacher (formal)
せんせい (sensei)
先生 in Japanese (sensei) means 'teacher' — the famous honorific. In Chinese (xiānsheng), it primarily means 'Mr.' or 'husband' in modern usage, though historically it also meant 'teacher'. Same characters, shifted meanings across centuries.
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好
hǎo
good
こう / す (kou / su)
Japanese uses 好 (su/kou) mainly in 好き (suki = to like) and compounds. The meaning 'good/fond' is shared. Chinese 好 is more versatile — it covers 'good', 'fine', 'hello' (你好) and 'okay' (好的).
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人
rén
person / people
ひと / じん / にん (hito / jin / nin)
人 is identical in Chinese and Japanese! Same character, same meaning (person). In Japanese it's hito (alone) or jin/nin (in compounds): 日本人 (nihonjin = Japanese person), 外国人 (gaikokujin = foreigner).
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