If you grew up reading Traditional Chinese — friends from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macau — congratulations, you have an advantage others don't: Japanese kanji and Traditional Chinese characters overlap enormously.
Why? Because Japan's kanji simplification took its own independent path, but started from the same place as Traditional Chinese — the original traditional characters. Many characters were never simplified in Japanese at all, so they're identical to what you use every day.
This article showcases 20 representative characters to reveal this hidden advantage.
Core Kanji Table
Japanese Kanji = Traditional Chinese (Perfectly Identical)
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Simplified Chinese | Common Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 長 | チョウ (chō) | なが (naga) | long | 长 | 長い (ながい, long), 社長 (しゃちょう, company president) |
| 東 | トウ (tō) | ひがし (higashi) | east | 东 | 東京 (とうきょう, Tokyo), 東北 (とうほく, Tōhoku) |
| 書 | ショ (sho) | か (ka) | write | 书 | 書く (かく, to write), 図書館 (としょかん, library) |
| 電 | デン (den) | — | electricity | 电 | 電話 (でんわ, telephone), 電車 (でんしゃ, train) |
| 語 | ゴ (go) | かた (kata) | language | 语 | 日本語 (にほんご, Japanese), 物語 (ものがたり, story) |
| 問 | モン (mon) | と (to) | ask | 问 | 問題 (もんだい, problem), 質問 (しつもん, question) |
| 動 | ドウ (dō) | うご (ugo) | move | 动 | 動く (うごく, to move), 運動 (うんどう, exercise) |
| 強 | キョウ (kyō) | つよ (tsuyo) | strong | 强 | 強い (つよい, strong), 勉強 (べんきょう, study) |
| 場 | ジョウ (jō) | ば (ba) | place | 场 | 場所 (ばしょ, place), 工場 (こうじょう, factory) |
| 業 | ギョウ (gyō)・ゴウ (gō) | わざ (waza) | business | 业 | 授業 (じゅぎょう, class), 産業 (さんぎょう, industry) |
More Identical Pairs
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Simplified Chinese | Common Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 見 | ケン (ken) | み (mi) | see | 见 | 見る (みる, to see), 意見 (いけん, opinion) |
| 車 | シャ (sha) | くるま (kuruma) | vehicle | 车 | 電車 (でんしゃ, train), 自動車 (じどうしゃ, automobile) |
| 風 | フウ (fū) | かぜ (kaze) | wind | 风 | 台風 (たいふう, typhoon), 風景 (ふうけい, scenery) |
| 飛 | ヒ (hi) | と (to) | fly | 飞 | 飛ぶ (とぶ, to fly), 飛行機 (ひこうき, airplane) |
| 馬 | バ (ba) | うま (uma) | horse | 马 | 競馬 (けいば, horse racing), 馬車 (ばしゃ, carriage) |
| 魚 | ギョ (gyo) | さかな (sakana) | fish | 鱼 | 金魚 (きんぎょ, goldfish), 魚市場 (うおいちば, fish market) |
| 鳥 | チョウ (chō) | とり (tori) | bird | 鸟 | 白鳥 (はくちょう, swan), 焼き鳥 (やきとり, grilled chicken) |
| 門 | モン (mon) | かど (kado) | gate | 门 | 専門 (せんもん, specialty), 校門 (こうもん, school gate) |
| 開 | カイ (kai) | あ (a)・ひら (hira) | open | 开 | 開く (あく, to open), 開発 (かいはつ, development) |
| 買 | バイ (bai) | か (ka) | buy | 买 | 買う (かう, to buy), 買い物 (かいもの, shopping) |
By the Numbers: How Big Is This Advantage?
Let's look at the data:
- Japanese has roughly 2,136 jōyō (common-use) kanji
- About 800+ are identical to Traditional Chinese
- About 400+ are highly similar (differ by one or two strokes)
- Combined: Traditional Chinese readers can instantly recognize over half of all common Japanese kanji
By comparison, Simplified Chinese readers can directly recognize only about 200+. The gap is significant.
Three Paths of Simplification
Chinese characters were simplified along three independent paths:
| System | When | Strategy | Characters Simplified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | Never | Preserved original forms | 0 |
| Japanese Shinjitai | 1946 | Moderate simplification of most common characters | ~500 |
| Simplified Chinese | 1956 | Large-scale simplification | ~2,200 |
The key insight: Japan's simplification was far less aggressive than mainland China's. Japan only simplified about 500 characters, leaving 1,600+ common kanji in their original form — identical to Traditional Chinese.
Interesting Examples
| Traditional | Japanese | Simplified | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 學 | 学 | 学 | Japan and China coincidentally simplified the same way |
| 國 | 国 | 国 | Same coincidence |
| 長 | 長 | 长 | Japan didn't simplify; same as Traditional |
| 書 | 書 | 书 | Japan didn't simplify; same as Traditional |
| 體 | 体 | 体 | Coincidental identical simplification |
| 藝 | 芸 | 艺 | All three simplified differently |
Practical Tips
1. Start with "Instant Recognition" Characters
If you can read Traditional Chinese, review the 800+ identical characters first. You only need to learn pronunciation — you already know the form and meaning.
2. Watch for Subtle Differences
Some characters are "almost identical" between Japanese and Traditional Chinese, differing by just a stroke or two:
| Traditional | Japanese | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 步 | 歩 | Bottom part slightly different |
| 黑 | 黒 | Bottom part different |
| 真 | 真 | Completely identical |
| 賣 | 売 | Japanese heavily simplified |
3. Beware of False Friends
Even when the form is identical, meanings may differ — see the previous article on "False Friends"!
Cultural Note: Japan's Kanji Culture
Every December, Japan selects a "Kanji of the Year" (今年の漢字), calligraphed by the head priest at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. These characters are almost always instantly recognizable to Traditional Chinese readers — because Japan's calligraphy tradition preserves the most authentic character forms.
Practice
Q1. Which Japanese kanji below is written differently from Traditional Chinese?
A. 長 B. 書 C. 学 D. 風
Show answer
C. 学. The Traditional Chinese form is 「學」, while Japanese simplified it to 「学」. The other three (長, 書, 風) are identical in both systems.
Q2. Why is the overlap between Japanese kanji and Traditional Chinese so high?
Show answer
Because Japan's kanji simplification was far less extensive than China's. Japan only simplified about 500 characters, keeping the rest in their traditional form — identical to Traditional Chinese.
Q3. How do you pronounce 電車 in Japanese?
Show answer
でんしゃ (densha). 電 = でん, 車 = しゃ. Both characters are identical to Traditional Chinese.
Q4. Approximately what proportion of common Japanese kanji can Traditional Chinese readers recognize instantly?
Show answer
Over half — about 800+ identical + 400+ highly similar, totaling roughly 55-60% of jōyō kanji.
Q5. Which set of characters is written identically in Traditional Chinese and Japanese?
A. 飛, 鳥, 魚 B. 體, 藝, 學
Show answer
A. 飛, 鳥, 魚. Set B: Traditional Chinese writes 體, 藝, 學 but Japanese simplifies them to 体, 芸, 学.
Summary
- Traditional Chinese readers have a hidden advantage: over half of common Japanese kanji are identical to Traditional Chinese
- The reason: Japan only simplified ~500 characters, keeping the rest in their traditional form
- All 20 kanji in this article (長, 東, 書, 電, 語, 問, 動, 強, 場, 業, 見, 車, 風, 飛, 馬, 魚, 鳥, 門, 開, 買) are identical in Japanese and Traditional Chinese
- Learning strategy: Master the pronunciation of "instant recognition" characters first, then tackle the differences
- Next up: Simplified Chinese readers have their own advantages too — discover which Japanese kanji match Simplified Chinese