Script guide › East Asian
Chinese (Mandarin) vs Japanese
Chinese (Mandarin) and Japanese sit in the same corner of the writing-system map — Grafle's East Asian group — and players mix them up constantly. Here's the fastest way to tell them apart.
The tell
Pure dense characters = Chinese. Simple curvy kana (の, し, は) woven between characters = Japanese.
Side by side
Chinese (Mandarin)
人人生而自由，在尊严和权利上一律平等。
你好，很高兴认识你。
学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。
Chinese (Mandarin)'s own tells
- Only dense, square characters — no simple curvy letters mixed in anywhere.
On signs in:
- China
- Taiwan
- Singapore
Japanese
すべての人間は、生まれながらにして自由です。
こんにちは、お元気ですか？
桜の花が美しく咲いています。
Japanese's own tells
- Curvy, simple kana (の, し, す, は) woven between denser kanji — spot the simple curves.
- The character の alone almost guarantees Japanese.
On signs in:
- Japan