How Are They Different? Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese

We Filipinos have our love affair for Koreanovelas, Chinese food, and Japanese pop culture because our exposure to the cultural influence and heritage of our Asian neighbors. However, we still have difficulties identifying subtle differences between these cultural spheres, not to mention their people that we may encounter in our lives. The fact that there is a growing number of Koreans and Japanese visiting our country, there is a growing trend of meeting them fact to face. On the other hand, we also tend to overlook the occasional Mainland Chinese visits because of the existence of our own local Filipino-Chinese population here.

Editor's Note: This article does not promote racial biases or stereotypes. It is merely discussing about general opinion and personal assessment on Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese people.

We Filipinos have our love affair for Koreanovelas, Chinese food, and Japanese pop culture because our exposure to the cultural influence and heritage of our Asian neighbors. However, we still have difficulties identifying subtle differences between these cultural spheres, not to mention their people that we may encounter in our lives. The fact that there is a growing number of Koreans and Japanese visiting our country, there is a growing trend of meeting them fact to face. On the other hand, we also tend to overlook the occasional Mainland Chinese visits because of the existence of our own local Filipino-Chinese population here.

Filipinos do have difficulties identifying what a Korean, a Chinese, or a Japanese is without listening to what they say. We have to understand that because they have "chinky eyes" doesn't mean that they are the same. As much as we try to lump every Caucasian that visit our country as "Amerkano," our Asian neighbors need to be identified correctly.


Because of the racial mixture between the three distinctive groups, people would get confuse a Japanese as Korean, a Chinese as Japanese, or a Korean as Chinese. In fact, there is also a significant population of Hwagyo (Korean Chinese), Chaoxianzu (Chinese Koreans), Zainichi (Japanese Koreans), and other people of mixed ancestry.

Although, determining someone as Korean, Chinese, or Japanese can be subjective and oftentimes stereotypical, there are many basis of comparison that people make to determine a person is either of the three. As we scratch our heads, we often wonder if these people came from the same hereditary gene pool because of the proximity of these great countries. For thousands of years, the Chinese kept a close contact with their neighbor across the Yalu River and the islanders east of the Yellow Sea. It would be safe to assume that they would probably end up having similar and possibly identifiable physical characteristics that anyone can determine. Right? Whether you agree with me or not, here are their differences:

The Koreans have a much flatter face than their East Asian counterparts with squarer cheek bones and smaller eyes with single eyelids. Aside from that, some Koreans have undergone cosmetic surgeries to gain a much more "Caucasian" features.

When you talk about Chinese, you may be referring to the Han Chinese. They are the major Chinese ethnic group with a population of more than one billion. When compared to the Koreans and Japanese, the Chinese generally have rounder faces. Being a large country, China is multi-ethnic as it is also composed by other groups of people that includes the Tibetans and Mongolians.

Unlike the Koreans and Chinese, the Japanese tend to have a much more ovoid and longer facial features and characterized with larger and wider eyes and more pronounced noses. Aside from that, the Japanese women have their distinctive fashion styles that are emulated by other people.


At the end of the day, facial features and other morphological characteristics are not the basis of what beauty is. Besides, there is no point of comparing Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese on who is the best. They have their own concepts of beauty and their sense of uniqueness make them who they are.