Chinese is Hard to Understand... :(

[Keith Justice]

I'm watching Lust, Caution. I dunno... have I just listen to so much Japanese that it just makes sense now?

One thing I usually find a good anchor to better start understanding words here and there is names. And I've always found in Chinese movies that I can't even hear the name when it's said in the middle of a sentence.

Is there something inherently more difficult about the Chinese language or have I just heard so much of the Japanese?

 

[Dark Kabuto]

I'm Chinese myself, and even I get words mixed around sometimes, or sentences don't come out sounding right. :redface2:

 

[Chronotia Archzenom]

Well to start off with this, Japanese Language in written form has a deep history from Chinese language (KANJI=Chinese Characters with different readings). Some characters are exeptions, some are not

For example this (same reading):

愛 in Chinese reads "AI"
愛 in Japanese also reads "AI"
which in English means "Love"

Example are these but of different reading:

龍 in Chinese reads "Long"
龍 in Japanese reads "Ryu"
which is "Dragon" in English

and

我 in Chinese reads "Wo"
我 in Japanese reads "Ware"
in English means "I"

 

[Kane]

Engrish is hard to understand too

 

[Dark Kabuto]

Engrish is hard to understand too

What? say that again? I didn't quite understand that

 

[Chronotia Archzenom]

True! When it comes down to pronounciation.

 

[DarkWolf]

Engrish is hard to understand too

And that's precisely why I don't eat at Chinese restaurants. I always feel like an idiot when I have to ask the waitress to repeat something, and then I STILL don't know what they said. Luckily each time I was with a friend of mine that knew what was what. :169:

 

[Chronotia Archzenom]

And that's precisely why I don't eat at Chinese restaurants. I always feel like an idiot when I have to ask the waitress to repeat something, and then I STILL don't know what they said. Luckily each time I was with a friend of mine that knew what was what. :169:

And my mom who went to China several years ago had a hard time speaking with them. Too bad my family members (cousins and other relatives included) are mostly Chinese but we do not speak that one.

 

[Keith Justice]

Not talking about broken English here, guys............... :redface2:

More talking about how, does anyone else find Japanese seemingly to make more sense in picking out individual words, versus Chinese?

 

[Ragna "D" BloodEdge]

I've found that to be true. I mean, after watching subbed anime for so many years and raw toku, some general comprehenshion of the language is bound to rub off.