So knowing that Japanese is semi similar to Chinese, is their grammar alike or the same? In Chinese class we learned that the grammar structure was S.T.P.V.O. (subject, time, place, verb, object) with some exceptions like 把 (ba) sentences where its S.把.O.V.O. so is Japanese grammer like this?
Japanese and Chinese are only similar in the sense that Japan didn’t have a writing system when they first encountered the Chinese, so they forced the Chinese writing system into their very different language. Had they encountered a different writing system first, or developed their own, things would likely be pretty different today.
Japanese is an SOV language. To oversimplify it anyway.
One of my English teacher coworkers is a native Japanese speaker, and had always enjoyed English. When he got to University, he had to choose a foreign language credit outside of English and he chose Chinese.
He told me that the reason he did that was because:
- Japanese uses kanji
and - Chinese has similar grammar to English
Which obviously as a native Japanese and majoring in English, gave him a big leg up.
I’ve never personally studied Chinese, but that’s what I was told, anyway. And Japanese is definitely not similar to English, so I’d gamble it’s not similar to Chinese, either.
Aye, I’ve studied Chinese for a few years, a great many years ago, and yeah, while Chinese uses some particles (similar to Japanese), the grammar is basically the same as English.
Yup I agree with everyone, English has always translated easily to me mentally in Chinese or vice versa. There’s also no headache of conjugating any verbs and all the male/female nonsense. Tones also come relatively easy to me and it’s funny watching people bicker in English adamantly arguing about things like cara-mel or car-mall.
On a side note, I’ve as a kid I’ve added “ing” to Chinese verbs for fun because sometimes there just isn’t quite a verb with the same nuance.
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