Can You Tell One Asian Nationality From Another?

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

China dismisses criticism of top diplomat's comments appearing to push for race-based alliance​

ABC|2 hours ago
BEIJING -- China on Wednesday dismissed criticism of racially tinged comments by its top diplomat, who said Europeans and Americans are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.


I think this may be more true than not. I don't believe I could tell by appearance only. More likely by name.


But when you get to Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, it would be even more difficult unless you've had a lot of exposure to those groups.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

But then, I couldn't tell German, Austrian, Hungarian, French, Swiss or Danes apart by appearance only either.

 

[nOOky]

Time for this again?

 

[kage69]

Well I'm American and proof he is wrong. Distinguishing between those nationalities is usually no problem at all, been that way since before I was in college.

The racist, genocidal CCP and it's Carl Schmitt fixation can fuck right the hell off.

 

[pmv]

Only real way to tell one nationality from another is if you can see their passport.

 

[Indus]

By looks, not really.

By accent, sorta.

 

[kage69]

I refuse to believe most Americans can look at a >6ft Korean dude and see no discernible differences with say, a Vietnamese or Filipino guy. Travel and exposure to other nationalities shouldn't be required to detect the pretty obvious physical differences.

CCP wants their audience to think Americans throw their hands up in defeat anytime they see someone with epicanthal folds. It's just another side to the racist narrative that is part of their expansionist agenda.

 

[Moonbeam]

I remember a workplace setting from long ago where we had an Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Irish, Mexican descent, all of whom were bantered about among each other by nationality. One time showed a magazine that had a picture of a bunch of babies with one black baby to them and asked which one was the Portuguese. I think that world is gone.

Who gives a shit as to being able to tell the difference between different Asian groups unless your race is a factor that substitutes for real self respect. Sounds to me like the Chinese who put Westerners down for not being able to differentiate has some inferiority issues about being Chinese.

Americans are the best people on the planet and I’m pretty sure we come in every nationality on Earth. We’re so great, in fact, we hardly notice, right?

Can you imagine gold bars arguing about who is most precious?

 

[pmv]

I refuse to believe most Americans can look at a >6ft Korean dude and see no discernible differences with say, a Vietnamese or Filipino guy. Travel and exposure to other nationalities shouldn't be required to detect the pretty obvious physical differences.

And if the 6ft Korean dude happens to hold a Japanese passport?

There are no definitive 'physical differences' between nationalities. Nationality is a matter of legal status and what passport you hold.

If we're talking "race" (a pretty fuzzy concept anyway) I think it does require familiarity and exposure to other groups to be able to classify them on sight. Not sure what the point of doing so is, though.

As it happens, I've multiple times been told "you don't look English" by Chinese or Japanese citizens. Not really sure what that means anyway.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Other than China, it seems much of the region has a bit of mixed blood as a result of the occupations since the 1920s.

 

[Fenixgoon]

The more exposure you have to other peoples/groups, the better you can differentiate faces.

 

[kage69]

And if the 6ft Korean dude happens to hold a Japanese passport?

There are no definitive 'physical differences' between nationalities.

If we're talking "race" (a pretty fuzzy concept anyway) I think it does require familiarity and exposure to other groups to be able to classify them on sight. Not sure what the point of doing so is, though.

Mea culpa. I mistakenly used the world 'nationality' when I should have said 'ethnicity.'

The racist Chinese diplomat doesn't care about passports (look at their take on dual citizenship), his submission was that Europeans and Americans cannot distinguish Asian ethnicity period. That's bullshit. Distinct differences between separate gene pools/populations are abundant though, natural adaptation being what it is. If I asked this diplomat from China if a Kenyan Maasai looked the same as a barrel chested forest dweller from New Guinea, I bet you one whole internet he'd say No.

Definitely lots of fuzz here, but the main point is China is adding racism to the list of things being used in an attempt to marginalize and drive the US out of Asia.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

We all approach these topics from our own experience and life perspective. I'd think it's safe to say that the vast majority of people that were born and have lived their whole lives in Fly Over states might not have ever seen an Asian in person outside of a take out place.

People born in major metro areas that have had more exposure might be different.

 

[pmv]

Mea culpa. I mistakenly used the world 'nationality' when I should have said 'ethnicity.'

The racist Chinese diplomat doesn't care about passports (look at their take on dual citizenship), his submission was that Europeans and Americans cannot distinguish Asian ethnicity period. That's bullshit. Distinct differences between separate gene pools/populations is abundant though, natural adapation being what it is. If I asked this diplomat from China if a Kenyan Maasai looked the same as a barrel chested forest dweller from New Guinea, I bet you one whole internet he'd say No.

Definitely lots of fuzz here, but the main point is China is adding racism to the list of things being used in an attempt to marginalize and drive the US out of Asia.

The whole thread seems to have confused nationality with ethnicity.

And, yeah, I've heard that the Chinese government tends to regard ethnically-Chinese people everywhere as somehow owing some sort of obligation/allegiance to China, regardless of actual citizenship.

Personally, though, I'm not at all sure I can distinguish between different East Asian ethnic groups on the basis of physical appearance - as I've haven't had a lot of contact with people from that part of the world. I think _maybe_ I could distinguish Koreans from others (on the basis that if they remind me of the couple of Korean people I've known, they may be Korean), but wouldn't want to bet money on it.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

It's the same thing with South Asian. I couldn't tell an Indian from a Pakistani or Sri Lankan based on appearance only.

 

[kage69]

As it happens, I've multiple times been told "you don't look English" by Chinese or Japanese citizens. Not really sure what that means anyway.

That means you have nice teeth I think?

/rimshot

 

[woolfe9998]

The whole thread seems to have confused nationality with ethnicity.

And, yeah, I've heard that the Chinese government tends to regard ethnically-Chinese people everywhere as somehow owing some sort of obligation/allegiance to China, regardless of actual citizenship.

Personally, though, I'm not at all sure I can distinguish between different East Asian ethnic groups on the basis of physical appearance - as I've haven't had a lot of contact with people from that part of the world. I think _maybe_ I could distinguish Koreans from others (on the basis that if they remind me of the couple of Korean people I've known, they may be Korean), but wouldn't want to bet money on it.

I've had loads of experience with Asians of various ethnic types. The town I live in is 40% Asian (mainly Chinese). Yet I can't tell the difference, not physically anyway. Asians say they can tell the difference though, just by appearance. I had an Asian buddy in college who used to say he could always tell. Used to say, look, that guy is Chinese, or Korean, or Japanese, and I'm like lolwut? I was wondering if it is akin to the cross-racial ID problem, where supposedly members of one ethnic group think all people of another ethnic group "look the same." Yet I have no problem distinguishing individuals. I just can't see the physical differences between those different groups.

It's easy to do it by name though. The Chinese have short, monosyllabic names. The Japanese have long, polysyallabic names. And everyone in Korea seems to be named either Kim or Park.

 

[biostud]

China is such a vast country, that there will be regional traits within the country. I think it would be possible to guess better than random, but I don't know.

 

[Greenman]

Asians are Asians. I assume it matters to some of them what sub group they belong to, but it's not something I'd spin up three brain cells to try and figure out.
If for some reason it mattered, I'd politely ask.

 

[Leeea]

Can You Tell One Asian Nationality From Another?​

Your question is addressed as an individual question. A 1 on 1 question.

Only if it matters.

If it matters to them, they can tell me. Outside of learning about a specific persons cultural heritage, I don't think it matters. IE, it has value if the specific person your interacting with puts value in your learning about their heritage. It has no value to recognize prior to interaction. If the person your interacting with does not put value on it, it has no value.

-lets myself be shown outside-

ps:
there is still value in dealing with things on the group level, but the question was addressed on the individual level.

On the individual level, I would argue we deal with people 1 at a time and preconceptions are usually a bad idea.


On the societal level things are very different. But the question above was very narrow in scope to just the individual.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Asians are Asians. I assume it matters to some of them what sub group they belong to, but it's not something I'd spin up three brain cells to try and figure out.
If for some reason it mattered, I'd politely ask.

Not picking on you, but this made me think about the term "Asian" as a whole. Would you call someone who is from Russia "Asian"? What about Saudi Arabia? India? China? Japan? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Iraq? Iran?

Asia is such a vast continent, that the term "Asian" in the literal sense ("from Asia") covers a tremendously broad number of ethnicities, languages, cultures, and countries.

"Asian" as commonly used refers to peoples primarily in the southeast region of the continent.

So I can certainly understand why people would be upset being described by the term. The literal term is so broad to be meaningless, and as commonly used does not acknowledge meaningful differences in regional ethnicity, language, culture, and history.

 

[Zorba]

I

But then, I couldn't tell German, Austrian, Hungarian, French, Swiss or Danes apart by appearance only either.

I can't tell between those. In person I think I can tell a little bit between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, but I'd never trust that and assume.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I couldn't tell an Indian from a Pakistani or Sri Lankan based on appearance only.

Generally,

indian: slimmer coz most are vegetarians.

Pakistani: Overweight and unhealthy looking coz they are mostly meat eaters.

Sri Lankans: Usually thinner and darker than both Indians and Pakistanis.

I'm of course talking about the women

 

[hal2kilo]

I refuse to believe most Americans can look at a >6ft Korean dude and see no discernible differences with say, a Vietnamese or Filipino guy. Travel and exposure to other nationalities shouldn't be required to detect the pretty obvious physical differences.

CCP wants their audience to think Americans throw their hands up in defeat anytime they see someone with epicanthal folds. It's just another side to the racist narrative that is part of their expansionist agenda.

Usually, can tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Philipine, and southeast Asians. The southeast Asians are a bit trickier Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Myanamarise? For some reason I fine Laotian women very attractive. But, yea, you need a passport, lots of Chinese descendant people throughout a lot of Indonesia also.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I'm kinda confused on what this thread is about but I can absolutely tell Koreans/Japanese/Chinese apart in real life fairly easily (combination of accent, appearance, mannerisms, etc).

Same with white people like there are blue white people (from Scandinavian countries) brown white people (tend to be more eastern European) and pink white people who tend to be more north western European.

Totally befuddled by other brown people though. For a long time I just thought Filipinos were just Mexicans cause I lived in SoCal and they all had Spanishy names and looked Mexican.

I'm a fairly light skinned Indian dude and get mistaken for a lot of stuff. I've had people walk up and just start talking to me in a language I don't know at least a dozen different times.