Quote:
Originally Posted by KyleGoetz
Thanks for the lesson. I knew some of it already, but that 50%-shared-vocab figure is awesome.
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According to the Shinsen Kokugo Jiten (新選国語辞典) Japanese dictionary, kango 漢語 comprise 49.1% of the total vocabulary, wago 和語make up 33.8%, other foreign words or gairaigo (外来語 account for 8.8%, and the remaining 8.3% constitute hybridized words or konshugo (混種語 that draw elements from more than one language.
Kango (Kanji phrases) comprise 49.1% of the total vocabulary. As a native Chinese speaker and an advanced learner of Japanese, I can tell you that almost all those 49.1% have been directly imported into modern Chinese. Isn't it crazy?
Of course, there are a few false friends.