Physical appearance?

There is quite a difference among Asians from India and Banglandesh then from China, Japan, and Korea. But whenever I watch a Japanese foreign film I have to really concentrate on the characters facial features to tell them apart. They say that there are obvious facial differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, if there is why can't I see them? I'm around Asian people at school and I see them on TV, and I see no differences between Chinese and Japanese and Korean. Maybe my mind is wired to see european people.. I don't know. Do most Oriental-Asians think that all Americans, Canadians, and Europeans look alike? Oriental-Asians make it sound like there are major differences between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, to me, I just can't see it no matter how close they look, to me they all have similar noses, hair tone, eye color. What do they see that alot of Caucasians don't see?

Physical appearance?

Well I can tell who's Korean, Chinese, or Japanese most of the time. However, there are some exceptions. I'm not sure where you live now but I assume you live in the states. Ok so asians you see around must be mostly people who were born and grew up in the states. It means they live in the same culture, eating same kind of food, watching same kind of tv programs, magazines etc. So like for example, what they're eating can make a difference in the appearance. I mean like Japaneses who were born and grew up in Japan and Japaneses who were born and grew up in the states (with Japanese parents) might have a different appearance. I actually do see these differences very often. Even though they are Japanese, the environment they grew up in could make a difference in their appearance firstly. I think it's harder to tell who's korean who's chinese and who's japanese if they were people who are asian americans than telling the difference of people who are really from their native country. But I mean it all depends. There are some physical differences in korean, japanese and chinese, but sometimes you just can't tell whos what.

Once I was flying by a korean air, and this korean flight attendant kept on asking me what I wanna eat for dinner in Korean even though I'm not korean. I told her that I don't understand Korean at all in English, then she was like "Oh sorry." Haha. And when I was in europe this chinese couple came up to me on the street and started talking to me in Chinese. I think they wanted to know how to get to the train station or something and didn't understand English so I think they looked at me and thought I was chinese and came to talk to me. But no I'm not chinese and I couldn't understand them at all. I also have met some Koreans who really look like Japanese. I think Japaneses and Koreans sometimes have a similar face.

Btw I can't tell the physical difference between like europeans. I can tell Italians and Spanish, maybe brits and irish. But I don't think I can tell if they are german, french, austrian, etc. lol.

Physical appearance?

Don't worry, you aren't revealing yourself to be racist or anything similar. You aren't even ignorant - which someone here WILL say you are.

I lived in Japan several years ago. I learned how to distinguish features, but I had to live there to do it. Interesting point about Koreans is that the Japanese are descended from Koreans who arrive in Japan just a few thousand years ago (though Japanese don't admit it). They actually look very much alike - except, as a Korean acquaintance in Japan told me, the Japanese have dark, heavier eyebrows, while Koreans have lighter eyebrows.

More telling, even, is an experience I had with a Korean-American friend in college. A bunch of us were at dinner, and one person mentioned something about Tim being Chinese. "I'm not Chinese, I'm Korean!" screamed Tim. "Can't you whites tell Asians apart?" Later during the meal, this same Tim asked me about my Irish heritage - of which I have none. "Can't you Asians tell a German from an Irishman?" I screamed in mock disgust. Laughter, of course - and the point is, it goes every which way!

Physical appearance?

Heck, I'm not sure I can tell the difference between an Aussie and an Irishman. I was raised to be american, and where I grew up there were only two kinds of people: white and black. Asians were "those people in the San Francisco Bay Area." With so little exposure in my growing up years, it is difficult to nail down ethnic origins for me.

There was one Korean in high school, however; his name was Han. He hated the Japanese with a passion. It totally surprised me--there is a real animosity there. So I am sure Han can tell the difference among asian races! I think you would learn to distinguish with enough exposure in the cultures.

Physical appearance?

Hey DUDE... I live in Okinawa... I answered your question about the speed limits and Japan, and I was the only answer, and you still haven't chosen me as the best answer and given me 10 points. BUT.. I will briefly answer this question... living in Japan I have noticed that there are a lot of beautiful women here when I haven't always thought that a lot of Asian women were beautiful. I mean absolutly no offense to anyone, but I just think that Japanese women are really pretty. I realize that didn't answer your question but I wanted to tell you not to forget about that other question I answered for you.