What are Chinese loanwords?
Q: What are Chinese loanwords?
A: Chinese loanwords are words borrowed into non-Chinese languages, especially East Asian languages.
Q: How do the different sound systems of East Asian languages affect how they pronounce Chinese loanwords?
A: Since all the languages have very different sound systems from each other, they all have different systems for pronouncing Chinese loanwords (though there are many words that sound similar to each other). These are called Sino-Xenic pronunciations. These are similar to how loanwords from Latin and French sound differently when spoken in English.
Q: Does Japanese still use Chinese characters today?
A: Yes, Japanese is the only non-Chinese language that writes in Chinese characters in everyday life. They can be used to write both native Japanese words and Chinese loanwords.
Q: Does Korean use hanja for writing out one's own name?
A: Yes, Korean uses hanja for writing out one's own name (when writing only in hangul is too ambiguous).
Q: Does Vietnamese use any form of Chinese characters today?
A: No, Vietnamese does not use Chinese characters at all, but only uses the Latin alphabet (or chữ Quốc ngữ in Vietnamese). Today, Chinese characters are only used as a decoration in Vietnam and studied by only a few Vietnamese people.
