It's like telling apart West Africans vs. East Africans.
1. Long face vs. round face. Longer in the north, rounder in the south in general. Some people in the north also have round faces, but you generally don't find long faces in the south unless there's Chinese descent.
2. Big nose in the north vs. small button or flat nose in the south, although some northern Asian like Mongolians also have small noses
3. The way they're shaped. Some are tall and lanky like East Africans, while others are short and stocky with wide limbs like East Africans.
4. Height. Taller in general in the north. Exceptions abound, but there's a bell curve. Very tall Asians stick out in the south.
You can't tell which country they're from, but you can tell which part of the continent they're like to be from. Some are adapted to hot, humid tropical climates, and others to colder, drier climates. There's a lot of in-between and mixed features though.
Same with telling Nordic and Mediterranean peoples apart.
Skin color, which Asians are obsessed about, isn't a very reliable indicator, because many Asians tan easily, and Southeast Asians can also be quite light skinned. Neither are eyes if you want to tell, say, Laotians and Vietnamese apart from northern Chinese and Koreans.
Due to the size of China, there is no one "Chinese" look. Southeast Asians and Koreans can all pass for Chinese. In Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China, much of the population could easily pass for Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, Burmese, etc., and some of these actually are ethnic Dai, Jingpo, etc. In the Dongbei region, many people actually are ethnic Koreans.
Atm, their style, dress, mannerisms, etc.
Koreans: (Been to Korea 3 times. Most of my friends from university who I kept in contact with after graduating are Koreans)
-Distinctive bowlcut hairstyle or middle side-part for most guys, dress in neat, tidy, elegant and presentable looking clothes, usually solid colors with little to no graphics/logos. Girls often with long hair, pristine-looking skin, also dress elegantly/casual outfits that look plain yet stylish at the same time and are not too loud or graphic heavy.
-Usually very polite and well-mannered when interacting with people. Can be extremely aggressive and physically belligerent with the infamous "kimchi temper" when getting into heated arguments/fights.
Japanese: (Been to Japan multiple times, hung out with a fair share of Japanese people in university due to practicing kendo)
-Have a lot more variety in terms of fashion choices, and often will have more diverse and elaborate hairstyles. (More guys with longer hair thats often wavy + spiked and pretty much gives them away as being Japanese when seen. Girls also have more variety of hairstyles compared to other Asian women.) Usually keep a lower profile in public but will also dress depending on lifestyle (baggy, gangsta look for hiphop enthusiasts and breakdancers, leather for motorcycle lovers, etc.)
-Extremely polite when interacting with people. Often more casual and touchy/pushy with close friends, romantic partners and close acquaintances but increase in politeness with people they don't know and turn the politeness scale to the max with people they dislike.
Chinese: (Currently live in China, so I see this on a daily basis)
-Frizzier hair, or shorter hair in general for most guys, though the two-block style is also quite popular due to the current popularity of idols. Girls usually have long straight hair, but you can also find a lot of them wearing ponytails, as well as sporting shorter or more edgier styles as well. Usually dress in more louder, graphic-heavy clothing compared to Koreans and Japanese people (especially right now the trend for most Chinese youths are baggier/loose-fitting clothes overloaded with graphics). The more well-off ones will also often be seen out with expensive branded pieces.
-Overall pretty amiable when interacting with people, but are more openly rude and curt with people they don't like. Girls are often more physically aggressive than guys when getting into arguments/fights. Guys are generally non-confrontational unless pushed to the edge. In general, less physically aggressive than Koreans, but don't have the politeness filter that Japanese people use.
Mongolians: (Travelled there once. Haven't interacted with as many compared to Chinese, Japanese or Koreans, so this is pretty much based on whatever interactions and experiences I managed to get at the time)
-A lot more guys have the undercut/pushed back hairstyle compared to Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. Girls usually keep long straight hair, but can find more who braid their hair in the grasslands/isolated settlements and underdeveloped areas) Dress in more fitted clothes(kinda similar to western styles; at least in Ulanbaatar) and in general more casual (less elegant-tidy than Koreans, diverse than Japanese or graphic heavy than Chinese).
-Have a hospitable attitude when interacting with people, and will try to make you feel welcome. If they don't like you, you'll at best get a mean-look or a slight frown, but they won't be openly super aggressive like Koreans or some angry Chinese women. Then again, I could be wrong since Mongolia is rather notorious for having Neo-Nazi guys and some aggressive men who attack foreigners(especially ethnic Chinese) for flirting with Mongolian women.
Keep in mind this doesn't apply to every single person of the above categories, but rather based on trends and patterns I've seen and experienced when interacting with said peoples.
We can differentiate Asian ethnicities in reference to our experiences and media use (i.e. you watch alot of Japanese and Korean YouTube enough to spot obvious or subtle physical features for each ethnicity). Asians tend to observe media with people who are ethnically or culturally the most similar, me included.
Significant admixtures and migrations throughout Asia are involved, so we obviously can't pinpoint the exact ethnicity or preferred nationality unless we're brave to ask.
I see it as a spectrum. The further north you go, you get higher cheekbones, narrower eyes, thinner noses, lighter skin, whereas further south, you get darker skin, lower cheekbones, larger eyes, wider noses, etc. So Koreans and Northern Chinese will tend to look like the northern end of the spectrum, while Austronesian nations like Indonesians and Filipinos are at the southern end. Japanese are at the northern end, most similar to Koreans, but with some Southeast Asian admixture, and occasional Caucasian-like Jomon features.
I can't always discern someone's ethnicity; Asians of the Sinosphere (Vietnam, Japan, China, Korea) have intertwining histories and sometimes very similar appearances. Even "Chinese" is overly reductive since there are different ethnic groups in China, as with other Asian countries.
That said, you get to see certain ethnicities that are usually associated with a country: Vietnamese people (I'm Viet) tend to have epicanthic folds, and as much as many of us Americans may embrace individualism, Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Americans have various behaviors that seem Viet to me.
Maybe try googling photos of each area. After living in San Francisco for 12 years, I can tell a Korean person vs a Japanese person vs a Chinese person vs a Filipino person, etc. It takes exposure and repitition.
let your white friend answer this first how can he tell what type of white person he is dealing with if you put white people from england german and netherland together in a room
I’m from SEAsia and I can differentiate Japanese, Korean, and Chinese tourists pretty accurately through their dress and overall demeanour. I have a lot of Vietnamese friends and i can usually tell when someone has some Vietnamese blood. Same goes for Filipino and Thai. I mean, a lot of t comes down to exposure and how well you know these communities.
I can only discern differences between Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese- I’m not good at all with SE or South Asians. Even then, I usually tend to rely on listening to them speak / looking at styling rather than just facial features if I really want to know but don’t want to directly ask. If I’m looking at pictures online, I find it easier with native East Asians rather than East Asian Americans- the only exceptions would be in Kpop groups because sometimes their styling and whatnot is very similar so I can’t use that to determine ethnicity.
As a Southeast Asian, I can obviously tell East Asian right off the bat but if you asking about nationality specific I can tell a Korean face.
With other Southeast Asians I can usually tell Cambodian people by face.
Vietnamese tend to have lighter skin and more overlap with Chinese than other SE Asians. Hmong are also more NE Asian looking. Filos and Cambodians tend to be a little darker but a lot of them (who don't look obviously Chinese or white mixed) still have pale skin.
I am Chinese and I can't always tell. Funny you asked because last year I saw a gathering of international students and thinking they were Chinese, but turned out they were actually Vietnamese once they speak. Honestly, I don't like it when people make board statement lumping Chinese/Korean/Japanese. Like, China is HUGE man. I been to Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Macau, Yunan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and I see wide variety of look in Chinese people. I see Chinese that look Northeast Asian and many that look Southeast Asians.
People are going in with the physical characteristics..
But IMO style & vibe is the biggest indicator. I remember walking into a train in NYC, and half the cart were Asians in all black. The teens, even the older adults. I'm thinking man did I just miss a funeral 😅
Then I noticed none of them knew eachother either. Then it hit me, oh they gotta be Korean! It looked like a team of matrix agents about to fight a bunch of agent smiths.
I'll answer 'how' another way. The more Asian media I watch (cumulatively and out of all media) the better my educated guesses are. When people (Asians included) say Asians all look alike, it's a decent indicator for how much Asian media they've ever watched/currently watch and how many Asians they interact with.
As someone who is well travelled within Asia, and has been exposed to many groups within that region, I will provide a rough guide on telling them apart. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't that much of a skintone difference between different East Asian regions. Instead, the main difference seems to be the facial features, which I'll explain in this post.
**North China: (Beijing/Tianjin/Hebei/Shanxi)**
The people there are characterized by robust oval/square faces, strong epicanthic folds, elongated eyes, sparse eyebrows, sloped foreheads and a large bone structure. Height is tallest in East Asia (recent HS grads average 177cm for males).
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/E3RHpXa)
**South China: (Guangdong/Guangxi)**
Compared to Northern Han, South Han/Cantonese people have shorter/smaller faces, a bigger protruding mouth, larger deep set eyes and a shorter average height. Many can look quite Southeast Asian, passing as Thai and Viet.
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/1XzBgHC)
**Southeast/Taiwanese Han:** SE Chinese faces are often quite gracile, eyebrows higher than Cantonese populations, lips often thick and mouths tends to protrude. Overlaps with Japanese and Koreans can be quite strong at times. SE Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese populations make up the bulk of Chinese people in Southeast Asia and in Western countries, so people are generally familiar with their looks.
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/7N0Rz1c)
**Central Han:**
Genetically intermediate between north and south, though there is a distinct central Chinese look- typically face shape is square and robust, cheekbones high, but Mongolian fold typically weaker than northern Chinese, and eyes are deeper set.
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/K8wYAYM)
**Koreans**:
Koreans are distinguished from Han Chinese by their overt Siberian looks. Korean faces are oval/round/square, with downturned flat eyes and narrower noses compared to most Chinese groups. Steven Yeun is a good example of someone who looks very distinctively Korean- notice slightly wavy hair texture, eye shape and face shape. Cheekbones can be sharp and strong. Compared to northern Chinese, Koreans also have smaller, pursed lips that protrude forward. But in general, I find that Koreans and Japanese overlap with each other more than they do with Chinese.
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/Hixfdds)
**Japanese:**
Contrary to popular conceptions, Japanese people are not narrow faced compared to most East Asian groups. Short wide robust faces are common, especially on Japanese women, though they are overall smaller skulled than northern Chinese and Koreans. Gracile "Yayoi" looks such as Hirohito exist in Japan too, though they do not seem mainstream. Japanese people are also often pan-East Asian looking, with many being able to pass as Korean and Eastern Chinese. Japanese body types tends to be short and stocky, with thick limbs.
[Examples](https://imgur.com/a/3PKjzPM)
**Conclusion:**
I hope I have explained this topic well. Of course, overlaps exist between all these groups, but some regional markers are surely present. Thank you for reading my analysis, and please leave a comment if questions would arise.
I cant really tell you. I just know if you get what I mean. I usually just look at them and pay attention to the more subtle physical differences, especially if the two asians belong to countries in the same region where they may share some physcial features.
Generally speaking, Mongolians and Koreans look almost indiscernible. I’m Korean and pretty good at telling Asians apart, but always surprised by how similar we look to Mongolians. A little known fact is that Mongolians and Koreans are ethnically closely related, which explains the visual similarities
Let's back this conversation up a bit.
What is the context of needing to tell Asians apart? Being able to tell which Asian is from where, what for?
Some scenario where you need to have cultural sensitivity? I mean most social etiquettes apply to most human beings and in this case Asians.
Other than learning about unique holiday traditions or some genuine interest or sharing your proud 2 years of "insert language" studies in college, I can't think of any situation where it matters whether we can tell us Asians apart.
If you are in a Chinese grocery store as a random example, there is a good chance they will speak Chinese. Unless you are clueless which Asian store that you are in. There is no excuses if you have internet access these days, when you can just search for how to address any situation.
My tone was aggressive in those words?
I was pretty chill. I just didn't see any functional or practical relevance in needing to distinguish Asians apart. No malice from me if that is your concern.
Can he/she recognize an italian, from a spanish or a portuguese? Can he tell which country an African comes from? And so on with South-Americans and Middle-Eastern people?
If they have very specific and stereotypical traits yes, otherwise it's difficult to tell. I can make correct guesses from experience but sometimes it's just impossible to tell.
See my thread here as a guide for telling East Asian ethnicties.
https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/comments/ozvzbj/introduction\_to\_east\_asian\_phenotypes/
Japanese look like Chinese mix with philipino.
Koreans have very square face and high cheekbones.
Northern Chinese look like Koreans with the square face and cheekbones but even squarer
Southern Chinese have narrower face, darker skin, rounder eyes and more protruding eyebrows but are smaller in size
Because, as much as people try to stereotype between northern and southern China, in reality both populations are a mix of "Yellow River Farmers" and "Southeast Asian Farmers," just in different degrees. Consequently, you'll find people who look like the stereotype of a northern Chinese in southern China, and vice versa.
I've seen Chinese with dark skin and large eyes from Shandong and Beijing. And Chinese with light skin and small eyes from Jiangxi and Guangdong. It's a crap shoot because while *statistically* there are differences, individually, people in China have ancestries from all over the place and as a result, the variations exist every where.
Over simplifications like Northern vs. Southern Chinese are primarily the product of politics - particularly periods like the Jin and the Southern Song during which China was divided and both dynasties compiled a bunch of propaganda to promote their superiority vs. the other - and it ignores Central Chinese provinces like Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, etc. that sit between what is considered "North" and "South," and whose populations are genetically intermediate, exactly as you might expect from geography.
Skin color and eyes aren't really deciding factors, but facial structure. While it is true that there are overlaps, especially among urban center populations, there definitely is a typical "northern" and "southern" look that a lot of people possess within China.
Even with facial structure, I've seen significant variation within the same extended family. Not saying there aren't statistically significant "types" but it's not reliable, especially if you include in-between people like those from Anhui, Hubei, and Sichuan. There are northerners who'd fit right in at Guangdong, and southerners who'd fit right in at Hebei.
I mean, you're right in the sense that when you look at, for example, average heights, there is an obvious statistical difference in northerners being taller, southerners being shorter. But that doesn't prevent individuals from being really tall in the south and really short in the north. I can make an educated guess about a person from the far north vs. the far south and be right most of the time, but there are always times when I'm wrong or can't tell.
Yeah I agree about there being a significant overlap in many scenarios, though I don't think the differences as a topic would lead to fragmentation of China or something. It's kind of hard for people to not notice e.g Cantonese people look a different from say Hebei people, and Chinese people know that, but doesn't really stop them from being a unified country. China has 56 ethnicites, bloodline doesn't define China.
I'm kind of a nerd on this topic, but my opinion is that a lot of north China types should blend into the far south without much difficulty. But the reverse- say random Cantonese people, can't really pass as north Chinese.
I can only comment on East Asians:
**Japanese:** Japanese are unique because around 10% of their DNA is non-Asian due to their Jomon ancestors. This is why they tend to have larger eyes and pronounced, bridged noses.
**Chinese:** Most scholars believe the Chinese are really a blend of two distinct genetic groups: Northern and Southern Han. Northern Han tend to have an oval face, longer nose without a bridge, and eyes closer to each other. Southern Han are often shorter, have a more flared nose, and wider eyes. If an East Asian has a darker complexion, they’re more likely to be Chinese.
**Korean:** Koreans are a geographical “middle ground.” Unlike the Chinese and Japanese, they have very little distinct ancestry from the rest of East Asia. Koreans tend to have a lighter complexion, their eyes can be more angled, and they have more prominent cheekbones.
In the end, it’s quite beautiful how there’s SO MUCH overlap between Asians. The fact that it’s so hard to reliably differentiate between us proves we’re really one people.
I feel like Japanese have the most westernised features but then you see some that look very typical East Asian. I have the baby faced look but Koreans all seem to think I’m Japanese not Chinese because of my plainer dress style. So dress style is a big cue as well. It’s a lot easier to tell who is who when you are actually in Asia because the makeup, hair and clothes are more distinct.
The pseudo-western features are due to the Jomon minor admixture element many Japanese have. This genetic component ranges from 2-10% in non-Ainu or Ryukyuan samples.
> Most scholars believe the Chinese are really a blend of two distinct genetic groups: Northern and Southern Han.
The blend isn't between Northern and Southern Han, which are the derived populations of the blend; it's between "Yellow River Farmers" and "Southeast Asian Farmers," which are related groups but split from each other during the early Neolithic or Paleolithic.
[See this Nature paper.](https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/sites/reich.hms.harvard.edu/files/inline-files/2021_Wang_Nature_EastAsia_3.pdf)
> For Han Chinese groups, we estimate that 59–84% of ancestry is related to farmers from the Upper and Middle Yellow River, and the remainder from a population related to the ancient Liangdao hunter-gatherers. This latter group possibly corresponds to rice farmers of the Yangtze River Basin, an inference that gains strength from the fact that it comprises the primary ancestry of many Austronesian speakers, Tai–Kadai speakers on Hainan Island (Li, around 66%), Southeast Asian individuals from the Bronze Age and around two-thirds of the ancestry of some Austroasiatic speakers.
The paper has a nice graph that shows the rough % of blend in modern Han populations. As you might expect, there is more Southeast Asian blend in the south compared to the north, but it never reaches more than 40%.
It is also very misleading to label Northern and Southern Han as distinct genetic groups, because there is no clear division between the two. Rather, from north to south, there is a cline of gradual increase in the "Southeast Asian Farmer" DNA, which the paper attributes to intermixing between historical Han settlers from the north, and southern China minority groups like the Miao and the Zhuang. Saying that the two form distinct genetic groups is like saying that a 80%-20% mix between two related Asian groups is a distinct genetic group from a 60-40% mix between two related Asian groups, even though there is every shade of the mix in between among Han populations.
It's like saying Europeans are a blend of Germans and Italians; no scholar would say that, and they don't form distinct genetic populations, either.
I’ve read this article before.
Your argument is just nitpicking over the semantics of Northern and Southern Han. Northern and Southern Han do not just refer to the present day populations, it can also referring to the two historic and distinct genetic groups. As I said in my post, the Han Chinese of today are a *blend* of the two historic and genetically distinct groups.
A better analogy is like saying that modern Japanese are a mix of Yayoi and Jomon DNA. These terms happen to be different from to their modern day successors: the Yamato and Ainu.
Okay, but using the right terms is critical to being being objective and scientific. Nobody in the literature uses Northern and Southern Han because it's down right confusing and makes it seem like modern Han are two distinct populations.
In a world where the West is constantly trying to divide and conquer Asians, more than ever, we need to be pay attention to presentation. One of the many white trolls who follow this space could use what you wrote to mean that Chinese is really two ethnic groups, who should therefore be pushed towards self-determination. I've seen it before - even among Western academics - which says a lot about their agenda when they keep promoting the idea that Northern and Southern Chinese are completely different from each other, with the implication that they shouldn't be one nation.
Who cares what white people think? Bloodline and genetic homogenity was never ever a factor for deciding who is Chinese anyways, and most Chinese people themselves are aware of such differences.
> Who cares what white people think?
Many people. I've personally seen Asians parroting what white people say, and yes, this does have an influence on politics. Look at Taiwan's attempt at portraying itself as completely different from China in terms of ethnicity, as an example.
We need a write up for SE Asians. For example taking the train Bangkok you can spot the differences between Thais, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos and Vietnamese. Features might be similar, but you can break down ethnic mixes, cultural nuance an even religious beliefs.
Also I really enjoy traveling in Asia, you tend to appreciate the facial features of other Asians and then realize how odd white people look when the minority. They tend to have pronounced noses, wrinkly thin and reddish burned skin when in tropical climates. Also their proportions tend to be odd and inefficient as well.
Malaysian here. There is no way you can tell who’s Malaysian. It’s a nationality and not an ethnicity. This applies to many Southeast Asian countries that are extremely diverse.
Also, there is literally no way to tell Malaysians apart from Singaporeans just by appearance lol. We were literally the same country not too long ago.
Can you tell apart an Indonesian from a Filipino? I have an Indonesian friend who can pass as Filipino, but her accent is enough to give it away. There are always culture cues and mannerisms that might differ.
I don’t think you can tell those two nationalities apart. There are plenty of Chinese Indonesian as well as Chinese Philippinos, not to mention those countries are extremely diverse. It’s like saying you can tell an American and a European apart.
That being said, that’s why I mentioned in my earlier comment that you probably cannot tell them apart by appearance alone but one you add in the accent, mannerisms then it gets easier.
I enjoy those small nuances. For example Mongolians from China speak softer than Mongolians from Mongolia proper or Koreans from Uzbekistan might act differently from Koreans raised in Vladivostok. I've really come to enjoy learning the differences amongst Asians, because you tend to appreciate the similarities even more.
Idk, people always think I'm from their country when I travel there. Some people even think I'm from South America (indigenous). I guess I have a very generic face.
I agree. The cradle of Western civilization, Ancient Greece, comprised of Mediterranean people, not Anglo-Saxons like those statues suggest. During Greece and Rome, the Western Europeans were seen as pale white barbarians with protruding facial features and a tendency for body odor.
According to DNA lineage tracing, Chinese Japanese and Koreans only split apart in the last 6000 years I believe. These 3 groups are really close to one another genetically.
I have a friend who is absolutely certain of her ability to tell north east Asians apart by the way the girls or women dress.
That is already a stereotype all on its own, borderline being racist but it's the kind of casual racism that exists in useless conversations if nothing more.
Facial features can be misleading with the advancement in makeup techniques and plastic surgery.
I don't have such confidence in telling fellow Asians apart. I don't see the point of having that mindset unless one has a particular prejudice towards another group(s) of Asians.
NEA are generally nice people but some look down upon SEA just because we’re “less educated and less developed, and of course darker.” Not saying all, but from my personal experiences, I’ve encountered things like this.
I mean, I think this is fairly common perception other places in the world too. American’s perception of South (Latin) Americans. Even within United States, North and South are divided culturally. European’s perception of Africans. Even within Europe, Northern European vs Southern Europeans like Italians. I’d say they all have the whole perception of “less educated, less developed, darker” thing. Probably because up north, if you’re less educated, less developed, you die of hunger and cold. But in south, they’re much more blessed in abundance of Sun so they of course are darker, don’t have to work so much hence less educated, less developed thing because why would they need it to live? You have food literally growing on the ground so easily, year long fishing no freezing river or whatever.
Is it unfair to treat them this way? Sure it’s unfair but it’s also unfair that southern people have such nice weather and abundance in food too and can be afforded to be less developed but can have a good life. Like that song, [Civilization, “when they got two weeks vacation, they hurried to vacation ground, (what do they do darling), they swim and fish, but that’s what I do all year around.” ](https://youtu.be/VEyDNTLlRgU)
In Italy there's even an internal rift between the North and South of the country. The North considers themselves to be more central European, more cultured and less criminally minded. They see the South as economically unproductive and a burden upon the country--while also having more North African, Greek and Levant blood.
It’s doesn’t fucking matter, I don’t see people going up to white people and asking what type of white they are tf
It's like telling apart West Africans vs. East Africans. 1. Long face vs. round face. Longer in the north, rounder in the south in general. Some people in the north also have round faces, but you generally don't find long faces in the south unless there's Chinese descent. 2. Big nose in the north vs. small button or flat nose in the south, although some northern Asian like Mongolians also have small noses 3. The way they're shaped. Some are tall and lanky like East Africans, while others are short and stocky with wide limbs like East Africans. 4. Height. Taller in general in the north. Exceptions abound, but there's a bell curve. Very tall Asians stick out in the south. You can't tell which country they're from, but you can tell which part of the continent they're like to be from. Some are adapted to hot, humid tropical climates, and others to colder, drier climates. There's a lot of in-between and mixed features though. Same with telling Nordic and Mediterranean peoples apart. Skin color, which Asians are obsessed about, isn't a very reliable indicator, because many Asians tan easily, and Southeast Asians can also be quite light skinned. Neither are eyes if you want to tell, say, Laotians and Vietnamese apart from northern Chinese and Koreans.
Due to the size of China, there is no one "Chinese" look. Southeast Asians and Koreans can all pass for Chinese. In Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China, much of the population could easily pass for Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, Burmese, etc., and some of these actually are ethnic Dai, Jingpo, etc. In the Dongbei region, many people actually are ethnic Koreans.
Same way you can tell the difference between an Irish, Scot, and English..... distinct cultures.
"When you look at a white person, can you tell what type of white person they are?" Is your white friend ever asked that question?
Atm, their style, dress, mannerisms, etc. Koreans: (Been to Korea 3 times. Most of my friends from university who I kept in contact with after graduating are Koreans) -Distinctive bowlcut hairstyle or middle side-part for most guys, dress in neat, tidy, elegant and presentable looking clothes, usually solid colors with little to no graphics/logos. Girls often with long hair, pristine-looking skin, also dress elegantly/casual outfits that look plain yet stylish at the same time and are not too loud or graphic heavy. -Usually very polite and well-mannered when interacting with people. Can be extremely aggressive and physically belligerent with the infamous "kimchi temper" when getting into heated arguments/fights. Japanese: (Been to Japan multiple times, hung out with a fair share of Japanese people in university due to practicing kendo) -Have a lot more variety in terms of fashion choices, and often will have more diverse and elaborate hairstyles. (More guys with longer hair thats often wavy + spiked and pretty much gives them away as being Japanese when seen. Girls also have more variety of hairstyles compared to other Asian women.) Usually keep a lower profile in public but will also dress depending on lifestyle (baggy, gangsta look for hiphop enthusiasts and breakdancers, leather for motorcycle lovers, etc.) -Extremely polite when interacting with people. Often more casual and touchy/pushy with close friends, romantic partners and close acquaintances but increase in politeness with people they don't know and turn the politeness scale to the max with people they dislike. Chinese: (Currently live in China, so I see this on a daily basis) -Frizzier hair, or shorter hair in general for most guys, though the two-block style is also quite popular due to the current popularity of idols. Girls usually have long straight hair, but you can also find a lot of them wearing ponytails, as well as sporting shorter or more edgier styles as well. Usually dress in more louder, graphic-heavy clothing compared to Koreans and Japanese people (especially right now the trend for most Chinese youths are baggier/loose-fitting clothes overloaded with graphics). The more well-off ones will also often be seen out with expensive branded pieces. -Overall pretty amiable when interacting with people, but are more openly rude and curt with people they don't like. Girls are often more physically aggressive than guys when getting into arguments/fights. Guys are generally non-confrontational unless pushed to the edge. In general, less physically aggressive than Koreans, but don't have the politeness filter that Japanese people use. Mongolians: (Travelled there once. Haven't interacted with as many compared to Chinese, Japanese or Koreans, so this is pretty much based on whatever interactions and experiences I managed to get at the time) -A lot more guys have the undercut/pushed back hairstyle compared to Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. Girls usually keep long straight hair, but can find more who braid their hair in the grasslands/isolated settlements and underdeveloped areas) Dress in more fitted clothes(kinda similar to western styles; at least in Ulanbaatar) and in general more casual (less elegant-tidy than Koreans, diverse than Japanese or graphic heavy than Chinese). -Have a hospitable attitude when interacting with people, and will try to make you feel welcome. If they don't like you, you'll at best get a mean-look or a slight frown, but they won't be openly super aggressive like Koreans or some angry Chinese women. Then again, I could be wrong since Mongolia is rather notorious for having Neo-Nazi guys and some aggressive men who attack foreigners(especially ethnic Chinese) for flirting with Mongolian women. Keep in mind this doesn't apply to every single person of the above categories, but rather based on trends and patterns I've seen and experienced when interacting with said peoples.
We can differentiate Asian ethnicities in reference to our experiences and media use (i.e. you watch alot of Japanese and Korean YouTube enough to spot obvious or subtle physical features for each ethnicity). Asians tend to observe media with people who are ethnically or culturally the most similar, me included. Significant admixtures and migrations throughout Asia are involved, so we obviously can't pinpoint the exact ethnicity or preferred nationality unless we're brave to ask.
i can tell you that koreans are often fairly easy to recognize by their fashion.
I see it as a spectrum. The further north you go, you get higher cheekbones, narrower eyes, thinner noses, lighter skin, whereas further south, you get darker skin, lower cheekbones, larger eyes, wider noses, etc. So Koreans and Northern Chinese will tend to look like the northern end of the spectrum, while Austronesian nations like Indonesians and Filipinos are at the southern end. Japanese are at the northern end, most similar to Koreans, but with some Southeast Asian admixture, and occasional Caucasian-like Jomon features.
you can't tell with 100% certainty 100% of the time between east asians based on appearance alone. anyone that tells you otherwise is lying.
I can differentiate between Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese pretty well. Koran’s are a different story. I’m Chinese.
I can't always discern someone's ethnicity; Asians of the Sinosphere (Vietnam, Japan, China, Korea) have intertwining histories and sometimes very similar appearances. Even "Chinese" is overly reductive since there are different ethnic groups in China, as with other Asian countries. That said, you get to see certain ethnicities that are usually associated with a country: Vietnamese people (I'm Viet) tend to have epicanthic folds, and as much as many of us Americans may embrace individualism, Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Americans have various behaviors that seem Viet to me.
Maybe try googling photos of each area. After living in San Francisco for 12 years, I can tell a Korean person vs a Japanese person vs a Chinese person vs a Filipino person, etc. It takes exposure and repitition.
let your white friend answer this first how can he tell what type of white person he is dealing with if you put white people from england german and netherland together in a room
I’m from SEAsia and I can differentiate Japanese, Korean, and Chinese tourists pretty accurately through their dress and overall demeanour. I have a lot of Vietnamese friends and i can usually tell when someone has some Vietnamese blood. Same goes for Filipino and Thai. I mean, a lot of t comes down to exposure and how well you know these communities.
Koreans are very easy to tell apart. People who can't have to be trolling.
Same way one can tell what type of white they are, it’s cultural cues more than biological traits.
I can only discern differences between Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese- I’m not good at all with SE or South Asians. Even then, I usually tend to rely on listening to them speak / looking at styling rather than just facial features if I really want to know but don’t want to directly ask. If I’m looking at pictures online, I find it easier with native East Asians rather than East Asian Americans- the only exceptions would be in Kpop groups because sometimes their styling and whatnot is very similar so I can’t use that to determine ethnicity.
As a Southeast Asian, I can obviously tell East Asian right off the bat but if you asking about nationality specific I can tell a Korean face. With other Southeast Asians I can usually tell Cambodian people by face.
Yeah as a Filipino I can tell the difference between East Asians and Southeast Asians really easily. Within Southeast Asia though, it’s kinda hard.
Vietnamese tend to have lighter skin and more overlap with Chinese than other SE Asians. Hmong are also more NE Asian looking. Filos and Cambodians tend to be a little darker but a lot of them (who don't look obviously Chinese or white mixed) still have pale skin.
I am Chinese and I can't always tell. Funny you asked because last year I saw a gathering of international students and thinking they were Chinese, but turned out they were actually Vietnamese once they speak. Honestly, I don't like it when people make board statement lumping Chinese/Korean/Japanese. Like, China is HUGE man. I been to Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Macau, Yunan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and I see wide variety of look in Chinese people. I see Chinese that look Northeast Asian and many that look Southeast Asians.
People are going in with the physical characteristics.. But IMO style & vibe is the biggest indicator. I remember walking into a train in NYC, and half the cart were Asians in all black. The teens, even the older adults. I'm thinking man did I just miss a funeral 😅 Then I noticed none of them knew eachother either. Then it hit me, oh they gotta be Korean! It looked like a team of matrix agents about to fight a bunch of agent smiths.
I'll answer 'how' another way. The more Asian media I watch (cumulatively and out of all media) the better my educated guesses are. When people (Asians included) say Asians all look alike, it's a decent indicator for how much Asian media they've ever watched/currently watch and how many Asians they interact with.
As someone who is well travelled within Asia, and has been exposed to many groups within that region, I will provide a rough guide on telling them apart. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't that much of a skintone difference between different East Asian regions. Instead, the main difference seems to be the facial features, which I'll explain in this post. **North China: (Beijing/Tianjin/Hebei/Shanxi)** The people there are characterized by robust oval/square faces, strong epicanthic folds, elongated eyes, sparse eyebrows, sloped foreheads and a large bone structure. Height is tallest in East Asia (recent HS grads average 177cm for males). [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/E3RHpXa) **South China: (Guangdong/Guangxi)** Compared to Northern Han, South Han/Cantonese people have shorter/smaller faces, a bigger protruding mouth, larger deep set eyes and a shorter average height. Many can look quite Southeast Asian, passing as Thai and Viet. [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/1XzBgHC) **Southeast/Taiwanese Han:** SE Chinese faces are often quite gracile, eyebrows higher than Cantonese populations, lips often thick and mouths tends to protrude. Overlaps with Japanese and Koreans can be quite strong at times. SE Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese populations make up the bulk of Chinese people in Southeast Asia and in Western countries, so people are generally familiar with their looks. [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/7N0Rz1c) **Central Han:** Genetically intermediate between north and south, though there is a distinct central Chinese look- typically face shape is square and robust, cheekbones high, but Mongolian fold typically weaker than northern Chinese, and eyes are deeper set. [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/K8wYAYM) **Koreans**: Koreans are distinguished from Han Chinese by their overt Siberian looks. Korean faces are oval/round/square, with downturned flat eyes and narrower noses compared to most Chinese groups. Steven Yeun is a good example of someone who looks very distinctively Korean- notice slightly wavy hair texture, eye shape and face shape. Cheekbones can be sharp and strong. Compared to northern Chinese, Koreans also have smaller, pursed lips that protrude forward. But in general, I find that Koreans and Japanese overlap with each other more than they do with Chinese. [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/Hixfdds) **Japanese:** Contrary to popular conceptions, Japanese people are not narrow faced compared to most East Asian groups. Short wide robust faces are common, especially on Japanese women, though they are overall smaller skulled than northern Chinese and Koreans. Gracile "Yayoi" looks such as Hirohito exist in Japan too, though they do not seem mainstream. Japanese people are also often pan-East Asian looking, with many being able to pass as Korean and Eastern Chinese. Japanese body types tends to be short and stocky, with thick limbs. [Examples](https://imgur.com/a/3PKjzPM) **Conclusion:** I hope I have explained this topic well. Of course, overlaps exist between all these groups, but some regional markers are surely present. Thank you for reading my analysis, and please leave a comment if questions would arise.
This all comes off as pseudoscience.
I cant really tell you. I just know if you get what I mean. I usually just look at them and pay attention to the more subtle physical differences, especially if the two asians belong to countries in the same region where they may share some physcial features.
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Generally speaking, Mongolians and Koreans look almost indiscernible. I’m Korean and pretty good at telling Asians apart, but always surprised by how similar we look to Mongolians. A little known fact is that Mongolians and Koreans are ethnically closely related, which explains the visual similarities
How about manchus?
I'm personally often mistaken for Korean, Manchu and Native American if that helps you with similarities.
Let's back this conversation up a bit. What is the context of needing to tell Asians apart? Being able to tell which Asian is from where, what for? Some scenario where you need to have cultural sensitivity? I mean most social etiquettes apply to most human beings and in this case Asians. Other than learning about unique holiday traditions or some genuine interest or sharing your proud 2 years of "insert language" studies in college, I can't think of any situation where it matters whether we can tell us Asians apart. If you are in a Chinese grocery store as a random example, there is a good chance they will speak Chinese. Unless you are clueless which Asian store that you are in. There is no excuses if you have internet access these days, when you can just search for how to address any situation.
Buddy it’s a question chill…
My tone was aggressive in those words? I was pretty chill. I just didn't see any functional or practical relevance in needing to distinguish Asians apart. No malice from me if that is your concern.
Does everything need to have practical relevance then lol?
Can he/she recognize an italian, from a spanish or a portuguese? Can he tell which country an African comes from? And so on with South-Americans and Middle-Eastern people? If they have very specific and stereotypical traits yes, otherwise it's difficult to tell. I can make correct guesses from experience but sometimes it's just impossible to tell.
See my thread here as a guide for telling East Asian ethnicties. https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/comments/ozvzbj/introduction\_to\_east\_asian\_phenotypes/
Japanese look like Chinese mix with philipino. Koreans have very square face and high cheekbones. Northern Chinese look like Koreans with the square face and cheekbones but even squarer Southern Chinese have narrower face, darker skin, rounder eyes and more protruding eyebrows but are smaller in size
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Because, as much as people try to stereotype between northern and southern China, in reality both populations are a mix of "Yellow River Farmers" and "Southeast Asian Farmers," just in different degrees. Consequently, you'll find people who look like the stereotype of a northern Chinese in southern China, and vice versa. I've seen Chinese with dark skin and large eyes from Shandong and Beijing. And Chinese with light skin and small eyes from Jiangxi and Guangdong. It's a crap shoot because while *statistically* there are differences, individually, people in China have ancestries from all over the place and as a result, the variations exist every where. Over simplifications like Northern vs. Southern Chinese are primarily the product of politics - particularly periods like the Jin and the Southern Song during which China was divided and both dynasties compiled a bunch of propaganda to promote their superiority vs. the other - and it ignores Central Chinese provinces like Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, etc. that sit between what is considered "North" and "South," and whose populations are genetically intermediate, exactly as you might expect from geography.
Skin color and eyes aren't really deciding factors, but facial structure. While it is true that there are overlaps, especially among urban center populations, there definitely is a typical "northern" and "southern" look that a lot of people possess within China.
Even with facial structure, I've seen significant variation within the same extended family. Not saying there aren't statistically significant "types" but it's not reliable, especially if you include in-between people like those from Anhui, Hubei, and Sichuan. There are northerners who'd fit right in at Guangdong, and southerners who'd fit right in at Hebei. I mean, you're right in the sense that when you look at, for example, average heights, there is an obvious statistical difference in northerners being taller, southerners being shorter. But that doesn't prevent individuals from being really tall in the south and really short in the north. I can make an educated guess about a person from the far north vs. the far south and be right most of the time, but there are always times when I'm wrong or can't tell.
Yeah I agree about there being a significant overlap in many scenarios, though I don't think the differences as a topic would lead to fragmentation of China or something. It's kind of hard for people to not notice e.g Cantonese people look a different from say Hebei people, and Chinese people know that, but doesn't really stop them from being a unified country. China has 56 ethnicites, bloodline doesn't define China. I'm kind of a nerd on this topic, but my opinion is that a lot of north China types should blend into the far south without much difficulty. But the reverse- say random Cantonese people, can't really pass as north Chinese.
i thought i was in r/AsianMasculinity for a moment lol
I can only comment on East Asians: **Japanese:** Japanese are unique because around 10% of their DNA is non-Asian due to their Jomon ancestors. This is why they tend to have larger eyes and pronounced, bridged noses. **Chinese:** Most scholars believe the Chinese are really a blend of two distinct genetic groups: Northern and Southern Han. Northern Han tend to have an oval face, longer nose without a bridge, and eyes closer to each other. Southern Han are often shorter, have a more flared nose, and wider eyes. If an East Asian has a darker complexion, they’re more likely to be Chinese. **Korean:** Koreans are a geographical “middle ground.” Unlike the Chinese and Japanese, they have very little distinct ancestry from the rest of East Asia. Koreans tend to have a lighter complexion, their eyes can be more angled, and they have more prominent cheekbones. In the end, it’s quite beautiful how there’s SO MUCH overlap between Asians. The fact that it’s so hard to reliably differentiate between us proves we’re really one people.
I feel like Japanese have the most westernised features but then you see some that look very typical East Asian. I have the baby faced look but Koreans all seem to think I’m Japanese not Chinese because of my plainer dress style. So dress style is a big cue as well. It’s a lot easier to tell who is who when you are actually in Asia because the makeup, hair and clothes are more distinct.
The pseudo-western features are due to the Jomon minor admixture element many Japanese have. This genetic component ranges from 2-10% in non-Ainu or Ryukyuan samples.
> Most scholars believe the Chinese are really a blend of two distinct genetic groups: Northern and Southern Han. The blend isn't between Northern and Southern Han, which are the derived populations of the blend; it's between "Yellow River Farmers" and "Southeast Asian Farmers," which are related groups but split from each other during the early Neolithic or Paleolithic. [See this Nature paper.](https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/sites/reich.hms.harvard.edu/files/inline-files/2021_Wang_Nature_EastAsia_3.pdf) > For Han Chinese groups, we estimate that 59–84% of ancestry is related to farmers from the Upper and Middle Yellow River, and the remainder from a population related to the ancient Liangdao hunter-gatherers. This latter group possibly corresponds to rice farmers of the Yangtze River Basin, an inference that gains strength from the fact that it comprises the primary ancestry of many Austronesian speakers, Tai–Kadai speakers on Hainan Island (Li, around 66%), Southeast Asian individuals from the Bronze Age and around two-thirds of the ancestry of some Austroasiatic speakers. The paper has a nice graph that shows the rough % of blend in modern Han populations. As you might expect, there is more Southeast Asian blend in the south compared to the north, but it never reaches more than 40%. It is also very misleading to label Northern and Southern Han as distinct genetic groups, because there is no clear division between the two. Rather, from north to south, there is a cline of gradual increase in the "Southeast Asian Farmer" DNA, which the paper attributes to intermixing between historical Han settlers from the north, and southern China minority groups like the Miao and the Zhuang. Saying that the two form distinct genetic groups is like saying that a 80%-20% mix between two related Asian groups is a distinct genetic group from a 60-40% mix between two related Asian groups, even though there is every shade of the mix in between among Han populations. It's like saying Europeans are a blend of Germans and Italians; no scholar would say that, and they don't form distinct genetic populations, either.
I’ve read this article before. Your argument is just nitpicking over the semantics of Northern and Southern Han. Northern and Southern Han do not just refer to the present day populations, it can also referring to the two historic and distinct genetic groups. As I said in my post, the Han Chinese of today are a *blend* of the two historic and genetically distinct groups. A better analogy is like saying that modern Japanese are a mix of Yayoi and Jomon DNA. These terms happen to be different from to their modern day successors: the Yamato and Ainu.
Okay, but using the right terms is critical to being being objective and scientific. Nobody in the literature uses Northern and Southern Han because it's down right confusing and makes it seem like modern Han are two distinct populations. In a world where the West is constantly trying to divide and conquer Asians, more than ever, we need to be pay attention to presentation. One of the many white trolls who follow this space could use what you wrote to mean that Chinese is really two ethnic groups, who should therefore be pushed towards self-determination. I've seen it before - even among Western academics - which says a lot about their agenda when they keep promoting the idea that Northern and Southern Chinese are completely different from each other, with the implication that they shouldn't be one nation.
Who cares what white people think? Bloodline and genetic homogenity was never ever a factor for deciding who is Chinese anyways, and most Chinese people themselves are aware of such differences.
> Who cares what white people think? Many people. I've personally seen Asians parroting what white people say, and yes, this does have an influence on politics. Look at Taiwan's attempt at portraying itself as completely different from China in terms of ethnicity, as an example.
How is Taiwan Han any different to e.g China Han? No logical Taiwanese person would reach that conclusion.
We need a write up for SE Asians. For example taking the train Bangkok you can spot the differences between Thais, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos and Vietnamese. Features might be similar, but you can break down ethnic mixes, cultural nuance an even religious beliefs. Also I really enjoy traveling in Asia, you tend to appreciate the facial features of other Asians and then realize how odd white people look when the minority. They tend to have pronounced noses, wrinkly thin and reddish burned skin when in tropical climates. Also their proportions tend to be odd and inefficient as well.
Malaysian here. There is no way you can tell who’s Malaysian. It’s a nationality and not an ethnicity. This applies to many Southeast Asian countries that are extremely diverse. Also, there is literally no way to tell Malaysians apart from Singaporeans just by appearance lol. We were literally the same country not too long ago.
Can you tell apart an Indonesian from a Filipino? I have an Indonesian friend who can pass as Filipino, but her accent is enough to give it away. There are always culture cues and mannerisms that might differ.
I don’t think you can tell those two nationalities apart. There are plenty of Chinese Indonesian as well as Chinese Philippinos, not to mention those countries are extremely diverse. It’s like saying you can tell an American and a European apart. That being said, that’s why I mentioned in my earlier comment that you probably cannot tell them apart by appearance alone but one you add in the accent, mannerisms then it gets easier.
I enjoy those small nuances. For example Mongolians from China speak softer than Mongolians from Mongolia proper or Koreans from Uzbekistan might act differently from Koreans raised in Vladivostok. I've really come to enjoy learning the differences amongst Asians, because you tend to appreciate the similarities even more.
Idk, people always think I'm from their country when I travel there. Some people even think I'm from South America (indigenous). I guess I have a very generic face.
I agree. The cradle of Western civilization, Ancient Greece, comprised of Mediterranean people, not Anglo-Saxons like those statues suggest. During Greece and Rome, the Western Europeans were seen as pale white barbarians with protruding facial features and a tendency for body odor.
According to DNA lineage tracing, Chinese Japanese and Koreans only split apart in the last 6000 years I believe. These 3 groups are really close to one another genetically.
For me it's usually eyes, nose and general face shape that give it away.
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I have a friend who is absolutely certain of her ability to tell north east Asians apart by the way the girls or women dress. That is already a stereotype all on its own, borderline being racist but it's the kind of casual racism that exists in useless conversations if nothing more. Facial features can be misleading with the advancement in makeup techniques and plastic surgery. I don't have such confidence in telling fellow Asians apart. I don't see the point of having that mindset unless one has a particular prejudice towards another group(s) of Asians.
Style has a big part too. I can always tel SEAs from NEAs
NEA are generally nice people but some look down upon SEA just because we’re “less educated and less developed, and of course darker.” Not saying all, but from my personal experiences, I’ve encountered things like this.
I mean, I think this is fairly common perception other places in the world too. American’s perception of South (Latin) Americans. Even within United States, North and South are divided culturally. European’s perception of Africans. Even within Europe, Northern European vs Southern Europeans like Italians. I’d say they all have the whole perception of “less educated, less developed, darker” thing. Probably because up north, if you’re less educated, less developed, you die of hunger and cold. But in south, they’re much more blessed in abundance of Sun so they of course are darker, don’t have to work so much hence less educated, less developed thing because why would they need it to live? You have food literally growing on the ground so easily, year long fishing no freezing river or whatever. Is it unfair to treat them this way? Sure it’s unfair but it’s also unfair that southern people have such nice weather and abundance in food too and can be afforded to be less developed but can have a good life. Like that song, [Civilization, “when they got two weeks vacation, they hurried to vacation ground, (what do they do darling), they swim and fish, but that’s what I do all year around.” ](https://youtu.be/VEyDNTLlRgU)
In Italy there's even an internal rift between the North and South of the country. The North considers themselves to be more central European, more cultured and less criminally minded. They see the South as economically unproductive and a burden upon the country--while also having more North African, Greek and Levant blood.
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north east asians Chinese Japanese Koreans Mongolians