韩国人的心态与日本人的心态有何不同？(一)
正文翻译
Neky Studied Korean Language & Literature at Pukyong National Universityupxed 5y
内基 毕业于釜庆国立大学，专业为韩国语言文学（信息更新于5年前）
Japanese are more introverted for their thoughts and feelings than Koreans. This means, it’s harder to know hidden or veiled thoughts of Japanese than those of Korean. In other words, Koreans are more direct about what they feel.
This makes some social differences. One of them is interests of political matters.
与韩国人相比，日本人在思想和情感上更为内向。这意味着，要了解日本人隐藏或含蓄的想法，比了解韩国人的要更困难。换句话说，韩国人在表达自身感受时更为直接。
这种性格差异导致了一些社会层面的不同，对政治事务的关注度便是其中之一。
Korean society is always noisy because of social matters and complaints against their government. If you go to Gwanghwamun plaza in seoul in South Korea, you can easily find masses of people protesting against their government or claiming their political requires. If most Koreans feel it’s needed, then thousands of Koreans gather there and protest and insist what they want or stop everyday. A recent example is the impeachment of the former presidant, Park Geunhye.
韩国社会常因各类社会事件以及民众对政府的不满而显得喧嚣。如果你前往韩国首尔的光化门广场，很容易看到大批民众聚集在此，抗议政府或提出自身的政治诉求。只要大多数韩国人认为有必要，成千上万的民众就会聚集到这里进行抗议，坚持表达自身诉求，甚至不惜中断日常事务。近期的一个例子便是前总统朴槿惠的弹劾事件。
In contrast, Japanese’re less enthusiastic about their political matters than Koreans. It sometimes even seems that they don’t care how their government does. So, the society of Japan is very quiet and calm, looks peaceful appearantly wheras Korean society looks as if it would collapse right in the next year.
与之相反，日本人对政治事务的热情远不及韩国人，有时甚至会让人觉得他们并不关心政府的作为。因此，日本社会整体十分安静平和，表面上呈现出一派安宁的景象；而韩国社会则给人一种似乎明年就会陷入混乱的感觉。
This difference is found even in their languages.
Double negation occurs more frequently in Japanese than Korean.
这种差异甚至体现在他们的语言表达中。
日语中双重否定的使用频率比韩语更高。
Korean style: We have to do this. Japanese style: If we don’t do this… (It’s not okay if we don’t do.) Korean style: I have to help him. Japanese style: If I don’t help him… (It’s not okay if I don’t help him.) Korean style: We’ve got to do something if that’s what we have to do. Japanese style: It’s not okay if we don’t do something when we have to do it.
韩语表达：我们必须做这件事。日语表达：如果我们不做这件事的话……（如果不做是不行的。）韩语表达：我必须帮他。日语表达：如果我不帮他的话……（如果不帮他是不行的。）韩语表达：如果情况需要，我们就得采取行动。日语表达：当需要采取行动时，如果我们不做些什么是不行的。
As direct sending of what they feel is sometimes considered rude in Japanese, they made the double negation and omission of the main clause frequent.
Similarly, obxtion is more direct in Korean.
English style: No. I don’t want it. Korean style: Well… It’s somehow not that attractive to me personally. / I’m sorry. I think it’s difficult. Japanese style: Well… Okay. I’ll consider it.
There may be much more examples of their differences other than what I said.
在日本文化中，直接表达自身感受有时会被视为不礼貌，因此日本人频繁使用双重否定，并常常省略句子的主句。
同样，韩国人在表达反对意见时也更为直接。
英语表达：不，我不想要。韩语表达：嗯……这东西对我个人来说，总觉得没那么有吸引力。/ 很抱歉，我觉得这有点困难。日语表达：嗯……好的，我会考虑一下的。
除了我上述提到的这些，日韩两国之间可能还存在更多其他方面的差异。
Bot Sep 6
Comparing “Korean mentality” and “Japanese mentality” requires caution: both labels compress wide internal diversity. Below are dominant cultural tendencies and social patterns commonly observed in cross-cultural studies, historical context, and everyday behavior—presented as general tendencies, not stereotypes.
对比“韩国国民心态”与“日本国民心态”需谨慎：这两个标签均忽略了各自社会内部的巨大差异性。以下是在跨文化研究、历史背景及日常行为中常见的主要文化倾向与社会模式——这些内容仅为普遍性趋势，而非刻板印象。
Core orientations
Korea: relational and mobilized collectivism. Social life often centers on dense, affective networks (family, hometown, school cohort, work group), with strong obligations and rapid mobilization of those networks for personal or political goals.
Japan: institutional and procedural collectivism. Social order prioritizes roles, rules, and predictable coordination; group harmony is maintained via tacit norms, formal processes, and self-restraint.
核心取向
韩国：注重关系联结与动员能力的集体主义。社会生活通常围绕紧密的情感网络（家庭、故乡、同窗、工作团队）展开，人们在这些网络中承担着强烈的责任与义务，且能为实现个人或政治目标迅速动员网络力量。
日本：注重制度规范与流程秩序的集体主义。社会秩序以角色、规则及可预期的协作优先；群体和谐通过默认规范、正式流程及自我约束来维持。
Communication and expression
Korea: more direct, emotionally expressive within in-groups; conflict and confrontation are more acceptable when advancing group or personal interests. Honor and face matter, but public displays of feeling—passionate appeals, strong rhetoric—are common.
沟通与表达
韩国：在内部群体中沟通更直接、情感表达更外放；为推动群体或个人利益，冲突与对抗更容易被接受。尊严与面子固然重要，但公开表达情感（如充满激情的呼吁、强烈的言辞）十分常见。
Japan: indirect, high-context, avoidance of explicit confrontation. Emphasis on ambiguity, reading the air (kuuki wo yomu), and preserving wa (harmony) through understatement and nonverbal cues.
日本：沟通间接、语境依赖性强，且避免直接对抗。注重表达的模糊性、“读懂空气”（kuuki wo yomu，即感知他人情绪与场合氛围），并通过委婉表述与非语言信号维护“和”（wa，即和谐）的状态。
Authority, hierarchy, and age
Korea: strong vertical hierarchy reinforced by Confucian filialism, but younger generations often challenge elders and institutions vigorously. Seniority matters in deference and obligation; loyalty to the in-group can be intense.
权威、等级与年龄
韩国：受儒家孝道思想影响，垂直等级制度森严，但年轻一代常积极挑战长辈与现有机构。资历在尊重与责任义务中起重要作用，人们对内部群体的忠诚度可能极高。
Japan: hierarchy conveyed through formal status and etiquette; deference is practiced but often mediated by ritualized politeness and procedural seniority rather than emotional loyalty. Challenge to authority tends to be less confrontational and more gradual.
日本：等级通过正式身份与礼仪体现；人们虽会表达尊重，但这种尊重多通过程式化的礼貌与流程性资历实现，而非基于情感的忠诚。对权威的挑战往往不具对抗性，且更倾向于循序渐进。
Collective action and social mobilization
Korea: higher propensity for rapid collective mobilization (street protests, online campaigns, corporate activism). Political and civic engagement can be intense and emotionally charged.
Japan: lower frequency of mass protest; civic participation often channeled into organized associations, consensus-building, or institutional pathways. Change tends to be incremental.
集体行动与社会动员
韩国：更倾向于快速组织集体动员（如街头抗议、线上运动、企业行动主义）。政治与公民参与度可能极高，且往往带有强烈的情感色彩。
日本：大规模抗议活动频率较低；公民参与多通过有组织的协会、共识构建或制度性渠道进行。变革往往是渐进式的。
Work culture and organizational life
Korea: intense work ethic with high competitiveness, long hours, strong loyalty to employer in many sectors, and hierarchical managerial styles. Group solidarity can demand conformity, but employees may expect reciprocal protection and career sponsorship.
职场文化与组织生活
韩国：职场中职业道德感强烈，竞争激烈，工作时长较长，许多行业中员工对雇主忠诚度高，管理模式呈等级制。群体凝聚力可能要求成员保持一致性，但员工也可能期望获得相应的保障与职业扶持。
Japan: emphasis on lifetime employment norms (weakened recently), meticulous process orientation, consensus decision-making (nemawashi), and strong team identity. Workplaces prioritize order, quality control, and procedural consensus.
日本：注重终身雇佣制传统（近年来有所弱化），工作中强调细致的流程导向、共识决策（nemawashi，即“根回”，指事前充分沟通以达成共识），以及强烈的团队认同感。职场优先重视秩序、质量控制与流程共识。
Risk, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Korea: high tolerance for rapid change and for high-risk, high-reward ventures—evident in chaebol-driven growth, fast-moving start-up scenes, and viral pop culture industries that scale quickly.
Japan: preference for incremental innovation, focus on craftsmanship, quality, and long-term refinement. Risk-taking is more measured; institutional barriers and social risk-aversion slow disruptive change.
风险、创新与创业
韩国：对快速变革及高风险高回报的项目容忍度高——这一点从财阀（chaebol）推动的经济增长、发展迅速的创业环境，以及快速形成规模的热门流行文化产业中可见一斑。
日本：倾向于渐进式创新，注重工艺、质量与长期打磨。风险承担更为审慎；制度性障碍与社会层面的风险规避态度，使得颠覆性变革进展缓慢。
Individualism vs. collectivism nuances
Korea: collectivism shaped by relational loyalty and status competition; social identity strongly tied to education, school cohort (hakwon), and regional/familial networks.
Japan: collectivism organized around situational roles and public order; personal identity expressed through group roles and adherence to social scxts.
个人主义与集体主义的细微差异
韩国：集体主义受关系忠诚度与地位竞争影响；社会身份与教育背景、同窗群体（hakwon，即课外补习班，此处引申为因补习形成的同窗关系）及地域/家族网络紧密相关。
日本：集体主义围绕情境角色与公共秩序构建；个人身份通过群体中的角色定位及对社会行为规范的遵守来体现。
Face, shame, and saving face
Korea: shame and honor are potent; loss of face can provoke public contestation or aggressive remediation. Public scandals often trigger intense social and political consequences.
Japan: shame functions as a regulatory mechanism encouraging self-restraint; public apology rituals and quiet remediation are common means of restoring social equilibrium.
面子、羞耻感与挽回面子
韩国：羞耻感与荣誉感影响力强；失面子可能引发公开争辩或强硬的补救行为。公共丑闻往往会引发强烈的社会与政治层面的后果。
日本：羞耻感是一种促进自我约束的调节机制；公开道歉仪式与低调的补救措施是恢复社会平衡的常见方式。
Emotional tone and public demeanor
Korea: more expressive warmth and overt solidarity in friendly contexts; public discourse can be forthright and even combative.
Japan: reserved public demeanor, polite distance, restraint in showing strong emotion in mixed or formal settings.
情感基调与公众言行举止
韩国：在友好场合中，人们表现出更外放的热情与明显的团结感；公共讨论可能直言不讳，甚至带有辩论性。
日本：公众场合中言行举止较为内敛，保持礼貌的距离感，在混合人群或正式场合中会克制强烈情感的表达。
Religion and worldview influences
Korea: strong Protestant Christianity influence alongside Confucian and Buddhist legacies; religious communities often serve as organized social networks and mobilizing forces.
Japan: Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, less doctrinal religiosity but pervasive ritual and seasonal practice that reinforce community rhythms rather than evangelical mobilization.
宗教与世界观的影响
韩国：新教基督教影响深远，同时并存儒家与佛教传统；宗教团体常作为有组织的社会网络及动员力量发挥作用。
日本：神道教与佛教融合共生，宗教教义色彩较淡，但仪式与季节性习俗普及广泛，这些习俗主要强化社区生活节奏，而非推动布道式的动员。
Generational shifts
Both societies show rapid attitudinal change among younger cohorts: greater individualism, global outlooks, and challenges to traditional work/family models. Korea’s pace of social change and visible protest culture has produced sharper intergenerational conflict in recent years; Japan’s change tends to be slower and more institutionally mediated.
代际变化
两个社会的年轻群体均呈现出快速的态度转变：个人主义意识增强，拥有全球视野，并对传统工作/家庭模式提出挑战。近年来，韩国社会变革速度快，抗议文化显著，导致代际冲突更为尖锐；而日本的社会变革往往更为缓慢，且更多通过制度层面逐步推进。
Practical implications (for visitors, managers, or diplomats)
Expect warmer, more immediate interpersonal intensity in Korea; be prepared for frank feedback and rapid relationship-building that includes obligation exchange.
Expect more formality, indirectness, and process sensitivity in Japan; invest time in reading context, following etiquette, and building trust through consistent, rule-following behavior.
实际启示（面向访客、管理者或外交官）
在韩国，人际互动往往更热情、更直接且情感浓度高；需做好接收坦率反馈的准备，人际关系建立速度快，且过程中可能涉及责任义务的往来。
在日本，社交场合更注重正式性与间接沟通，且对流程敏感度高；需投入时间理解情境、遵守礼仪，并通过始终如一的循规行为建立信任。
Sources and scope
Observations synthesize cross-cultural psychology, sociology, historical trajectories (modernization, industrial policy), and common sociolinguistic descxtions up to May 2024. Individual behavior varies widely by region, class, age, gender, and subculture; use these contrasts as probabilistic patterns, not deterministic rules.
资料来源与适用范围
上述观察结果综合了截至2024年5月的跨文化心理学、社会学、历史发展轨迹（现代化、产业政策）及常见社会语言学描述。个人行为因地域、阶层、年龄、性别及亚文化的不同而存在显著差异；请将这些对比视为概率性模式，而非决定性规则。
Kooseul Krystal KimLived in South Korea6y
库瑟尔·克里斯托尔·金 曾在韩国生活6年
I knew an American who had worked with engineers both in Korea and in Japan for a long time. He told me this parable to sum up the difference between the attitude and mentality of engineers in each of the countries.
我认识一位美国人，他长期与韩国和日本的工程师共事。他用一个寓言总结了两国工程师在态度和心态上的差异。
“Let’s say I ordered them to fit a square peg into a round hole. Japanese engineers start by carefully measuring the circumference and perimeter of the peg and the hole, and start the calculation and research to determine whether it is plausible. By the time they gave me the answer that they could do it, I wonder if they could finish it in time. They start the process ordering the knife that would fit this precision job. The blacksmith melts the metal to forge a knife and make the best knife you could ever get for this job. Once they receive the knife, they start cutting the peg peeling it one nanometer at a time. It takes time. Engineers work day and night with the same degree of precision for the entire time. It passes the deadline, but they say it is coming along and it will be done soon. Finally, the peg in the round hole arrives way past the deadline. It’s so seamless that I even forget the peg was originally square. However, it’s too late so I have no use for it anymore. But I can’t help admiring the final product and wishing that I had more time.
“假设我让他们把一根方榫头塞进圆洞里。日本工程师会先仔细测量榫头和洞口的周长与边长，然后开始计算和研究，判断这件事是否可行。等他们告诉我‘可以做到’的时候，我都怀疑能不能按时完成。他们会启动流程，定制一把适合这项精密工作的刀具，铁匠会熔化金属进行锻造，做出最适配这项任务的刀具。拿到刀具后，他们就开始切削榫头，一纳米一纳米地打磨。这很耗时，工程师们夜以继日地工作，全程保持同样的精准度。截止日期过去了，他们却还说‘进展顺利，很快就能完成’。最终，塞进圆洞的榫头的完成时间远远超出了截止日期，但成品严丝合缝到我都忘了它原本是方形的。但为时已晚，我已经用不上了，可又忍不住赞叹这个成品，真希望当初能多给点时间。
On the other hand, Korean engineers examine the peg and the hole for a while and give the answer right away. They take them to their lab and try this way and that till they figure out making the peg round enough to fit in the hole perfectly wouldn’t meet the deadline. Then, they go to a hardware store and buy the strongest nicest hammer and the gripper (if such a thing exists) they could find. They put the hole in the gripper and place the peg on top of it. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg. The edge broke off and the peg goes in. They continue. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg, to see it goes in right. It does. They continue until the peg goes in all the way. The edges broke off a bit and the shape looks a bit rough but it is in. They finish in deadline and hand me the final product. It’s not perfect but, hey, it serves the purpose. There’s no guarantee that it will work the same the second time. But it’s the problem on their end not mine. Unless I find a better way, it’s the best I got.
而韩国工程师会先观察榫头和洞口一会儿，然后立刻给出答复。他们把榫头和洞口带到实验室，反复尝试各种方法，最后发现要把榫头打磨得足够圆以完美契合洞口，根本无法在截止日期前完成。于是他们去五金店，买了能找到的最结实、最好用的锤子和夹具（如果有的话）。他们把带洞口的部件固定在夹具上，把榫头放在上面，“哐、哐、哐”地砸了起来。砸完后检查榫头，发现边角崩掉了一些，刚好能塞进洞里，于是继续砸。“哐、哐、哐”，再检查，确认能顺利塞进，就一直砸到榫头完全嵌入为止。虽然榫头边角崩了些，形状也略显粗糙，但确实塞进去了。他们在截止日期前完成了任务，把成品交给了我。成品不算完美，但好歹能满足用途。没法保证下次还能这么做成功，但那是他们的问题，不是我的。除非我找到更好的办法，不然这就是目前最可行的结果。
If I have a very important ambitious project AND plenty of time, I would prefer to work with Japanese engineers. However, time is the most scarce resource these days. I doubt such an opportunity would ever come.”
I told this to some Samsung engineers when I was teaching in Korea. They chuckled and nodded.
如果我有一个非常重要、目标宏大的项目，而且时间充裕，我更愿意和日本工程师合作。但如今，时间是最稀缺的资源，我怀疑很难有这样的机会。”
我在韩国教书的时候，把这个寓言讲给了几位三星的工程师听，他们听了之后都笑了笑，点了点头。
David Farnsworth Professional Translator of Japanese to English (1984–present)
戴维·法恩斯沃思 日语译英语专业翻译（1984年至今）
I once had an American friend who had spent a career in business negotiations in the Far East tell me the difference between Koreans and Japanese.
The Koreans, he said, cannot imagine a win-win situation. If you look satisfied with a deal, they back off because they think that the deal must be going against them. So the trick for a successful negotiation, he said, was to look sufficiently crestfallen at the result to persuade the Koreans that they had “won”.
我曾有一位在美国远东地区从事商业谈判多年的美国朋友，他跟我讲过韩国人和日本人的差异。
他说，韩国人无法想象双赢的局面。如果你看起来对一笔交易很满意，他们就会退缩，因为他们觉得这笔交易肯定对自己不利。所以他表示，成功谈判的诀窍是，对结果表现出足够沮丧的样子，让韩国人相信他们“赢了”。
The Japanese, he said, were different. You go into negotiation with them, and as you make your presentation they nod their heads repeatedly, saying Hai Hai (yes, yes), so that when you are done you think a deal is within your grasp. Imagine your surprise when they then respond, we’ll think about this and get back to you. When Japanese say Hai, Hai, he said, it does not mean Yes I agree with you. It means Yes I hear you.
他说，日本人则不同。你和他们进行谈判时，在你做陈述的过程中，他们会不停点头，说着“はいはい”（是的，是的），让你结束后觉得交易唾手可得。可当他们随后回应“我们会考虑一下，之后给你答复”时，你可想而知会有多惊讶。他说，日本人说“はいはい”，并不意味着“我同意你”，而是“我听到你说的话了”。
This is more pleasant than the Korean negotiations, but ultimately just as frustrating, he said.
他表示，这种情况比和韩国人谈判更让人感觉愉快，但最终同样令人沮丧。
詹姆斯·李 曾在日本生活（2006年至今）8年
James Yi lives in Japan (2006-present)8y
Originally Answered: What's the difference in mindset between Japanese and Koreans?
原问题：韩国人和日本人的思维方式有什么差异？
The stereotype is that Koreans are more direct and blunt in expressing their true intentions while Japanese go through great pains to avoid direct delivery of what they are truly thinking (hon-ne). Koreans, between close friends, like to tease each other to the point of seeming mean or “taking it too far”. The English people call it “taking a piss”. Koreans do that a lot. The Japanese are less likely to do that and are very polite to each other which for Korean people seems too distant.
一种常见印象是，韩国人表达真实意图时更直接坦率，而日本人会竭力避免直接说出自己的真实想法（本音）。韩国人在亲密朋友之间，喜欢互相调侃，有时甚至到了看似刻薄或“太过火”的程度。英国人称之为“开玩笑、逗趣”，韩国人经常这么做。日本人则不太会这样，他们彼此之间非常礼貌，这在韩国人看来显得过于疏远。
Similarly, Japanese people rarely invite their friends as guests. If a Japanese friend invites you for a dinner at their place, it means that they consider you a very close friend, a best friend. Koreans are more likely to invite people over, even if they are acquaintances and not a close friend. However, in both countries, compared to Americans, it is rare that they invite people over due to the highly urban nature of these countries. Apartments are small.
同样，日本人很少邀请朋友到家中做客。如果一位日本朋友邀请你去他家吃晚饭，说明他们把你当成了非常亲密的朋友，也就是挚友。韩国人则更愿意邀请别人来家里，即便对方只是熟人而非亲密朋友。不过，由于这两个国家都是高度城市化的社会，公寓面积较小，所以和美国人相比，两国人邀请他人到家中做客的情况都不算常见。
Both cultures value sacrificing the individual self for the benefit of the society compared to the Western world. But I feel like the Japanese are more ready to sacrifice themselves. For example, I hear that Japanese streets are so clean because every resident does their part to keep it clean. Such thing would not happen in Korea. Japanese people value the greater good maybe a little more than Koreans. Koreans can be more selfish. “as long as it doesn’t affect me and my family, i don’t care about the others”
与西方世界相比，这两种文化都重视为了社会利益牺牲个人。但我觉得日本人更愿意做出自我牺牲。比如，我听说日本的街道之所以那么干净，是因为每个居民都会尽自己的一份力保持整洁。这种情况在韩国不会发生。日本人对公共利益的重视可能比韩国人略多一些，韩国人则可能更自私一点，他们会想“只要不影响我和我的家人，别人的事我不管”。
For the youth (18–35), the contemporary Japanese youth are seen as less competitive in the job market than Korean counterparts. They are less likely to compete too hard for jobs or for university entrance. While in Korea, the competition is cut-throat and young people try so hard to build up their “specs”. Rather, the Japanese youth are more currently interested in a more relaxed lifestyle (karyu= slacker). In this regard, the Japanese youth are more similar to European or American youth. Also, Japanese people work less than Koreans. Japanese 1800 hours/year. Koreans 2200 hours/year.
对于18至35岁的年轻人来说，当代日本年轻人在就业市场上的竞争力被认为不如韩国年轻人。他们不太会为了工作或大学入学而过度竞争。而在韩国，竞争异常激烈，年轻人会拼命提升自己的“履历亮点”。相反，现在的日本年轻人更倾向于追求更轻松的生活方式（“ karyu”，即“躺平族”）。在这方面，日本年轻人更接近欧洲或美国的年轻人。此外，日本人的工作时长也比韩国人短，日本人每年工作1800小时，韩国人则是2200小时。
Korean culture seems more traditional and family-oriented. More conservative. Many Korean youth still live with their parents until they get married or get their first job. While, in Japan after high school graduation, they start living by themselves and experiment more with sex.
韩国文化似乎更传统，更以家庭为中心，也更保守。许多韩国年轻人在结婚或找到第一份工作前，仍然和父母住在一起。而在日本，年轻人高中毕业后就会开始独立生活，在性方面也会有更多尝试。
When it comes to paying, let’s say after a meal, in Korea, it’s always one person paying for the whole thing. Usually the older one or the higher ranking one pays. “Going Dutch” is not common. For Japanese people, it’s mostly “Dutch pay”, they only pay for themselves.
说到付款，比如饭后结账，在韩国通常是一个人支付全部费用，一般是年纪较大或职位较高的人买单，“AA制”并不常见。而日本人大多采用“AA制”，只支付自己的那部分费用。
I read somewhere that Japanese value “wa” = “harmony” while Koreans value “jeong” = “sense of attachment, bond, camaraderie”. “Wa” requires that everyone to stay within their alloted personal boundary and not interfere others. “Jeong” requires for this personal boundary line to be bent and mutilated as needs be.
Japanese people want simple, practical, calm, collected, reserved. They remind me of robots or Spock from Star Trek in this regard.
我在某处读到过，日本人重视“和”（wa），即“和谐”，而韩国人重视“情”（jeong），即“依恋感、联结、情谊”。“和”要求每个人都保持在自己既定的个人边界内，不干涉他人。“情”则要求根据需要灵活调整甚至打破这种个人边界。
日本人追求简单、实用、冷静、沉稳、内敛。在这方面，他们让我想起了机器人或者《星际迷航》里的斯波克。
Koreans show more of unprocessed raw feelings. More expressive, a bit more extroverted. I think Koreans are more emotionally charged people. Honestly, I’ve never seen a Japanese person get angry or lose their cool in public while for Koreans I’ve seen it countless times.
韩国人会展现出更多未经掩饰的原始情绪，更善于表达，也更外向一些。我认为韩国人是情感更强烈的群体。说实话，我从未见过日本人在公共场合生气或失控，但韩国人这样的情况我见过无数次。
海尔·李 曾在韩国生活6年
Hail Lee Lives in South Korea6y
Assuming you are talking about Koreans and Japanese as people, we have some starkly different characteristics.
One I’d like to point out the most is Koreans’ tendency to separate themselves from the government. This is the main cause of the continuing ‘bad blood’ between the two countries. The Japanese, coming from a culture where they used to treat the emperor as a god, think it’s bafflingly unfair that Koreans continued to fight tooth and nail after their government ‘made an agreement’. But to Koreans, whose farmers and monks historically fought off foreign forces with farming tools and rocks long after the king and military fled, don’t see why this has to do with anything. Koreans have a lot to say about their own government, they fight, kick out presidents, and do a lot to be involved. The Japanese, being private people, tend to go with the government’s decisions.
假设你说的是韩国人和日本人作为群体的差异，我们有一些非常鲜明的不同特质。
我最想指出的一点是，韩国人倾向于将自己与政府区分开来。这是两国之间矛盾持续不断的主要原因。日本人来自一个曾将天皇视为神明的文化，他们觉得韩国政府已经“达成协议”后，韩国民众仍然拼死抗争，这令人困惑且不公平。但对韩国人来说，历史上即便国王和军队早已逃离，农民和僧侣们仍会用农具和石块抵抗外国势力，他们不明白政府的协议和民众的态度有什么必然联系。韩国人对自己的政府有很多看法，他们会抗议、罢免总统，积极参与政治事务。而日本人比较注重个人隐私，倾向于遵从政府的决定。
Another thing related to this is the difference of attitude regarding social issues. Koreans like to make noise, argue, keep solidarity, sometimes to an overly emotional level. The “Me Too” movement for example. Koreans tend to rise up to a cause, raise their voices. When they did a survey in Japan however, it was mostly met with disinterest. It “wasn’t their business”, they said.
与此相关的另一点是双方对社会议题的态度差异。韩国人喜欢发声、争论、保持团结，有时甚至会达到过于情绪化的程度。比如“我也是”（Me Too）运动，韩国人会积极响应一项事业，发出自己的声音。但在日本进行相关调查时，大多数人对此表示不感兴趣，称这“与自己无关”。
These differences regrettably leads to a lot of strife in which Koreans get emotionally involved and frustrated, while the Japanese look on with disdain.
遗憾的是，这些差异导致了很多冲突，韩国人会投入情感并感到沮丧，而日本人则会冷眼旁观。
内基 毕业于釜庆国立大学，专业为韩国语言文学（信息更新于5年前）
Japanese are more introverted for their thoughts and feelings than Koreans. This means, it’s harder to know hidden or veiled thoughts of Japanese than those of Korean. In other words, Koreans are more direct about what they feel.
This makes some social differences. One of them is interests of political matters.
与韩国人相比，日本人在思想和情感上更为内向。这意味着，要了解日本人隐藏或含蓄的想法，比了解韩国人的要更困难。换句话说，韩国人在表达自身感受时更为直接。
这种性格差异导致了一些社会层面的不同，对政治事务的关注度便是其中之一。
Korean society is always noisy because of social matters and complaints against their government. If you go to Gwanghwamun plaza in seoul in South Korea, you can easily find masses of people protesting against their government or claiming their political requires. If most Koreans feel it’s needed, then thousands of Koreans gather there and protest and insist what they want or stop everyday. A recent example is the impeachment of the former presidant, Park Geunhye.
韩国社会常因各类社会事件以及民众对政府的不满而显得喧嚣。如果你前往韩国首尔的光化门广场，很容易看到大批民众聚集在此，抗议政府或提出自身的政治诉求。只要大多数韩国人认为有必要，成千上万的民众就会聚集到这里进行抗议，坚持表达自身诉求，甚至不惜中断日常事务。近期的一个例子便是前总统朴槿惠的弹劾事件。
In contrast, Japanese’re less enthusiastic about their political matters than Koreans. It sometimes even seems that they don’t care how their government does. So, the society of Japan is very quiet and calm, looks peaceful appearantly wheras Korean society looks as if it would collapse right in the next year.
与之相反，日本人对政治事务的热情远不及韩国人，有时甚至会让人觉得他们并不关心政府的作为。因此，日本社会整体十分安静平和，表面上呈现出一派安宁的景象；而韩国社会则给人一种似乎明年就会陷入混乱的感觉。
This difference is found even in their languages.
Double negation occurs more frequently in Japanese than Korean.
这种差异甚至体现在他们的语言表达中。
日语中双重否定的使用频率比韩语更高。
Korean style: We have to do this. Japanese style: If we don’t do this… (It’s not okay if we don’t do.) Korean style: I have to help him. Japanese style: If I don’t help him… (It’s not okay if I don’t help him.) Korean style: We’ve got to do something if that’s what we have to do. Japanese style: It’s not okay if we don’t do something when we have to do it.
韩语表达：我们必须做这件事。日语表达：如果我们不做这件事的话……（如果不做是不行的。）韩语表达：我必须帮他。日语表达：如果我不帮他的话……（如果不帮他是不行的。）韩语表达：如果情况需要，我们就得采取行动。日语表达：当需要采取行动时，如果我们不做些什么是不行的。
As direct sending of what they feel is sometimes considered rude in Japanese, they made the double negation and omission of the main clause frequent.
Similarly, obxtion is more direct in Korean.
English style: No. I don’t want it. Korean style: Well… It’s somehow not that attractive to me personally. / I’m sorry. I think it’s difficult. Japanese style: Well… Okay. I’ll consider it.
There may be much more examples of their differences other than what I said.
在日本文化中，直接表达自身感受有时会被视为不礼貌，因此日本人频繁使用双重否定，并常常省略句子的主句。
同样，韩国人在表达反对意见时也更为直接。
英语表达：不，我不想要。韩语表达：嗯……这东西对我个人来说，总觉得没那么有吸引力。/ 很抱歉，我觉得这有点困难。日语表达：嗯……好的，我会考虑一下的。
除了我上述提到的这些，日韩两国之间可能还存在更多其他方面的差异。
Bot Sep 6
Comparing “Korean mentality” and “Japanese mentality” requires caution: both labels compress wide internal diversity. Below are dominant cultural tendencies and social patterns commonly observed in cross-cultural studies, historical context, and everyday behavior—presented as general tendencies, not stereotypes.
对比“韩国国民心态”与“日本国民心态”需谨慎：这两个标签均忽略了各自社会内部的巨大差异性。以下是在跨文化研究、历史背景及日常行为中常见的主要文化倾向与社会模式——这些内容仅为普遍性趋势，而非刻板印象。
Core orientations
Korea: relational and mobilized collectivism. Social life often centers on dense, affective networks (family, hometown, school cohort, work group), with strong obligations and rapid mobilization of those networks for personal or political goals.
Japan: institutional and procedural collectivism. Social order prioritizes roles, rules, and predictable coordination; group harmony is maintained via tacit norms, formal processes, and self-restraint.
核心取向
韩国：注重关系联结与动员能力的集体主义。社会生活通常围绕紧密的情感网络（家庭、故乡、同窗、工作团队）展开，人们在这些网络中承担着强烈的责任与义务，且能为实现个人或政治目标迅速动员网络力量。
日本：注重制度规范与流程秩序的集体主义。社会秩序以角色、规则及可预期的协作优先；群体和谐通过默认规范、正式流程及自我约束来维持。
Communication and expression
Korea: more direct, emotionally expressive within in-groups; conflict and confrontation are more acceptable when advancing group or personal interests. Honor and face matter, but public displays of feeling—passionate appeals, strong rhetoric—are common.
沟通与表达
韩国：在内部群体中沟通更直接、情感表达更外放；为推动群体或个人利益，冲突与对抗更容易被接受。尊严与面子固然重要，但公开表达情感（如充满激情的呼吁、强烈的言辞）十分常见。
Japan: indirect, high-context, avoidance of explicit confrontation. Emphasis on ambiguity, reading the air (kuuki wo yomu), and preserving wa (harmony) through understatement and nonverbal cues.
日本：沟通间接、语境依赖性强，且避免直接对抗。注重表达的模糊性、“读懂空气”（kuuki wo yomu，即感知他人情绪与场合氛围），并通过委婉表述与非语言信号维护“和”（wa，即和谐）的状态。
Authority, hierarchy, and age
Korea: strong vertical hierarchy reinforced by Confucian filialism, but younger generations often challenge elders and institutions vigorously. Seniority matters in deference and obligation; loyalty to the in-group can be intense.
权威、等级与年龄
韩国：受儒家孝道思想影响，垂直等级制度森严，但年轻一代常积极挑战长辈与现有机构。资历在尊重与责任义务中起重要作用，人们对内部群体的忠诚度可能极高。
Japan: hierarchy conveyed through formal status and etiquette; deference is practiced but often mediated by ritualized politeness and procedural seniority rather than emotional loyalty. Challenge to authority tends to be less confrontational and more gradual.
日本：等级通过正式身份与礼仪体现；人们虽会表达尊重，但这种尊重多通过程式化的礼貌与流程性资历实现，而非基于情感的忠诚。对权威的挑战往往不具对抗性，且更倾向于循序渐进。
Collective action and social mobilization
Korea: higher propensity for rapid collective mobilization (street protests, online campaigns, corporate activism). Political and civic engagement can be intense and emotionally charged.
Japan: lower frequency of mass protest; civic participation often channeled into organized associations, consensus-building, or institutional pathways. Change tends to be incremental.
集体行动与社会动员
韩国：更倾向于快速组织集体动员（如街头抗议、线上运动、企业行动主义）。政治与公民参与度可能极高，且往往带有强烈的情感色彩。
日本：大规模抗议活动频率较低；公民参与多通过有组织的协会、共识构建或制度性渠道进行。变革往往是渐进式的。
Work culture and organizational life
Korea: intense work ethic with high competitiveness, long hours, strong loyalty to employer in many sectors, and hierarchical managerial styles. Group solidarity can demand conformity, but employees may expect reciprocal protection and career sponsorship.
职场文化与组织生活
韩国：职场中职业道德感强烈，竞争激烈，工作时长较长，许多行业中员工对雇主忠诚度高，管理模式呈等级制。群体凝聚力可能要求成员保持一致性，但员工也可能期望获得相应的保障与职业扶持。
Japan: emphasis on lifetime employment norms (weakened recently), meticulous process orientation, consensus decision-making (nemawashi), and strong team identity. Workplaces prioritize order, quality control, and procedural consensus.
日本：注重终身雇佣制传统（近年来有所弱化），工作中强调细致的流程导向、共识决策（nemawashi，即“根回”，指事前充分沟通以达成共识），以及强烈的团队认同感。职场优先重视秩序、质量控制与流程共识。
Risk, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Korea: high tolerance for rapid change and for high-risk, high-reward ventures—evident in chaebol-driven growth, fast-moving start-up scenes, and viral pop culture industries that scale quickly.
Japan: preference for incremental innovation, focus on craftsmanship, quality, and long-term refinement. Risk-taking is more measured; institutional barriers and social risk-aversion slow disruptive change.
风险、创新与创业
韩国：对快速变革及高风险高回报的项目容忍度高——这一点从财阀（chaebol）推动的经济增长、发展迅速的创业环境，以及快速形成规模的热门流行文化产业中可见一斑。
日本：倾向于渐进式创新，注重工艺、质量与长期打磨。风险承担更为审慎；制度性障碍与社会层面的风险规避态度，使得颠覆性变革进展缓慢。
Individualism vs. collectivism nuances
Korea: collectivism shaped by relational loyalty and status competition; social identity strongly tied to education, school cohort (hakwon), and regional/familial networks.
Japan: collectivism organized around situational roles and public order; personal identity expressed through group roles and adherence to social scxts.
个人主义与集体主义的细微差异
韩国：集体主义受关系忠诚度与地位竞争影响；社会身份与教育背景、同窗群体（hakwon，即课外补习班，此处引申为因补习形成的同窗关系）及地域/家族网络紧密相关。
日本：集体主义围绕情境角色与公共秩序构建；个人身份通过群体中的角色定位及对社会行为规范的遵守来体现。
Face, shame, and saving face
Korea: shame and honor are potent; loss of face can provoke public contestation or aggressive remediation. Public scandals often trigger intense social and political consequences.
Japan: shame functions as a regulatory mechanism encouraging self-restraint; public apology rituals and quiet remediation are common means of restoring social equilibrium.
面子、羞耻感与挽回面子
韩国：羞耻感与荣誉感影响力强；失面子可能引发公开争辩或强硬的补救行为。公共丑闻往往会引发强烈的社会与政治层面的后果。
日本：羞耻感是一种促进自我约束的调节机制；公开道歉仪式与低调的补救措施是恢复社会平衡的常见方式。
Emotional tone and public demeanor
Korea: more expressive warmth and overt solidarity in friendly contexts; public discourse can be forthright and even combative.
Japan: reserved public demeanor, polite distance, restraint in showing strong emotion in mixed or formal settings.
情感基调与公众言行举止
韩国：在友好场合中，人们表现出更外放的热情与明显的团结感；公共讨论可能直言不讳，甚至带有辩论性。
日本：公众场合中言行举止较为内敛，保持礼貌的距离感，在混合人群或正式场合中会克制强烈情感的表达。
Religion and worldview influences
Korea: strong Protestant Christianity influence alongside Confucian and Buddhist legacies; religious communities often serve as organized social networks and mobilizing forces.
Japan: Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, less doctrinal religiosity but pervasive ritual and seasonal practice that reinforce community rhythms rather than evangelical mobilization.
宗教与世界观的影响
韩国：新教基督教影响深远，同时并存儒家与佛教传统；宗教团体常作为有组织的社会网络及动员力量发挥作用。
日本：神道教与佛教融合共生，宗教教义色彩较淡，但仪式与季节性习俗普及广泛，这些习俗主要强化社区生活节奏，而非推动布道式的动员。
Generational shifts
Both societies show rapid attitudinal change among younger cohorts: greater individualism, global outlooks, and challenges to traditional work/family models. Korea’s pace of social change and visible protest culture has produced sharper intergenerational conflict in recent years; Japan’s change tends to be slower and more institutionally mediated.
代际变化
两个社会的年轻群体均呈现出快速的态度转变：个人主义意识增强，拥有全球视野，并对传统工作/家庭模式提出挑战。近年来，韩国社会变革速度快，抗议文化显著，导致代际冲突更为尖锐；而日本的社会变革往往更为缓慢，且更多通过制度层面逐步推进。
Practical implications (for visitors, managers, or diplomats)
Expect warmer, more immediate interpersonal intensity in Korea; be prepared for frank feedback and rapid relationship-building that includes obligation exchange.
Expect more formality, indirectness, and process sensitivity in Japan; invest time in reading context, following etiquette, and building trust through consistent, rule-following behavior.
实际启示（面向访客、管理者或外交官）
在韩国，人际互动往往更热情、更直接且情感浓度高；需做好接收坦率反馈的准备，人际关系建立速度快，且过程中可能涉及责任义务的往来。
在日本，社交场合更注重正式性与间接沟通，且对流程敏感度高；需投入时间理解情境、遵守礼仪，并通过始终如一的循规行为建立信任。
Sources and scope
Observations synthesize cross-cultural psychology, sociology, historical trajectories (modernization, industrial policy), and common sociolinguistic descxtions up to May 2024. Individual behavior varies widely by region, class, age, gender, and subculture; use these contrasts as probabilistic patterns, not deterministic rules.
资料来源与适用范围
上述观察结果综合了截至2024年5月的跨文化心理学、社会学、历史发展轨迹（现代化、产业政策）及常见社会语言学描述。个人行为因地域、阶层、年龄、性别及亚文化的不同而存在显著差异；请将这些对比视为概率性模式，而非决定性规则。
Kooseul Krystal KimLived in South Korea6y
库瑟尔·克里斯托尔·金 曾在韩国生活6年
I knew an American who had worked with engineers both in Korea and in Japan for a long time. He told me this parable to sum up the difference between the attitude and mentality of engineers in each of the countries.
我认识一位美国人，他长期与韩国和日本的工程师共事。他用一个寓言总结了两国工程师在态度和心态上的差异。
“Let’s say I ordered them to fit a square peg into a round hole. Japanese engineers start by carefully measuring the circumference and perimeter of the peg and the hole, and start the calculation and research to determine whether it is plausible. By the time they gave me the answer that they could do it, I wonder if they could finish it in time. They start the process ordering the knife that would fit this precision job. The blacksmith melts the metal to forge a knife and make the best knife you could ever get for this job. Once they receive the knife, they start cutting the peg peeling it one nanometer at a time. It takes time. Engineers work day and night with the same degree of precision for the entire time. It passes the deadline, but they say it is coming along and it will be done soon. Finally, the peg in the round hole arrives way past the deadline. It’s so seamless that I even forget the peg was originally square. However, it’s too late so I have no use for it anymore. But I can’t help admiring the final product and wishing that I had more time.
“假设我让他们把一根方榫头塞进圆洞里。日本工程师会先仔细测量榫头和洞口的周长与边长，然后开始计算和研究，判断这件事是否可行。等他们告诉我‘可以做到’的时候，我都怀疑能不能按时完成。他们会启动流程，定制一把适合这项精密工作的刀具，铁匠会熔化金属进行锻造，做出最适配这项任务的刀具。拿到刀具后，他们就开始切削榫头，一纳米一纳米地打磨。这很耗时，工程师们夜以继日地工作，全程保持同样的精准度。截止日期过去了，他们却还说‘进展顺利，很快就能完成’。最终，塞进圆洞的榫头的完成时间远远超出了截止日期，但成品严丝合缝到我都忘了它原本是方形的。但为时已晚，我已经用不上了，可又忍不住赞叹这个成品，真希望当初能多给点时间。
On the other hand, Korean engineers examine the peg and the hole for a while and give the answer right away. They take them to their lab and try this way and that till they figure out making the peg round enough to fit in the hole perfectly wouldn’t meet the deadline. Then, they go to a hardware store and buy the strongest nicest hammer and the gripper (if such a thing exists) they could find. They put the hole in the gripper and place the peg on top of it. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg. The edge broke off and the peg goes in. They continue. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg, to see it goes in right. It does. They continue until the peg goes in all the way. The edges broke off a bit and the shape looks a bit rough but it is in. They finish in deadline and hand me the final product. It’s not perfect but, hey, it serves the purpose. There’s no guarantee that it will work the same the second time. But it’s the problem on their end not mine. Unless I find a better way, it’s the best I got.
而韩国工程师会先观察榫头和洞口一会儿，然后立刻给出答复。他们把榫头和洞口带到实验室，反复尝试各种方法，最后发现要把榫头打磨得足够圆以完美契合洞口，根本无法在截止日期前完成。于是他们去五金店，买了能找到的最结实、最好用的锤子和夹具（如果有的话）。他们把带洞口的部件固定在夹具上，把榫头放在上面，“哐、哐、哐”地砸了起来。砸完后检查榫头，发现边角崩掉了一些，刚好能塞进洞里，于是继续砸。“哐、哐、哐”，再检查，确认能顺利塞进，就一直砸到榫头完全嵌入为止。虽然榫头边角崩了些，形状也略显粗糙，但确实塞进去了。他们在截止日期前完成了任务，把成品交给了我。成品不算完美，但好歹能满足用途。没法保证下次还能这么做成功，但那是他们的问题，不是我的。除非我找到更好的办法，不然这就是目前最可行的结果。
If I have a very important ambitious project AND plenty of time, I would prefer to work with Japanese engineers. However, time is the most scarce resource these days. I doubt such an opportunity would ever come.”
I told this to some Samsung engineers when I was teaching in Korea. They chuckled and nodded.
如果我有一个非常重要、目标宏大的项目，而且时间充裕，我更愿意和日本工程师合作。但如今，时间是最稀缺的资源，我怀疑很难有这样的机会。”
我在韩国教书的时候，把这个寓言讲给了几位三星的工程师听，他们听了之后都笑了笑，点了点头。
David Farnsworth Professional Translator of Japanese to English (1984–present)
戴维·法恩斯沃思 日语译英语专业翻译（1984年至今）
I once had an American friend who had spent a career in business negotiations in the Far East tell me the difference between Koreans and Japanese.
The Koreans, he said, cannot imagine a win-win situation. If you look satisfied with a deal, they back off because they think that the deal must be going against them. So the trick for a successful negotiation, he said, was to look sufficiently crestfallen at the result to persuade the Koreans that they had “won”.
我曾有一位在美国远东地区从事商业谈判多年的美国朋友，他跟我讲过韩国人和日本人的差异。
他说，韩国人无法想象双赢的局面。如果你看起来对一笔交易很满意，他们就会退缩，因为他们觉得这笔交易肯定对自己不利。所以他表示，成功谈判的诀窍是，对结果表现出足够沮丧的样子，让韩国人相信他们“赢了”。
The Japanese, he said, were different. You go into negotiation with them, and as you make your presentation they nod their heads repeatedly, saying Hai Hai (yes, yes), so that when you are done you think a deal is within your grasp. Imagine your surprise when they then respond, we’ll think about this and get back to you. When Japanese say Hai, Hai, he said, it does not mean Yes I agree with you. It means Yes I hear you.
他说，日本人则不同。你和他们进行谈判时，在你做陈述的过程中，他们会不停点头，说着“はいはい”（是的，是的），让你结束后觉得交易唾手可得。可当他们随后回应“我们会考虑一下，之后给你答复”时，你可想而知会有多惊讶。他说，日本人说“はいはい”，并不意味着“我同意你”，而是“我听到你说的话了”。
This is more pleasant than the Korean negotiations, but ultimately just as frustrating, he said.
他表示，这种情况比和韩国人谈判更让人感觉愉快，但最终同样令人沮丧。
詹姆斯·李 曾在日本生活（2006年至今）8年
James Yi lives in Japan (2006-present)8y
Originally Answered: What's the difference in mindset between Japanese and Koreans?
原问题：韩国人和日本人的思维方式有什么差异？
The stereotype is that Koreans are more direct and blunt in expressing their true intentions while Japanese go through great pains to avoid direct delivery of what they are truly thinking (hon-ne). Koreans, between close friends, like to tease each other to the point of seeming mean or “taking it too far”. The English people call it “taking a piss”. Koreans do that a lot. The Japanese are less likely to do that and are very polite to each other which for Korean people seems too distant.
一种常见印象是，韩国人表达真实意图时更直接坦率，而日本人会竭力避免直接说出自己的真实想法（本音）。韩国人在亲密朋友之间，喜欢互相调侃，有时甚至到了看似刻薄或“太过火”的程度。英国人称之为“开玩笑、逗趣”，韩国人经常这么做。日本人则不太会这样，他们彼此之间非常礼貌，这在韩国人看来显得过于疏远。
Similarly, Japanese people rarely invite their friends as guests. If a Japanese friend invites you for a dinner at their place, it means that they consider you a very close friend, a best friend. Koreans are more likely to invite people over, even if they are acquaintances and not a close friend. However, in both countries, compared to Americans, it is rare that they invite people over due to the highly urban nature of these countries. Apartments are small.
同样，日本人很少邀请朋友到家中做客。如果一位日本朋友邀请你去他家吃晚饭，说明他们把你当成了非常亲密的朋友，也就是挚友。韩国人则更愿意邀请别人来家里，即便对方只是熟人而非亲密朋友。不过，由于这两个国家都是高度城市化的社会，公寓面积较小，所以和美国人相比，两国人邀请他人到家中做客的情况都不算常见。
Both cultures value sacrificing the individual self for the benefit of the society compared to the Western world. But I feel like the Japanese are more ready to sacrifice themselves. For example, I hear that Japanese streets are so clean because every resident does their part to keep it clean. Such thing would not happen in Korea. Japanese people value the greater good maybe a little more than Koreans. Koreans can be more selfish. “as long as it doesn’t affect me and my family, i don’t care about the others”
与西方世界相比，这两种文化都重视为了社会利益牺牲个人。但我觉得日本人更愿意做出自我牺牲。比如，我听说日本的街道之所以那么干净，是因为每个居民都会尽自己的一份力保持整洁。这种情况在韩国不会发生。日本人对公共利益的重视可能比韩国人略多一些，韩国人则可能更自私一点，他们会想“只要不影响我和我的家人，别人的事我不管”。
For the youth (18–35), the contemporary Japanese youth are seen as less competitive in the job market than Korean counterparts. They are less likely to compete too hard for jobs or for university entrance. While in Korea, the competition is cut-throat and young people try so hard to build up their “specs”. Rather, the Japanese youth are more currently interested in a more relaxed lifestyle (karyu= slacker). In this regard, the Japanese youth are more similar to European or American youth. Also, Japanese people work less than Koreans. Japanese 1800 hours/year. Koreans 2200 hours/year.
对于18至35岁的年轻人来说，当代日本年轻人在就业市场上的竞争力被认为不如韩国年轻人。他们不太会为了工作或大学入学而过度竞争。而在韩国，竞争异常激烈，年轻人会拼命提升自己的“履历亮点”。相反，现在的日本年轻人更倾向于追求更轻松的生活方式（“ karyu”，即“躺平族”）。在这方面，日本年轻人更接近欧洲或美国的年轻人。此外，日本人的工作时长也比韩国人短，日本人每年工作1800小时，韩国人则是2200小时。
Korean culture seems more traditional and family-oriented. More conservative. Many Korean youth still live with their parents until they get married or get their first job. While, in Japan after high school graduation, they start living by themselves and experiment more with sex.
韩国文化似乎更传统，更以家庭为中心，也更保守。许多韩国年轻人在结婚或找到第一份工作前，仍然和父母住在一起。而在日本，年轻人高中毕业后就会开始独立生活，在性方面也会有更多尝试。
When it comes to paying, let’s say after a meal, in Korea, it’s always one person paying for the whole thing. Usually the older one or the higher ranking one pays. “Going Dutch” is not common. For Japanese people, it’s mostly “Dutch pay”, they only pay for themselves.
说到付款，比如饭后结账，在韩国通常是一个人支付全部费用，一般是年纪较大或职位较高的人买单，“AA制”并不常见。而日本人大多采用“AA制”，只支付自己的那部分费用。
I read somewhere that Japanese value “wa” = “harmony” while Koreans value “jeong” = “sense of attachment, bond, camaraderie”. “Wa” requires that everyone to stay within their alloted personal boundary and not interfere others. “Jeong” requires for this personal boundary line to be bent and mutilated as needs be.
Japanese people want simple, practical, calm, collected, reserved. They remind me of robots or Spock from Star Trek in this regard.
我在某处读到过，日本人重视“和”（wa），即“和谐”，而韩国人重视“情”（jeong），即“依恋感、联结、情谊”。“和”要求每个人都保持在自己既定的个人边界内，不干涉他人。“情”则要求根据需要灵活调整甚至打破这种个人边界。
日本人追求简单、实用、冷静、沉稳、内敛。在这方面，他们让我想起了机器人或者《星际迷航》里的斯波克。
Koreans show more of unprocessed raw feelings. More expressive, a bit more extroverted. I think Koreans are more emotionally charged people. Honestly, I’ve never seen a Japanese person get angry or lose their cool in public while for Koreans I’ve seen it countless times.
韩国人会展现出更多未经掩饰的原始情绪，更善于表达，也更外向一些。我认为韩国人是情感更强烈的群体。说实话，我从未见过日本人在公共场合生气或失控，但韩国人这样的情况我见过无数次。
海尔·李 曾在韩国生活6年
Hail Lee Lives in South Korea6y
Assuming you are talking about Koreans and Japanese as people, we have some starkly different characteristics.
One I’d like to point out the most is Koreans’ tendency to separate themselves from the government. This is the main cause of the continuing ‘bad blood’ between the two countries. The Japanese, coming from a culture where they used to treat the emperor as a god, think it’s bafflingly unfair that Koreans continued to fight tooth and nail after their government ‘made an agreement’. But to Koreans, whose farmers and monks historically fought off foreign forces with farming tools and rocks long after the king and military fled, don’t see why this has to do with anything. Koreans have a lot to say about their own government, they fight, kick out presidents, and do a lot to be involved. The Japanese, being private people, tend to go with the government’s decisions.
假设你说的是韩国人和日本人作为群体的差异，我们有一些非常鲜明的不同特质。
我最想指出的一点是，韩国人倾向于将自己与政府区分开来。这是两国之间矛盾持续不断的主要原因。日本人来自一个曾将天皇视为神明的文化，他们觉得韩国政府已经“达成协议”后，韩国民众仍然拼死抗争，这令人困惑且不公平。但对韩国人来说，历史上即便国王和军队早已逃离，农民和僧侣们仍会用农具和石块抵抗外国势力，他们不明白政府的协议和民众的态度有什么必然联系。韩国人对自己的政府有很多看法，他们会抗议、罢免总统，积极参与政治事务。而日本人比较注重个人隐私，倾向于遵从政府的决定。
Another thing related to this is the difference of attitude regarding social issues. Koreans like to make noise, argue, keep solidarity, sometimes to an overly emotional level. The “Me Too” movement for example. Koreans tend to rise up to a cause, raise their voices. When they did a survey in Japan however, it was mostly met with disinterest. It “wasn’t their business”, they said.
与此相关的另一点是双方对社会议题的态度差异。韩国人喜欢发声、争论、保持团结，有时甚至会达到过于情绪化的程度。比如“我也是”（Me Too）运动，韩国人会积极响应一项事业，发出自己的声音。但在日本进行相关调查时，大多数人对此表示不感兴趣，称这“与自己无关”。
These differences regrettably leads to a lot of strife in which Koreans get emotionally involved and frustrated, while the Japanese look on with disdain.
遗憾的是，这些差异导致了很多冲突，韩国人会投入情感并感到沮丧，而日本人则会冷眼旁观。
评论翻译
Neky Studied Korean Language & Literature at Pukyong National Universityupxed 5y
内基 毕业于釜庆国立大学，专业为韩国语言文学（信息更新于5年前）
Japanese are more introverted for their thoughts and feelings than Koreans. This means, it’s harder to know hidden or veiled thoughts of Japanese than those of Korean. In other words, Koreans are more direct about what they feel.
This makes some social differences. One of them is interests of political matters.
与韩国人相比，日本人在思想和情感上更为内向。这意味着，要了解日本人隐藏或含蓄的想法，比了解韩国人的要更困难。换句话说，韩国人在表达自身感受时更为直接。
这种性格差异导致了一些社会层面的不同，对政治事务的关注度便是其中之一。
Korean society is always noisy because of social matters and complaints against their government. If you go to Gwanghwamun plaza in seoul in South Korea, you can easily find masses of people protesting against their government or claiming their political requires. If most Koreans feel it’s needed, then thousands of Koreans gather there and protest and insist what they want or stop everyday. A recent example is the impeachment of the former presidant, Park Geunhye.
韩国社会常因各类社会事件以及民众对政府的不满而显得喧嚣。如果你前往韩国首尔的光化门广场，很容易看到大批民众聚集在此，抗议政府或提出自身的政治诉求。只要大多数韩国人认为有必要，成千上万的民众就会聚集到这里进行抗议，坚持表达自身诉求，甚至不惜中断日常事务。近期的一个例子便是前总统朴槿惠的弹劾事件。
In contrast, Japanese’re less enthusiastic about their political matters than Koreans. It sometimes even seems that they don’t care how their government does. So, the society of Japan is very quiet and calm, looks peaceful appearantly wheras Korean society looks as if it would collapse right in the next year.
与之相反，日本人对政治事务的热情远不及韩国人，有时甚至会让人觉得他们并不关心政府的作为。因此，日本社会整体十分安静平和，表面上呈现出一派安宁的景象；而韩国社会则给人一种似乎明年就会陷入混乱的感觉。
This difference is found even in their languages.
Double negation occurs more frequently in Japanese than Korean.
这种差异甚至体现在他们的语言表达中。
日语中双重否定的使用频率比韩语更高。
Korean style: We have to do this. Japanese style: If we don’t do this… (It’s not okay if we don’t do.) Korean style: I have to help him. Japanese style: If I don’t help him… (It’s not okay if I don’t help him.) Korean style: We’ve got to do something if that’s what we have to do. Japanese style: It’s not okay if we don’t do something when we have to do it.
韩语表达：我们必须做这件事。日语表达：如果我们不做这件事的话……（如果不做是不行的。）韩语表达：我必须帮他。日语表达：如果我不帮他的话……（如果不帮他是不行的。）韩语表达：如果情况需要，我们就得采取行动。日语表达：当需要采取行动时，如果我们不做些什么是不行的。
As direct sending of what they feel is sometimes considered rude in Japanese, they made the double negation and omission of the main clause frequent.
Similarly, obxtion is more direct in Korean.
English style: No. I don’t want it. Korean style: Well… It’s somehow not that attractive to me personally. / I’m sorry. I think it’s difficult. Japanese style: Well… Okay. I’ll consider it.
There may be much more examples of their differences other than what I said.
在日本文化中，直接表达自身感受有时会被视为不礼貌，因此日本人频繁使用双重否定，并常常省略句子的主句。
同样，韩国人在表达反对意见时也更为直接。
英语表达：不，我不想要。韩语表达：嗯……这东西对我个人来说，总觉得没那么有吸引力。/ 很抱歉，我觉得这有点困难。日语表达：嗯……好的，我会考虑一下的。
除了我上述提到的这些，日韩两国之间可能还存在更多其他方面的差异。
Bot Sep 6
Comparing “Korean mentality” and “Japanese mentality” requires caution: both labels compress wide internal diversity. Below are dominant cultural tendencies and social patterns commonly observed in cross-cultural studies, historical context, and everyday behavior—presented as general tendencies, not stereotypes.
对比“韩国国民心态”与“日本国民心态”需谨慎：这两个标签均忽略了各自社会内部的巨大差异性。以下是在跨文化研究、历史背景及日常行为中常见的主要文化倾向与社会模式——这些内容仅为普遍性趋势，而非刻板印象。
Core orientations
Korea: relational and mobilized collectivism. Social life often centers on dense, affective networks (family, hometown, school cohort, work group), with strong obligations and rapid mobilization of those networks for personal or political goals.
Japan: institutional and procedural collectivism. Social order prioritizes roles, rules, and predictable coordination; group harmony is maintained via tacit norms, formal processes, and self-restraint.
核心取向
韩国：注重关系联结与动员能力的集体主义。社会生活通常围绕紧密的情感网络（家庭、故乡、同窗、工作团队）展开，人们在这些网络中承担着强烈的责任与义务，且能为实现个人或政治目标迅速动员网络力量。
日本：注重制度规范与流程秩序的集体主义。社会秩序以角色、规则及可预期的协作优先；群体和谐通过默认规范、正式流程及自我约束来维持。
Communication and expression
Korea: more direct, emotionally expressive within in-groups; conflict and confrontation are more acceptable when advancing group or personal interests. Honor and face matter, but public displays of feeling—passionate appeals, strong rhetoric—are common.
沟通与表达
韩国：在内部群体中沟通更直接、情感表达更外放；为推动群体或个人利益，冲突与对抗更容易被接受。尊严与面子固然重要，但公开表达情感（如充满激情的呼吁、强烈的言辞）十分常见。
Japan: indirect, high-context, avoidance of explicit confrontation. Emphasis on ambiguity, reading the air (kuuki wo yomu), and preserving wa (harmony) through understatement and nonverbal cues.
日本：沟通间接、语境依赖性强，且避免直接对抗。注重表达的模糊性、“读懂空气”（kuuki wo yomu，即感知他人情绪与场合氛围），并通过委婉表述与非语言信号维护“和”（wa，即和谐）的状态。
Authority, hierarchy, and age
Korea: strong vertical hierarchy reinforced by Confucian filialism, but younger generations often challenge elders and institutions vigorously. Seniority matters in deference and obligation; loyalty to the in-group can be intense.
权威、等级与年龄
韩国：受儒家孝道思想影响，垂直等级制度森严，但年轻一代常积极挑战长辈与现有机构。资历在尊重与责任义务中起重要作用，人们对内部群体的忠诚度可能极高。
Japan: hierarchy conveyed through formal status and etiquette; deference is practiced but often mediated by ritualized politeness and procedural seniority rather than emotional loyalty. Challenge to authority tends to be less confrontational and more gradual.
日本：等级通过正式身份与礼仪体现；人们虽会表达尊重，但这种尊重多通过程式化的礼貌与流程性资历实现，而非基于情感的忠诚。对权威的挑战往往不具对抗性，且更倾向于循序渐进。
Collective action and social mobilization
Korea: higher propensity for rapid collective mobilization (street protests, online campaigns, corporate activism). Political and civic engagement can be intense and emotionally charged.
Japan: lower frequency of mass protest; civic participation often channeled into organized associations, consensus-building, or institutional pathways. Change tends to be incremental.
集体行动与社会动员
韩国：更倾向于快速组织集体动员（如街头抗议、线上运动、企业行动主义）。政治与公民参与度可能极高，且往往带有强烈的情感色彩。
日本：大规模抗议活动频率较低；公民参与多通过有组织的协会、共识构建或制度性渠道进行。变革往往是渐进式的。
Work culture and organizational life
Korea: intense work ethic with high competitiveness, long hours, strong loyalty to employer in many sectors, and hierarchical managerial styles. Group solidarity can demand conformity, but employees may expect reciprocal protection and career sponsorship.
职场文化与组织生活
韩国：职场中职业道德感强烈，竞争激烈，工作时长较长，许多行业中员工对雇主忠诚度高，管理模式呈等级制。群体凝聚力可能要求成员保持一致性，但员工也可能期望获得相应的保障与职业扶持。
Japan: emphasis on lifetime employment norms (weakened recently), meticulous process orientation, consensus decision-making (nemawashi), and strong team identity. Workplaces prioritize order, quality control, and procedural consensus.
日本：注重终身雇佣制传统（近年来有所弱化），工作中强调细致的流程导向、共识决策（nemawashi，即“根回”，指事前充分沟通以达成共识），以及强烈的团队认同感。职场优先重视秩序、质量控制与流程共识。
Risk, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Korea: high tolerance for rapid change and for high-risk, high-reward ventures—evident in chaebol-driven growth, fast-moving start-up scenes, and viral pop culture industries that scale quickly.
Japan: preference for incremental innovation, focus on craftsmanship, quality, and long-term refinement. Risk-taking is more measured; institutional barriers and social risk-aversion slow disruptive change.
风险、创新与创业
韩国：对快速变革及高风险高回报的项目容忍度高——这一点从财阀（chaebol）推动的经济增长、发展迅速的创业环境，以及快速形成规模的热门流行文化产业中可见一斑。
日本：倾向于渐进式创新，注重工艺、质量与长期打磨。风险承担更为审慎；制度性障碍与社会层面的风险规避态度，使得颠覆性变革进展缓慢。
Individualism vs. collectivism nuances
Korea: collectivism shaped by relational loyalty and status competition; social identity strongly tied to education, school cohort (hakwon), and regional/familial networks.
Japan: collectivism organized around situational roles and public order; personal identity expressed through group roles and adherence to social scxts.
个人主义与集体主义的细微差异
韩国：集体主义受关系忠诚度与地位竞争影响；社会身份与教育背景、同窗群体（hakwon，即课外补习班，此处引申为因补习形成的同窗关系）及地域/家族网络紧密相关。
日本：集体主义围绕情境角色与公共秩序构建；个人身份通过群体中的角色定位及对社会行为规范的遵守来体现。
Face, shame, and saving face
Korea: shame and honor are potent; loss of face can provoke public contestation or aggressive remediation. Public scandals often trigger intense social and political consequences.
Japan: shame functions as a regulatory mechanism encouraging self-restraint; public apology rituals and quiet remediation are common means of restoring social equilibrium.
面子、羞耻感与挽回面子
韩国：羞耻感与荣誉感影响力强；失面子可能引发公开争辩或强硬的补救行为。公共丑闻往往会引发强烈的社会与政治层面的后果。
日本：羞耻感是一种促进自我约束的调节机制；公开道歉仪式与低调的补救措施是恢复社会平衡的常见方式。
Emotional tone and public demeanor
Korea: more expressive warmth and overt solidarity in friendly contexts; public discourse can be forthright and even combative.
Japan: reserved public demeanor, polite distance, restraint in showing strong emotion in mixed or formal settings.
情感基调与公众言行举止
韩国：在友好场合中，人们表现出更外放的热情与明显的团结感；公共讨论可能直言不讳，甚至带有辩论性。
日本：公众场合中言行举止较为内敛，保持礼貌的距离感，在混合人群或正式场合中会克制强烈情感的表达。
Religion and worldview influences
Korea: strong Protestant Christianity influence alongside Confucian and Buddhist legacies; religious communities often serve as organized social networks and mobilizing forces.
Japan: Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, less doctrinal religiosity but pervasive ritual and seasonal practice that reinforce community rhythms rather than evangelical mobilization.
宗教与世界观的影响
韩国：新教基督教影响深远，同时并存儒家与佛教传统；宗教团体常作为有组织的社会网络及动员力量发挥作用。
日本：神道教与佛教融合共生，宗教教义色彩较淡，但仪式与季节性习俗普及广泛，这些习俗主要强化社区生活节奏，而非推动布道式的动员。
Generational shifts
Both societies show rapid attitudinal change among younger cohorts: greater individualism, global outlooks, and challenges to traditional work/family models. Korea’s pace of social change and visible protest culture has produced sharper intergenerational conflict in recent years; Japan’s change tends to be slower and more institutionally mediated.
代际变化
两个社会的年轻群体均呈现出快速的态度转变：个人主义意识增强，拥有全球视野，并对传统工作/家庭模式提出挑战。近年来，韩国社会变革速度快，抗议文化显著，导致代际冲突更为尖锐；而日本的社会变革往往更为缓慢，且更多通过制度层面逐步推进。
Practical implications (for visitors, managers, or diplomats)
Expect warmer, more immediate interpersonal intensity in Korea; be prepared for frank feedback and rapid relationship-building that includes obligation exchange.
Expect more formality, indirectness, and process sensitivity in Japan; invest time in reading context, following etiquette, and building trust through consistent, rule-following behavior.
实际启示（面向访客、管理者或外交官）
在韩国，人际互动往往更热情、更直接且情感浓度高；需做好接收坦率反馈的准备，人际关系建立速度快，且过程中可能涉及责任义务的往来。
在日本，社交场合更注重正式性与间接沟通，且对流程敏感度高；需投入时间理解情境、遵守礼仪，并通过始终如一的循规行为建立信任。
Sources and scope
Observations synthesize cross-cultural psychology, sociology, historical trajectories (modernization, industrial policy), and common sociolinguistic descxtions up to May 2024. Individual behavior varies widely by region, class, age, gender, and subculture; use these contrasts as probabilistic patterns, not deterministic rules.
资料来源与适用范围
上述观察结果综合了截至2024年5月的跨文化心理学、社会学、历史发展轨迹（现代化、产业政策）及常见社会语言学描述。个人行为因地域、阶层、年龄、性别及亚文化的不同而存在显著差异；请将这些对比视为概率性模式，而非决定性规则。
Kooseul Krystal KimLived in South Korea6y
库瑟尔·克里斯托尔·金 曾在韩国生活6年
I knew an American who had worked with engineers both in Korea and in Japan for a long time. He told me this parable to sum up the difference between the attitude and mentality of engineers in each of the countries.
我认识一位美国人，他长期与韩国和日本的工程师共事。他用一个寓言总结了两国工程师在态度和心态上的差异。
“Let’s say I ordered them to fit a square peg into a round hole. Japanese engineers start by carefully measuring the circumference and perimeter of the peg and the hole, and start the calculation and research to determine whether it is plausible. By the time they gave me the answer that they could do it, I wonder if they could finish it in time. They start the process ordering the knife that would fit this precision job. The blacksmith melts the metal to forge a knife and make the best knife you could ever get for this job. Once they receive the knife, they start cutting the peg peeling it one nanometer at a time. It takes time. Engineers work day and night with the same degree of precision for the entire time. It passes the deadline, but they say it is coming along and it will be done soon. Finally, the peg in the round hole arrives way past the deadline. It’s so seamless that I even forget the peg was originally square. However, it’s too late so I have no use for it anymore. But I can’t help admiring the final product and wishing that I had more time.
“假设我让他们把一根方榫头塞进圆洞里。日本工程师会先仔细测量榫头和洞口的周长与边长，然后开始计算和研究，判断这件事是否可行。等他们告诉我‘可以做到’的时候，我都怀疑能不能按时完成。他们会启动流程，定制一把适合这项精密工作的刀具，铁匠会熔化金属进行锻造，做出最适配这项任务的刀具。拿到刀具后，他们就开始切削榫头，一纳米一纳米地打磨。这很耗时，工程师们夜以继日地工作，全程保持同样的精准度。截止日期过去了，他们却还说‘进展顺利，很快就能完成’。最终，塞进圆洞的榫头的完成时间远远超出了截止日期，但成品严丝合缝到我都忘了它原本是方形的。但为时已晚，我已经用不上了，可又忍不住赞叹这个成品，真希望当初能多给点时间。
On the other hand, Korean engineers examine the peg and the hole for a while and give the answer right away. They take them to their lab and try this way and that till they figure out making the peg round enough to fit in the hole perfectly wouldn’t meet the deadline. Then, they go to a hardware store and buy the strongest nicest hammer and the gripper (if such a thing exists) they could find. They put the hole in the gripper and place the peg on top of it. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg. The edge broke off and the peg goes in. They continue. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg, to see it goes in right. It does. They continue until the peg goes in all the way. The edges broke off a bit and the shape looks a bit rough but it is in. They finish in deadline and hand me the final product. It’s not perfect but, hey, it serves the purpose. There’s no guarantee that it will work the same the second time. But it’s the problem on their end not mine. Unless I find a better way, it’s the best I got.
而韩国工程师会先观察榫头和洞口一会儿，然后立刻给出答复。他们把榫头和洞口带到实验室，反复尝试各种方法，最后发现要把榫头打磨得足够圆以完美契合洞口，根本无法在截止日期前完成。于是他们去五金店，买了能找到的最结实、最好用的锤子和夹具（如果有的话）。他们把带洞口的部件固定在夹具上，把榫头放在上面，“哐、哐、哐”地砸了起来。砸完后检查榫头，发现边角崩掉了一些，刚好能塞进洞里，于是继续砸。“哐、哐、哐”，再检查，确认能顺利塞进，就一直砸到榫头完全嵌入为止。虽然榫头边角崩了些，形状也略显粗糙，但确实塞进去了。他们在截止日期前完成了任务，把成品交给了我。成品不算完美，但好歹能满足用途。没法保证下次还能这么做成功，但那是他们的问题，不是我的。除非我找到更好的办法，不然这就是目前最可行的结果。
If I have a very important ambitious project AND plenty of time, I would prefer to work with Japanese engineers. However, time is the most scarce resource these days. I doubt such an opportunity would ever come.”
I told this to some Samsung engineers when I was teaching in Korea. They chuckled and nodded.
如果我有一个非常重要、目标宏大的项目，而且时间充裕，我更愿意和日本工程师合作。但如今，时间是最稀缺的资源，我怀疑很难有这样的机会。”
我在韩国教书的时候，把这个寓言讲给了几位三星的工程师听，他们听了之后都笑了笑，点了点头。
David Farnsworth Professional Translator of Japanese to English (1984–present)
戴维·法恩斯沃思 日语译英语专业翻译（1984年至今）
I once had an American friend who had spent a career in business negotiations in the Far East tell me the difference between Koreans and Japanese.
The Koreans, he said, cannot imagine a win-win situation. If you look satisfied with a deal, they back off because they think that the deal must be going against them. So the trick for a successful negotiation, he said, was to look sufficiently crestfallen at the result to persuade the Koreans that they had “won”.
我曾有一位在美国远东地区从事商业谈判多年的美国朋友，他跟我讲过韩国人和日本人的差异。
他说，韩国人无法想象双赢的局面。如果你看起来对一笔交易很满意，他们就会退缩，因为他们觉得这笔交易肯定对自己不利。所以他表示，成功谈判的诀窍是，对结果表现出足够沮丧的样子，让韩国人相信他们“赢了”。
The Japanese, he said, were different. You go into negotiation with them, and as you make your presentation they nod their heads repeatedly, saying Hai Hai (yes, yes), so that when you are done you think a deal is within your grasp. Imagine your surprise when they then respond, we’ll think about this and get back to you. When Japanese say Hai, Hai, he said, it does not mean Yes I agree with you. It means Yes I hear you.
他说，日本人则不同。你和他们进行谈判时，在你做陈述的过程中，他们会不停点头，说着“はいはい”（是的，是的），让你结束后觉得交易唾手可得。可当他们随后回应“我们会考虑一下，之后给你答复”时，你可想而知会有多惊讶。他说，日本人说“はいはい”，并不意味着“我同意你”，而是“我听到你说的话了”。
This is more pleasant than the Korean negotiations, but ultimately just as frustrating, he said.
他表示，这种情况比和韩国人谈判更让人感觉愉快，但最终同样令人沮丧。
詹姆斯·李 曾在日本生活（2006年至今）8年
James Yi lives in Japan (2006-present)8y
Originally Answered: What's the difference in mindset between Japanese and Koreans?
原问题：韩国人和日本人的思维方式有什么差异？
The stereotype is that Koreans are more direct and blunt in expressing their true intentions while Japanese go through great pains to avoid direct delivery of what they are truly thinking (hon-ne). Koreans, between close friends, like to tease each other to the point of seeming mean or “taking it too far”. The English people call it “taking a piss”. Koreans do that a lot. The Japanese are less likely to do that and are very polite to each other which for Korean people seems too distant.
一种常见印象是，韩国人表达真实意图时更直接坦率，而日本人会竭力避免直接说出自己的真实想法（本音）。韩国人在亲密朋友之间，喜欢互相调侃，有时甚至到了看似刻薄或“太过火”的程度。英国人称之为“开玩笑、逗趣”，韩国人经常这么做。日本人则不太会这样，他们彼此之间非常礼貌，这在韩国人看来显得过于疏远。
Similarly, Japanese people rarely invite their friends as guests. If a Japanese friend invites you for a dinner at their place, it means that they consider you a very close friend, a best friend. Koreans are more likely to invite people over, even if they are acquaintances and not a close friend. However, in both countries, compared to Americans, it is rare that they invite people over due to the highly urban nature of these countries. Apartments are small.
同样，日本人很少邀请朋友到家中做客。如果一位日本朋友邀请你去他家吃晚饭，说明他们把你当成了非常亲密的朋友，也就是挚友。韩国人则更愿意邀请别人来家里，即便对方只是熟人而非亲密朋友。不过，由于这两个国家都是高度城市化的社会，公寓面积较小，所以和美国人相比，两国人邀请他人到家中做客的情况都不算常见。
Both cultures value sacrificing the individual self for the benefit of the society compared to the Western world. But I feel like the Japanese are more ready to sacrifice themselves. For example, I hear that Japanese streets are so clean because every resident does their part to keep it clean. Such thing would not happen in Korea. Japanese people value the greater good maybe a little more than Koreans. Koreans can be more selfish. “as long as it doesn’t affect me and my family, i don’t care about the others”
与西方世界相比，这两种文化都重视为了社会利益牺牲个人。但我觉得日本人更愿意做出自我牺牲。比如，我听说日本的街道之所以那么干净，是因为每个居民都会尽自己的一份力保持整洁。这种情况在韩国不会发生。日本人对公共利益的重视可能比韩国人略多一些，韩国人则可能更自私一点，他们会想“只要不影响我和我的家人，别人的事我不管”。
For the youth (18–35), the contemporary Japanese youth are seen as less competitive in the job market than Korean counterparts. They are less likely to compete too hard for jobs or for university entrance. While in Korea, the competition is cut-throat and young people try so hard to build up their “specs”. Rather, the Japanese youth are more currently interested in a more relaxed lifestyle (karyu= slacker). In this regard, the Japanese youth are more similar to European or American youth. Also, Japanese people work less than Koreans. Japanese 1800 hours/year. Koreans 2200 hours/year.
对于18至35岁的年轻人来说，当代日本年轻人在就业市场上的竞争力被认为不如韩国年轻人。他们不太会为了工作或大学入学而过度竞争。而在韩国，竞争异常激烈，年轻人会拼命提升自己的“履历亮点”。相反，现在的日本年轻人更倾向于追求更轻松的生活方式（“ karyu”，即“躺平族”）。在这方面，日本年轻人更接近欧洲或美国的年轻人。此外，日本人的工作时长也比韩国人短，日本人每年工作1800小时，韩国人则是2200小时。
Korean culture seems more traditional and family-oriented. More conservative. Many Korean youth still live with their parents until they get married or get their first job. While, in Japan after high school graduation, they start living by themselves and experiment more with sex.
韩国文化似乎更传统，更以家庭为中心，也更保守。许多韩国年轻人在结婚或找到第一份工作前，仍然和父母住在一起。而在日本，年轻人高中毕业后就会开始独立生活，在性方面也会有更多尝试。
When it comes to paying, let’s say after a meal, in Korea, it’s always one person paying for the whole thing. Usually the older one or the higher ranking one pays. “Going Dutch” is not common. For Japanese people, it’s mostly “Dutch pay”, they only pay for themselves.
说到付款，比如饭后结账，在韩国通常是一个人支付全部费用，一般是年纪较大或职位较高的人买单，“AA制”并不常见。而日本人大多采用“AA制”，只支付自己的那部分费用。
I read somewhere that Japanese value “wa” = “harmony” while Koreans value “jeong” = “sense of attachment, bond, camaraderie”. “Wa” requires that everyone to stay within their alloted personal boundary and not interfere others. “Jeong” requires for this personal boundary line to be bent and mutilated as needs be.
Japanese people want simple, practical, calm, collected, reserved. They remind me of robots or Spock from Star Trek in this regard.
我在某处读到过，日本人重视“和”（wa），即“和谐”，而韩国人重视“情”（jeong），即“依恋感、联结、情谊”。“和”要求每个人都保持在自己既定的个人边界内，不干涉他人。“情”则要求根据需要灵活调整甚至打破这种个人边界。
日本人追求简单、实用、冷静、沉稳、内敛。在这方面，他们让我想起了机器人或者《星际迷航》里的斯波克。
Koreans show more of unprocessed raw feelings. More expressive, a bit more extroverted. I think Koreans are more emotionally charged people. Honestly, I’ve never seen a Japanese person get angry or lose their cool in public while for Koreans I’ve seen it countless times.
韩国人会展现出更多未经掩饰的原始情绪，更善于表达，也更外向一些。我认为韩国人是情感更强烈的群体。说实话，我从未见过日本人在公共场合生气或失控，但韩国人这样的情况我见过无数次。
海尔·李 曾在韩国生活6年
Hail Lee Lives in South Korea6y
Assuming you are talking about Koreans and Japanese as people, we have some starkly different characteristics.
One I’d like to point out the most is Koreans’ tendency to separate themselves from the government. This is the main cause of the continuing ‘bad blood’ between the two countries. The Japanese, coming from a culture where they used to treat the emperor as a god, think it’s bafflingly unfair that Koreans continued to fight tooth and nail after their government ‘made an agreement’. But to Koreans, whose farmers and monks historically fought off foreign forces with farming tools and rocks long after the king and military fled, don’t see why this has to do with anything. Koreans have a lot to say about their own government, they fight, kick out presidents, and do a lot to be involved. The Japanese, being private people, tend to go with the government’s decisions.
假设你说的是韩国人和日本人作为群体的差异，我们有一些非常鲜明的不同特质。
我最想指出的一点是，韩国人倾向于将自己与政府区分开来。这是两国之间矛盾持续不断的主要原因。日本人来自一个曾将天皇视为神明的文化，他们觉得韩国政府已经“达成协议”后，韩国民众仍然拼死抗争，这令人困惑且不公平。但对韩国人来说，历史上即便国王和军队早已逃离，农民和僧侣们仍会用农具和石块抵抗外国势力，他们不明白政府的协议和民众的态度有什么必然联系。韩国人对自己的政府有很多看法，他们会抗议、罢免总统，积极参与政治事务。而日本人比较注重个人隐私，倾向于遵从政府的决定。
Another thing related to this is the difference of attitude regarding social issues. Koreans like to make noise, argue, keep solidarity, sometimes to an overly emotional level. The “Me Too” movement for example. Koreans tend to rise up to a cause, raise their voices. When they did a survey in Japan however, it was mostly met with disinterest. It “wasn’t their business”, they said.
与此相关的另一点是双方对社会议题的态度差异。韩国人喜欢发声、争论、保持团结，有时甚至会达到过于情绪化的程度。比如“我也是”（Me Too）运动，韩国人会积极响应一项事业，发出自己的声音。但在日本进行相关调查时，大多数人对此表示不感兴趣，称这“与自己无关”。
These differences regrettably leads to a lot of strife in which Koreans get emotionally involved and frustrated, while the Japanese look on with disdain.
遗憾的是，这些差异导致了很多冲突，韩国人会投入情感并感到沮丧，而日本人则会冷眼旁观。
内基 毕业于釜庆国立大学，专业为韩国语言文学（信息更新于5年前）
Japanese are more introverted for their thoughts and feelings than Koreans. This means, it’s harder to know hidden or veiled thoughts of Japanese than those of Korean. In other words, Koreans are more direct about what they feel.
This makes some social differences. One of them is interests of political matters.
与韩国人相比，日本人在思想和情感上更为内向。这意味着，要了解日本人隐藏或含蓄的想法，比了解韩国人的要更困难。换句话说，韩国人在表达自身感受时更为直接。
这种性格差异导致了一些社会层面的不同，对政治事务的关注度便是其中之一。
Korean society is always noisy because of social matters and complaints against their government. If you go to Gwanghwamun plaza in seoul in South Korea, you can easily find masses of people protesting against their government or claiming their political requires. If most Koreans feel it’s needed, then thousands of Koreans gather there and protest and insist what they want or stop everyday. A recent example is the impeachment of the former presidant, Park Geunhye.
韩国社会常因各类社会事件以及民众对政府的不满而显得喧嚣。如果你前往韩国首尔的光化门广场，很容易看到大批民众聚集在此，抗议政府或提出自身的政治诉求。只要大多数韩国人认为有必要，成千上万的民众就会聚集到这里进行抗议，坚持表达自身诉求，甚至不惜中断日常事务。近期的一个例子便是前总统朴槿惠的弹劾事件。
In contrast, Japanese’re less enthusiastic about their political matters than Koreans. It sometimes even seems that they don’t care how their government does. So, the society of Japan is very quiet and calm, looks peaceful appearantly wheras Korean society looks as if it would collapse right in the next year.
与之相反，日本人对政治事务的热情远不及韩国人，有时甚至会让人觉得他们并不关心政府的作为。因此，日本社会整体十分安静平和，表面上呈现出一派安宁的景象；而韩国社会则给人一种似乎明年就会陷入混乱的感觉。
This difference is found even in their languages.
Double negation occurs more frequently in Japanese than Korean.
这种差异甚至体现在他们的语言表达中。
日语中双重否定的使用频率比韩语更高。
Korean style: We have to do this. Japanese style: If we don’t do this… (It’s not okay if we don’t do.) Korean style: I have to help him. Japanese style: If I don’t help him… (It’s not okay if I don’t help him.) Korean style: We’ve got to do something if that’s what we have to do. Japanese style: It’s not okay if we don’t do something when we have to do it.
韩语表达：我们必须做这件事。日语表达：如果我们不做这件事的话……（如果不做是不行的。）韩语表达：我必须帮他。日语表达：如果我不帮他的话……（如果不帮他是不行的。）韩语表达：如果情况需要，我们就得采取行动。日语表达：当需要采取行动时，如果我们不做些什么是不行的。
As direct sending of what they feel is sometimes considered rude in Japanese, they made the double negation and omission of the main clause frequent.
Similarly, obxtion is more direct in Korean.
English style: No. I don’t want it. Korean style: Well… It’s somehow not that attractive to me personally. / I’m sorry. I think it’s difficult. Japanese style: Well… Okay. I’ll consider it.
There may be much more examples of their differences other than what I said.
在日本文化中，直接表达自身感受有时会被视为不礼貌，因此日本人频繁使用双重否定，并常常省略句子的主句。
同样，韩国人在表达反对意见时也更为直接。
英语表达：不，我不想要。韩语表达：嗯……这东西对我个人来说，总觉得没那么有吸引力。/ 很抱歉，我觉得这有点困难。日语表达：嗯……好的，我会考虑一下的。
除了我上述提到的这些，日韩两国之间可能还存在更多其他方面的差异。
Bot Sep 6
Comparing “Korean mentality” and “Japanese mentality” requires caution: both labels compress wide internal diversity. Below are dominant cultural tendencies and social patterns commonly observed in cross-cultural studies, historical context, and everyday behavior—presented as general tendencies, not stereotypes.
对比“韩国国民心态”与“日本国民心态”需谨慎：这两个标签均忽略了各自社会内部的巨大差异性。以下是在跨文化研究、历史背景及日常行为中常见的主要文化倾向与社会模式——这些内容仅为普遍性趋势，而非刻板印象。
Core orientations
Korea: relational and mobilized collectivism. Social life often centers on dense, affective networks (family, hometown, school cohort, work group), with strong obligations and rapid mobilization of those networks for personal or political goals.
Japan: institutional and procedural collectivism. Social order prioritizes roles, rules, and predictable coordination; group harmony is maintained via tacit norms, formal processes, and self-restraint.
核心取向
韩国：注重关系联结与动员能力的集体主义。社会生活通常围绕紧密的情感网络（家庭、故乡、同窗、工作团队）展开，人们在这些网络中承担着强烈的责任与义务，且能为实现个人或政治目标迅速动员网络力量。
日本：注重制度规范与流程秩序的集体主义。社会秩序以角色、规则及可预期的协作优先；群体和谐通过默认规范、正式流程及自我约束来维持。
Communication and expression
Korea: more direct, emotionally expressive within in-groups; conflict and confrontation are more acceptable when advancing group or personal interests. Honor and face matter, but public displays of feeling—passionate appeals, strong rhetoric—are common.
沟通与表达
韩国：在内部群体中沟通更直接、情感表达更外放；为推动群体或个人利益，冲突与对抗更容易被接受。尊严与面子固然重要，但公开表达情感（如充满激情的呼吁、强烈的言辞）十分常见。
Japan: indirect, high-context, avoidance of explicit confrontation. Emphasis on ambiguity, reading the air (kuuki wo yomu), and preserving wa (harmony) through understatement and nonverbal cues.
日本：沟通间接、语境依赖性强，且避免直接对抗。注重表达的模糊性、“读懂空气”（kuuki wo yomu，即感知他人情绪与场合氛围），并通过委婉表述与非语言信号维护“和”（wa，即和谐）的状态。
Authority, hierarchy, and age
Korea: strong vertical hierarchy reinforced by Confucian filialism, but younger generations often challenge elders and institutions vigorously. Seniority matters in deference and obligation; loyalty to the in-group can be intense.
权威、等级与年龄
韩国：受儒家孝道思想影响，垂直等级制度森严，但年轻一代常积极挑战长辈与现有机构。资历在尊重与责任义务中起重要作用，人们对内部群体的忠诚度可能极高。
Japan: hierarchy conveyed through formal status and etiquette; deference is practiced but often mediated by ritualized politeness and procedural seniority rather than emotional loyalty. Challenge to authority tends to be less confrontational and more gradual.
日本：等级通过正式身份与礼仪体现；人们虽会表达尊重，但这种尊重多通过程式化的礼貌与流程性资历实现，而非基于情感的忠诚。对权威的挑战往往不具对抗性，且更倾向于循序渐进。
Collective action and social mobilization
Korea: higher propensity for rapid collective mobilization (street protests, online campaigns, corporate activism). Political and civic engagement can be intense and emotionally charged.
Japan: lower frequency of mass protest; civic participation often channeled into organized associations, consensus-building, or institutional pathways. Change tends to be incremental.
集体行动与社会动员
韩国：更倾向于快速组织集体动员（如街头抗议、线上运动、企业行动主义）。政治与公民参与度可能极高，且往往带有强烈的情感色彩。
日本：大规模抗议活动频率较低；公民参与多通过有组织的协会、共识构建或制度性渠道进行。变革往往是渐进式的。
Work culture and organizational life
Korea: intense work ethic with high competitiveness, long hours, strong loyalty to employer in many sectors, and hierarchical managerial styles. Group solidarity can demand conformity, but employees may expect reciprocal protection and career sponsorship.
职场文化与组织生活
韩国：职场中职业道德感强烈，竞争激烈，工作时长较长，许多行业中员工对雇主忠诚度高，管理模式呈等级制。群体凝聚力可能要求成员保持一致性，但员工也可能期望获得相应的保障与职业扶持。
Japan: emphasis on lifetime employment norms (weakened recently), meticulous process orientation, consensus decision-making (nemawashi), and strong team identity. Workplaces prioritize order, quality control, and procedural consensus.
日本：注重终身雇佣制传统（近年来有所弱化），工作中强调细致的流程导向、共识决策（nemawashi，即“根回”，指事前充分沟通以达成共识），以及强烈的团队认同感。职场优先重视秩序、质量控制与流程共识。
Risk, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Korea: high tolerance for rapid change and for high-risk, high-reward ventures—evident in chaebol-driven growth, fast-moving start-up scenes, and viral pop culture industries that scale quickly.
Japan: preference for incremental innovation, focus on craftsmanship, quality, and long-term refinement. Risk-taking is more measured; institutional barriers and social risk-aversion slow disruptive change.
风险、创新与创业
韩国：对快速变革及高风险高回报的项目容忍度高——这一点从财阀（chaebol）推动的经济增长、发展迅速的创业环境，以及快速形成规模的热门流行文化产业中可见一斑。
日本：倾向于渐进式创新，注重工艺、质量与长期打磨。风险承担更为审慎；制度性障碍与社会层面的风险规避态度，使得颠覆性变革进展缓慢。
Individualism vs. collectivism nuances
Korea: collectivism shaped by relational loyalty and status competition; social identity strongly tied to education, school cohort (hakwon), and regional/familial networks.
Japan: collectivism organized around situational roles and public order; personal identity expressed through group roles and adherence to social scxts.
个人主义与集体主义的细微差异
韩国：集体主义受关系忠诚度与地位竞争影响；社会身份与教育背景、同窗群体（hakwon，即课外补习班，此处引申为因补习形成的同窗关系）及地域/家族网络紧密相关。
日本：集体主义围绕情境角色与公共秩序构建；个人身份通过群体中的角色定位及对社会行为规范的遵守来体现。
Face, shame, and saving face
Korea: shame and honor are potent; loss of face can provoke public contestation or aggressive remediation. Public scandals often trigger intense social and political consequences.
Japan: shame functions as a regulatory mechanism encouraging self-restraint; public apology rituals and quiet remediation are common means of restoring social equilibrium.
面子、羞耻感与挽回面子
韩国：羞耻感与荣誉感影响力强；失面子可能引发公开争辩或强硬的补救行为。公共丑闻往往会引发强烈的社会与政治层面的后果。
日本：羞耻感是一种促进自我约束的调节机制；公开道歉仪式与低调的补救措施是恢复社会平衡的常见方式。
Emotional tone and public demeanor
Korea: more expressive warmth and overt solidarity in friendly contexts; public discourse can be forthright and even combative.
Japan: reserved public demeanor, polite distance, restraint in showing strong emotion in mixed or formal settings.
情感基调与公众言行举止
韩国：在友好场合中，人们表现出更外放的热情与明显的团结感；公共讨论可能直言不讳，甚至带有辩论性。
日本：公众场合中言行举止较为内敛，保持礼貌的距离感，在混合人群或正式场合中会克制强烈情感的表达。
Religion and worldview influences
Korea: strong Protestant Christianity influence alongside Confucian and Buddhist legacies; religious communities often serve as organized social networks and mobilizing forces.
Japan: Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, less doctrinal religiosity but pervasive ritual and seasonal practice that reinforce community rhythms rather than evangelical mobilization.
宗教与世界观的影响
韩国：新教基督教影响深远，同时并存儒家与佛教传统；宗教团体常作为有组织的社会网络及动员力量发挥作用。
日本：神道教与佛教融合共生，宗教教义色彩较淡，但仪式与季节性习俗普及广泛，这些习俗主要强化社区生活节奏，而非推动布道式的动员。
Generational shifts
Both societies show rapid attitudinal change among younger cohorts: greater individualism, global outlooks, and challenges to traditional work/family models. Korea’s pace of social change and visible protest culture has produced sharper intergenerational conflict in recent years; Japan’s change tends to be slower and more institutionally mediated.
代际变化
两个社会的年轻群体均呈现出快速的态度转变：个人主义意识增强，拥有全球视野，并对传统工作/家庭模式提出挑战。近年来，韩国社会变革速度快，抗议文化显著，导致代际冲突更为尖锐；而日本的社会变革往往更为缓慢，且更多通过制度层面逐步推进。
Practical implications (for visitors, managers, or diplomats)
Expect warmer, more immediate interpersonal intensity in Korea; be prepared for frank feedback and rapid relationship-building that includes obligation exchange.
Expect more formality, indirectness, and process sensitivity in Japan; invest time in reading context, following etiquette, and building trust through consistent, rule-following behavior.
实际启示（面向访客、管理者或外交官）
在韩国，人际互动往往更热情、更直接且情感浓度高；需做好接收坦率反馈的准备，人际关系建立速度快，且过程中可能涉及责任义务的往来。
在日本，社交场合更注重正式性与间接沟通，且对流程敏感度高；需投入时间理解情境、遵守礼仪，并通过始终如一的循规行为建立信任。
Sources and scope
Observations synthesize cross-cultural psychology, sociology, historical trajectories (modernization, industrial policy), and common sociolinguistic descxtions up to May 2024. Individual behavior varies widely by region, class, age, gender, and subculture; use these contrasts as probabilistic patterns, not deterministic rules.
资料来源与适用范围
上述观察结果综合了截至2024年5月的跨文化心理学、社会学、历史发展轨迹（现代化、产业政策）及常见社会语言学描述。个人行为因地域、阶层、年龄、性别及亚文化的不同而存在显著差异；请将这些对比视为概率性模式，而非决定性规则。
Kooseul Krystal KimLived in South Korea6y
库瑟尔·克里斯托尔·金 曾在韩国生活6年
I knew an American who had worked with engineers both in Korea and in Japan for a long time. He told me this parable to sum up the difference between the attitude and mentality of engineers in each of the countries.
我认识一位美国人，他长期与韩国和日本的工程师共事。他用一个寓言总结了两国工程师在态度和心态上的差异。
“Let’s say I ordered them to fit a square peg into a round hole. Japanese engineers start by carefully measuring the circumference and perimeter of the peg and the hole, and start the calculation and research to determine whether it is plausible. By the time they gave me the answer that they could do it, I wonder if they could finish it in time. They start the process ordering the knife that would fit this precision job. The blacksmith melts the metal to forge a knife and make the best knife you could ever get for this job. Once they receive the knife, they start cutting the peg peeling it one nanometer at a time. It takes time. Engineers work day and night with the same degree of precision for the entire time. It passes the deadline, but they say it is coming along and it will be done soon. Finally, the peg in the round hole arrives way past the deadline. It’s so seamless that I even forget the peg was originally square. However, it’s too late so I have no use for it anymore. But I can’t help admiring the final product and wishing that I had more time.
“假设我让他们把一根方榫头塞进圆洞里。日本工程师会先仔细测量榫头和洞口的周长与边长，然后开始计算和研究，判断这件事是否可行。等他们告诉我‘可以做到’的时候，我都怀疑能不能按时完成。他们会启动流程，定制一把适合这项精密工作的刀具，铁匠会熔化金属进行锻造，做出最适配这项任务的刀具。拿到刀具后，他们就开始切削榫头，一纳米一纳米地打磨。这很耗时，工程师们夜以继日地工作，全程保持同样的精准度。截止日期过去了，他们却还说‘进展顺利，很快就能完成’。最终，塞进圆洞的榫头的完成时间远远超出了截止日期，但成品严丝合缝到我都忘了它原本是方形的。但为时已晚，我已经用不上了，可又忍不住赞叹这个成品，真希望当初能多给点时间。
On the other hand, Korean engineers examine the peg and the hole for a while and give the answer right away. They take them to their lab and try this way and that till they figure out making the peg round enough to fit in the hole perfectly wouldn’t meet the deadline. Then, they go to a hardware store and buy the strongest nicest hammer and the gripper (if such a thing exists) they could find. They put the hole in the gripper and place the peg on top of it. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg. The edge broke off and the peg goes in. They continue. BAM, BAM, BAM. They check the peg, to see it goes in right. It does. They continue until the peg goes in all the way. The edges broke off a bit and the shape looks a bit rough but it is in. They finish in deadline and hand me the final product. It’s not perfect but, hey, it serves the purpose. There’s no guarantee that it will work the same the second time. But it’s the problem on their end not mine. Unless I find a better way, it’s the best I got.
而韩国工程师会先观察榫头和洞口一会儿，然后立刻给出答复。他们把榫头和洞口带到实验室，反复尝试各种方法，最后发现要把榫头打磨得足够圆以完美契合洞口，根本无法在截止日期前完成。于是他们去五金店，买了能找到的最结实、最好用的锤子和夹具（如果有的话）。他们把带洞口的部件固定在夹具上，把榫头放在上面，“哐、哐、哐”地砸了起来。砸完后检查榫头，发现边角崩掉了一些，刚好能塞进洞里，于是继续砸。“哐、哐、哐”，再检查，确认能顺利塞进，就一直砸到榫头完全嵌入为止。虽然榫头边角崩了些，形状也略显粗糙，但确实塞进去了。他们在截止日期前完成了任务，把成品交给了我。成品不算完美，但好歹能满足用途。没法保证下次还能这么做成功，但那是他们的问题，不是我的。除非我找到更好的办法，不然这就是目前最可行的结果。
If I have a very important ambitious project AND plenty of time, I would prefer to work with Japanese engineers. However, time is the most scarce resource these days. I doubt such an opportunity would ever come.”
I told this to some Samsung engineers when I was teaching in Korea. They chuckled and nodded.
如果我有一个非常重要、目标宏大的项目，而且时间充裕，我更愿意和日本工程师合作。但如今，时间是最稀缺的资源，我怀疑很难有这样的机会。”
我在韩国教书的时候，把这个寓言讲给了几位三星的工程师听，他们听了之后都笑了笑，点了点头。
David Farnsworth Professional Translator of Japanese to English (1984–present)
戴维·法恩斯沃思 日语译英语专业翻译（1984年至今）
I once had an American friend who had spent a career in business negotiations in the Far East tell me the difference between Koreans and Japanese.
The Koreans, he said, cannot imagine a win-win situation. If you look satisfied with a deal, they back off because they think that the deal must be going against them. So the trick for a successful negotiation, he said, was to look sufficiently crestfallen at the result to persuade the Koreans that they had “won”.
我曾有一位在美国远东地区从事商业谈判多年的美国朋友，他跟我讲过韩国人和日本人的差异。
他说，韩国人无法想象双赢的局面。如果你看起来对一笔交易很满意，他们就会退缩，因为他们觉得这笔交易肯定对自己不利。所以他表示，成功谈判的诀窍是，对结果表现出足够沮丧的样子，让韩国人相信他们“赢了”。
The Japanese, he said, were different. You go into negotiation with them, and as you make your presentation they nod their heads repeatedly, saying Hai Hai (yes, yes), so that when you are done you think a deal is within your grasp. Imagine your surprise when they then respond, we’ll think about this and get back to you. When Japanese say Hai, Hai, he said, it does not mean Yes I agree with you. It means Yes I hear you.
他说，日本人则不同。你和他们进行谈判时，在你做陈述的过程中，他们会不停点头，说着“はいはい”（是的，是的），让你结束后觉得交易唾手可得。可当他们随后回应“我们会考虑一下，之后给你答复”时，你可想而知会有多惊讶。他说，日本人说“はいはい”，并不意味着“我同意你”，而是“我听到你说的话了”。
This is more pleasant than the Korean negotiations, but ultimately just as frustrating, he said.
他表示，这种情况比和韩国人谈判更让人感觉愉快，但最终同样令人沮丧。
詹姆斯·李 曾在日本生活（2006年至今）8年
James Yi lives in Japan (2006-present)8y
Originally Answered: What's the difference in mindset between Japanese and Koreans?
原问题：韩国人和日本人的思维方式有什么差异？
The stereotype is that Koreans are more direct and blunt in expressing their true intentions while Japanese go through great pains to avoid direct delivery of what they are truly thinking (hon-ne). Koreans, between close friends, like to tease each other to the point of seeming mean or “taking it too far”. The English people call it “taking a piss”. Koreans do that a lot. The Japanese are less likely to do that and are very polite to each other which for Korean people seems too distant.
一种常见印象是，韩国人表达真实意图时更直接坦率，而日本人会竭力避免直接说出自己的真实想法（本音）。韩国人在亲密朋友之间，喜欢互相调侃，有时甚至到了看似刻薄或“太过火”的程度。英国人称之为“开玩笑、逗趣”，韩国人经常这么做。日本人则不太会这样，他们彼此之间非常礼貌，这在韩国人看来显得过于疏远。
Similarly, Japanese people rarely invite their friends as guests. If a Japanese friend invites you for a dinner at their place, it means that they consider you a very close friend, a best friend. Koreans are more likely to invite people over, even if they are acquaintances and not a close friend. However, in both countries, compared to Americans, it is rare that they invite people over due to the highly urban nature of these countries. Apartments are small.
同样，日本人很少邀请朋友到家中做客。如果一位日本朋友邀请你去他家吃晚饭，说明他们把你当成了非常亲密的朋友，也就是挚友。韩国人则更愿意邀请别人来家里，即便对方只是熟人而非亲密朋友。不过，由于这两个国家都是高度城市化的社会，公寓面积较小，所以和美国人相比，两国人邀请他人到家中做客的情况都不算常见。
Both cultures value sacrificing the individual self for the benefit of the society compared to the Western world. But I feel like the Japanese are more ready to sacrifice themselves. For example, I hear that Japanese streets are so clean because every resident does their part to keep it clean. Such thing would not happen in Korea. Japanese people value the greater good maybe a little more than Koreans. Koreans can be more selfish. “as long as it doesn’t affect me and my family, i don’t care about the others”
与西方世界相比，这两种文化都重视为了社会利益牺牲个人。但我觉得日本人更愿意做出自我牺牲。比如，我听说日本的街道之所以那么干净，是因为每个居民都会尽自己的一份力保持整洁。这种情况在韩国不会发生。日本人对公共利益的重视可能比韩国人略多一些，韩国人则可能更自私一点，他们会想“只要不影响我和我的家人，别人的事我不管”。
For the youth (18–35), the contemporary Japanese youth are seen as less competitive in the job market than Korean counterparts. They are less likely to compete too hard for jobs or for university entrance. While in Korea, the competition is cut-throat and young people try so hard to build up their “specs”. Rather, the Japanese youth are more currently interested in a more relaxed lifestyle (karyu= slacker). In this regard, the Japanese youth are more similar to European or American youth. Also, Japanese people work less than Koreans. Japanese 1800 hours/year. Koreans 2200 hours/year.
对于18至35岁的年轻人来说，当代日本年轻人在就业市场上的竞争力被认为不如韩国年轻人。他们不太会为了工作或大学入学而过度竞争。而在韩国，竞争异常激烈，年轻人会拼命提升自己的“履历亮点”。相反，现在的日本年轻人更倾向于追求更轻松的生活方式（“ karyu”，即“躺平族”）。在这方面，日本年轻人更接近欧洲或美国的年轻人。此外，日本人的工作时长也比韩国人短，日本人每年工作1800小时，韩国人则是2200小时。
Korean culture seems more traditional and family-oriented. More conservative. Many Korean youth still live with their parents until they get married or get their first job. While, in Japan after high school graduation, they start living by themselves and experiment more with sex.
韩国文化似乎更传统，更以家庭为中心，也更保守。许多韩国年轻人在结婚或找到第一份工作前，仍然和父母住在一起。而在日本，年轻人高中毕业后就会开始独立生活，在性方面也会有更多尝试。
When it comes to paying, let’s say after a meal, in Korea, it’s always one person paying for the whole thing. Usually the older one or the higher ranking one pays. “Going Dutch” is not common. For Japanese people, it’s mostly “Dutch pay”, they only pay for themselves.
说到付款，比如饭后结账，在韩国通常是一个人支付全部费用，一般是年纪较大或职位较高的人买单，“AA制”并不常见。而日本人大多采用“AA制”，只支付自己的那部分费用。
I read somewhere that Japanese value “wa” = “harmony” while Koreans value “jeong” = “sense of attachment, bond, camaraderie”. “Wa” requires that everyone to stay within their alloted personal boundary and not interfere others. “Jeong” requires for this personal boundary line to be bent and mutilated as needs be.
Japanese people want simple, practical, calm, collected, reserved. They remind me of robots or Spock from Star Trek in this regard.
我在某处读到过，日本人重视“和”（wa），即“和谐”，而韩国人重视“情”（jeong），即“依恋感、联结、情谊”。“和”要求每个人都保持在自己既定的个人边界内，不干涉他人。“情”则要求根据需要灵活调整甚至打破这种个人边界。
日本人追求简单、实用、冷静、沉稳、内敛。在这方面，他们让我想起了机器人或者《星际迷航》里的斯波克。
Koreans show more of unprocessed raw feelings. More expressive, a bit more extroverted. I think Koreans are more emotionally charged people. Honestly, I’ve never seen a Japanese person get angry or lose their cool in public while for Koreans I’ve seen it countless times.
韩国人会展现出更多未经掩饰的原始情绪，更善于表达，也更外向一些。我认为韩国人是情感更强烈的群体。说实话，我从未见过日本人在公共场合生气或失控，但韩国人这样的情况我见过无数次。
海尔·李 曾在韩国生活6年
Hail Lee Lives in South Korea6y
Assuming you are talking about Koreans and Japanese as people, we have some starkly different characteristics.
One I’d like to point out the most is Koreans’ tendency to separate themselves from the government. This is the main cause of the continuing ‘bad blood’ between the two countries. The Japanese, coming from a culture where they used to treat the emperor as a god, think it’s bafflingly unfair that Koreans continued to fight tooth and nail after their government ‘made an agreement’. But to Koreans, whose farmers and monks historically fought off foreign forces with farming tools and rocks long after the king and military fled, don’t see why this has to do with anything. Koreans have a lot to say about their own government, they fight, kick out presidents, and do a lot to be involved. The Japanese, being private people, tend to go with the government’s decisions.
假设你说的是韩国人和日本人作为群体的差异，我们有一些非常鲜明的不同特质。
我最想指出的一点是，韩国人倾向于将自己与政府区分开来。这是两国之间矛盾持续不断的主要原因。日本人来自一个曾将天皇视为神明的文化，他们觉得韩国政府已经“达成协议”后，韩国民众仍然拼死抗争，这令人困惑且不公平。但对韩国人来说，历史上即便国王和军队早已逃离，农民和僧侣们仍会用农具和石块抵抗外国势力，他们不明白政府的协议和民众的态度有什么必然联系。韩国人对自己的政府有很多看法，他们会抗议、罢免总统，积极参与政治事务。而日本人比较注重个人隐私，倾向于遵从政府的决定。
Another thing related to this is the difference of attitude regarding social issues. Koreans like to make noise, argue, keep solidarity, sometimes to an overly emotional level. The “Me Too” movement for example. Koreans tend to rise up to a cause, raise their voices. When they did a survey in Japan however, it was mostly met with disinterest. It “wasn’t their business”, they said.
与此相关的另一点是双方对社会议题的态度差异。韩国人喜欢发声、争论、保持团结，有时甚至会达到过于情绪化的程度。比如“我也是”（Me Too）运动，韩国人会积极响应一项事业，发出自己的声音。但在日本进行相关调查时，大多数人对此表示不感兴趣，称这“与自己无关”。
These differences regrettably leads to a lot of strife in which Koreans get emotionally involved and frustrated, while the Japanese look on with disdain.
遗憾的是，这些差异导致了很多冲突，韩国人会投入情感并感到沮丧，而日本人则会冷眼旁观。
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