How do the Japanese people react when they are mistaken as being Chinese by Westerners?
当日本人被西方人认错成中国人时有什么反应?

 

获得3.8k好评的回答@Misako Fukuda

I don’t feel bad or angry at all. I just said, “I am Japanese”.
我并不觉得糟糕或者生气。我只是会解释说:“我是日本人。”

I know that they can’t recognise which one is Japanese or Chinese.
我知道他们没办法区分哪个是中国人哪个是日本人。

We are all similar faces. I think they feel Asian is all same. I can’t recognise which one is American or English either.
我们拥有相同的脸,我觉得他们认为亚洲人长得都一样,就像我也没办法区分美国人和英国人一样。

 

获得3.7k好评的回答@Mari Seto

I would actually be impressed if a Westerner recognizes me as Japanese. 
如果西方人能认出我是日本人我才会很惊讶。

I mean, even I sometimes can’t tell the Asians apart. 
因为即使是我,有时候也没办法区分亚洲人。

It’s a reasonable assumption since what, almost 90% of the East Asian population is Chinese.
这是非常合理的一条假设,因为,中国人口占据了东亚人口的90%。

I usually politely correct them, teach them the Japanese greetings (Konnichiwa), and walk away to get on with my life.
我通常会礼貌地纠正他们并且教他们日本人的问候方式,然后走开继续过我的生活。

P.S. In reverse, I will also confess that despite living in Germany for the past two years, I have never been able to tell Italians and Germans apart.
备注:反过来,即使我在德国生活了两年,我也没办法区分意大利人和德国人。

 

获得556好评的回答@Paul Irving

My wife either ignores it, or politely corrects them, depending on context.
我的妻子要嘛忽视它要嘛礼貌地纠正他们,完全取决于当时的语境。

 

(翻译:苏梨)