讀後心得

This article discusses the Japanese tourist destinations that Taiwanese people often misread or misspell. Taking Shibuya as an example, the correct traditional Chinese characters are "澀谷," not "涉谷," because the pronunciations are similar. The text also lists other place names, such as Niigata and Hida, and emphasizes the issue of misspellings in Chinese. Many Taiwanese people may misunderstand due to the similarity of Chinese characters while traveling. The article reminds everyone to pay attention to correct pronunciations and spellings to avoid embarrassment.

It's Shibuya, not Shebuya! 6 Japanese popular tourist destinations that are easily mispronounced by Taiwanese people. The trend of Taiwanese people traveling to Japan continues to heat up, and travel information about various places in Japan is readily available online. Additionally, Japanese uses kanji, which lowers the difficulty for Taiwanese travelers in Japan. However, sometimes when discussing travel information about Japan with others, you might find the same place name written or pronounced differently, which raises curiosity about which character or pronunciation is correct. Thus, we have collected the Japanese kanji place names that Taiwanese people often misread or misunderstand. Come see if you have also misunderstood!

• 澀谷 VS 涉谷

  

  The first place to mention is one of the most popular areas for tourists in Tokyo, where misspellings are common—“Shibuya”! The kanji for Shibuya is “渋谷,” and “渋” in Japanese refers to the taste of astringency. Therefore, the traditional Chinese characters for “渋谷” would be “澀谷,” and the official website of the Shibuya administrative district “渋谷区” is also written as “澀谷區” in Chinese. However, since the character “渋” is very similar to the Chinese character “涉,” and the pronunciations “ㄕㄜˋ” and “ㄙㄜˋ” are quite similar, many Taiwanese people mistakenly misinterpret this by hearing or seeing the characters, which has led to the widespread use of the incorrect term “Shebuya.”

• 新潟 VS 新瀉

  

  Niigata, located in the central part of Honshu, may not be as well known as Tokyo, but “Echigo Yuzawa” within Niigata Prefecture is a very famous ski resort in Japan and is relatively close to the metropolitan area, attracting many foreign tourists every winter. There are direct flights from Taiwan to Niigata Airport, which has increased the number of Taiwanese travelers in recent years. The Chinese name for “Niigata” is actually exactly the same as the Japanese kanji, where the character “潟” is pronounced as “ㄒㄧˋ.” However, since this character is rarely used in Chinese and there is a similar character “瀉,” many Taiwanese people mispronounce it as “ㄒㄧㄝˋ,” mistakenly believing that the traditional Chinese for “Niigata” is “新瀉.”

• 栃木 VS 櫔木／櫪木

  

  Tochigi, one of Japan's prefectures, is a famous strawberry production area. The tourist spots in Tochigi that Taiwanese people love to visit in autumn, such as “Nikko” and “Lake Chuzenji,” are located here. Therefore, it is common to see some travel information written as “櫔木” or “櫪木,” but actually, the character “栃” refers to a type of tree called the Japanese horse chestnut. The Chinese character “櫔” refers to a similar type of plant to “栃,” so writing “栃木” as “櫔木” is a bit of a stretch, but the character “櫪” has no relation at all, making “櫪木” a clear misspelling. Currently, the official publications of Tochigi Prefecture use the Japanese kanji “栃木” directly, and the Chinese input method "ㄌ一ˋ" can also generate the character “栃,” so it's best to use “栃木” from now on!

• 飛驒 VS 飛彈

  

  Hida in Gifu Prefecture is the breeding ground for the famous black beef "Hida Beef." After the animated film "Your Name" became a huge hit in 2016, its popularity surged due to pilgrimage tourism. The kanji for Hida is "飛騨," and it can be directly written in traditional Chinese as "飛驒," where "驒" is pronounced as "ㄊㄨㄛˊ." However, since this character is so rarely seen in Chinese, many people will mispronounce it as "彈" pronounced "ㄉㄢˋ," and some even mistakenly type it as "飛彈," which can easily lead to humorous situations.

• 道頓堀 VS 道頓掘

  

  Dotonbori is a shopping street that everyone going to Osaka should visit, so nearly every trip to Osaka includes searching online or discussing this place with friends. Generally, Dotonbori can directly use the Japanese kanji, but since the character “堀” is rarely used in Taiwan, many Taiwanese people mistakenly believe it refers to the “digging” character “掘,” directly pronouncing and writing “道頓堀 (ㄎㄨ)” as “道頓掘 (ㄐㄩㄝˊ).” Additionally, “堀” often appears in Japanese surnames, such as the famous actress 堀北真希 and voice actress 堀江由衣, who are both well-known in Taiwan, so be careful not to mispronounce their names!

• 祇園 VS 祗園

  

  Lastly, Gion in Kyoto, known for its geisha and traditional arts, attracts many Taiwanese who want to experience Kyoto's elegance and nobility. Although "祇園" directly uses the Japanese kanji in Chinese, the pronunciation of "祇" often confuses Taiwanese people. The correct pronunciation is "ㄑㄧˊ," but due to the existence of the very similar character "祗," which is pronounced "ㄓ" in Chinese, many people mistakenly misread or are unsure how to pronounce it and therefore directly write it as "祗園."

Because Japanese contains kanji, Taiwanese people who do not understand Japanese can somewhat read kanji while traveling in Japan. Information that used to rely solely on word of mouth for travel has become much easier to find with the development of the internet. However, many pieces of incorrect information have also become more common in our surroundings. Sometimes, mistakenly following misconceptions can be a bit awkward. The next time you discuss these famous Japanese travel destinations with friends and family, be sure not to misspell or mispronounce anything!

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