The differences between Japanese and Chinese characters

Although kanji (Chinese characters) originally came from China there is a tendency to think that meaning will be the same in Japan and China. In fact there are fewer than 1400 words whose meaning and usage is different even though the kanji is the same. For example the word 教頭(kyotou) means vice principal in Japanese but the same characters in Chinese has the meaning of “head coach” and the vice-principal at a regular public school would be called副校長 fu4xiao4zhang3. The word大丈夫 dai jyou bu is another word that is different. In Japanese it means “Ok/alright” but in Chinese becomes a word of praise meaning “admirable man”. The original meaning of 大丈夫 dai jyou bu in Japanese was “admirable man” but since then the meaning has changed. In Chinese there is the word 小心xiao3xin1(take care/be careful), which in Japanese means “worry about small things”. There is the word湯, which originally meant お湯 (Oyu = hot water),温泉(onsen = hot spring) but in present Chinese means “soup”. Oyu (hot water) in Chinese is熱水 re4shui3. Other words such as手紙 Chinese shou3zhi3 = toilet paper, Japanese, tegami = letter. 検討 Japanese kentou = “to consider”, Chinese jian3tao3 = “criticize oneself strictly”. The word先輩 sempai in Japanese meaning a classmate/co-worker older than you in Chinese xian1bei4“a deceased elder/former generation”.