# Asian ethnicity identification at a glance **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552 "2014-12-18T05:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/21 "2014-12-19T02:36:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Too late to edit. I do mean that a given Christian, especially Protestant, is more likely to be Korean than the other common ethnicities. Filipinos are largely Catholic, and Christianity is a large religion in South Korea but not a majority (~29% or larger than Buddhism but less than “no religion”). Just to mention too: Vietnam is the second-largest Catholic country in Asia by proportion, after the Philippines. Something like 7-10% of Vietnamese are Catholic. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/22 "2014-12-19T03:09:26Z")
I think they key thing is to simply avoid making assumptions. I remember during my apartment management days, I once had a package for someone that I casually described as “for someone with a Russian-sounding name.” Good Lord, the lecture I got on how Ukrainians are not Russian! (Which I know… but let’s be real here, Ukraine is ultimately a Russian word itself, and Ukrainian names _sound_ Russian. Damn, now I have to change identities and move to another state again…) And another gaffe in which one resident thought another might be Chinese earned a lecture on the evils of the Chinese and the saintliness, superpowers and heightened intelligence of Koreans. At least I was just a spectator on that one. (Now if only that same Korean guy could have used his superpowers to understand that Americans DO NOT use the hot tub naked. No, it’s not enough to have your shorts floating next to you. :smack: ) Anyway, as I said, the moral is to say nothing about anyone’s origins, ethnicities, religions, or even sports preferences. No matter how clever you are, you’ll occasionally get it wrong, and there are serious down sides. (Now that I think about it, though… if they spent three hours arguing for a $5 discount on the rent, they’re Korean. That one is a safe bet. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/23 "2014-12-19T03:32:08Z")
You really can’t tell anyone’s ethnicity at a glance (says the redhead who isn’t Irish or Scots), and you really shouldn’t comment on ethnicity in a work situation. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/24 "2014-12-19T05:06:56Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I sort of know what he means though. A phrase or gesture could be offensive to one ethnicity but not another. For example, you know that palm-up beckoning gesture you give people to get them to go over to you? That’s offensive to Thais, because that’s how you call a dog to you. Palm down is the only But why would someone working in retail call someone over like that? Shouldn’t they be grown-up enough to use their words? ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/25 "2014-12-19T06:15:29Z")
OP: Here is a handy rule for you. Do not bring up ethnicity, religion, or politics with customers you don’t know. It shouldn’t be hard. I cannot imagine a situation where you will need to reference customers’ ethnicity. Not bringing up ethnicity will almost certainly avoid the majority of ‘cultural gaffes’ you could commit. However, if for some reason you need to write their name, like if you’re a barista, ask for the spelling if you have doubts. “Could you spell that for me please?” Also, if you decide to just wing it, please actually try to write their name, don’t give them a nickname. That won’t end well. If you do catch yourself asking “where are you from” in small talk, and they say, “Vancouver”, DON’T try to clarify “No no, where are you _really_ from?” They’re _really_ from Vancouver. Drop it and change the subject. Just be courteous and professional to customers. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/26 "2014-12-19T06:51:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Just to mention too: Vietnam is the second-largest Catholic country in Asia by proportion, after the Philippines. Something like 7-10% of Vietnamese are Catholic. I thought about mentioning that as well. The French influence, most notable in the Ngô Đình Diệm\* regime. The Montagnards (Degar) are more Protestant though as those missionaries came a little later. They’re mostly settled in North Carolina. Ethnic Chinese are in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. Sometimes you can or can’t tell by the name. They are sometimes a distinct population and apparently offense can be caused by confusing. I once wandered on a forum that seemed normal but users used language like the Singaporean Stormfront against ethnic Chinese! :eek: \*Also: Japanese almost always have two names. Koreans have two first names that aren’t really separable (if you were close enough to a certain dictator or didn’t mind risking execution, you could use a familiar "hey, Jong-un, but not just Jong). Vietnamese have middle names often. The family name is first in most Asian languages (and Hungarian). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/27 "2014-12-19T08:23:38Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > But why would someone working in retail call someone over like that? Shouldn’t they be grown-up enough to use their words? It was just an example. I’m sure there are others. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/28 "2014-12-19T10:39:20Z")
Chinese? Like the wife of the other poster here, my wife is casually interested in what language/dialect/accent you speak, but deciding that someone is ‘Chinese’ is like deciding that someone is European… … I picked you as European! Let me try my high-school Armenian on you!.. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/29 "2014-12-19T12:05:26Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > You really can’t tell anyone’s ethnicity at a glance (says the redhead who isn’t Irish or Scots), and you really shouldn’t comment on ethnicity in a work situation. Never assume a woman wearing a stereotypic maternity top is pregnant, either. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/30 "2014-12-19T13:02:21Z")
Nobody can pinpoint a random east Asian person’s origin. Now and then, you may be able to make a good guess based on a very stereotypical face, but those occasions are rare and you still might be wrong. I know this, because I watched a lot of Asian-Americans (with ancestors in various countries) teaching in China argue up and down that they were not Chinese, did not have Chinese heritage, and had nothing to do with China other than happening to be teaching there. But a million times a day, they were mistaken for Chinese and treated with shock and disbelief in claiming they were not. Luckily, nothing you are doing in an outlet mall requires special cultural knowledge, beyond being polite. If you were engaging in complex business negotiations or something, there are a few do’s and don’ts, but that’s a totally different situation, Just be nice and act normal. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/31 "2014-12-19T13:10:24Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Hello and welcome Lois. > > I think you worry too much. Asians, or anyone else for that matter, don’t really expect anyone to tell by looking, what their country of origin is. If you are in a conversation, there can be a problem as asking a second or third generation immigrant, “Where are you from?” may not elicit the answer you want. On the other hand they will probably be quite used to it and not readily offended. > > England is a country with a large number of immigrants from countries all over the world. It may be a surprise to you, that I find it hard to tell a Canadian from an American, but that usually caused amusement rather than annoyance. I also cannot spot the difference between an Indian and a Pakistani, an Albanian and a Serb or a Pole from a Ukrainian. I have met all these nationalities locally and they have never assumed that I can. This. I once told a Chinese girl Iwas taking a class with that I can’t tell the difference between various Asian ethnic people. She smiled and whispered “Neither can I” ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/32 "2014-12-19T14:23:17Z")
The only important thing is not to misidentify anyone. Do not call or refer to Korean, Thai, Veitnamese, Filipino, or Japanese people as “Chinese,” as if it’s a catch-all term for anyone appearing to be of Asian descent. Do not use the word “Mexican” because you can’t tell who is Puerto Rican, Honduran, Argentinian, Cuban, Colombian, etc., and don’t call them “Spanish” either (I had a friend who absolutely insisted this was appropriate, because they all spoke Spanish!). You can avoid these mistakes very easily by NEVER guessing and NEVER referring to anyone by their ethnicity. They are just people, you don’t need to identify their ethnic heritage to interact with them. If there is a reason to know what language they speak, ask them that. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/33 "2014-12-19T14:24:45Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > This really is not a debate. > I am sending this to General Questions. > [@Colibri](#): > > Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this to IMHO. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator LOL! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/34 "2014-12-19T15:46:17Z")
“Spanish” instead of Hispanic or Latino is a New York area thing? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/35 "2014-12-19T16:03:24Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Nobody can pinpoint a random east Asian person’s origin. Now and then, you may be able to make a good guess based on a very stereotypical face, but those occasions are rare and you still might be wrong. I know this, because I watched a lot of Asian-Americans (with ancestors in various countries) teaching in China argue up and down that they were not Chinese, did not have Chinese heritage, and had nothing to do with China other than happening to be teaching there. But a million times a day, they were mistaken for Chinese and treated with shock and disbelief in claiming they were not. I’ve known several Chinese (from China) people who spent time living in Japan, and all told me they were taken to be Japanese until it became obvious that they didn’t _speak_ Japanese. I got the impression that they kind of envied _my_ experience in Japan. The Japanese generally have zero expectation that a white person will be able to speak any Japanese at all, and tended to be pleasantly surprised that I could manage as much as I did (which was very little, to be honest). ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/36 "2014-12-19T16:45:25Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > > [@even\_sven](#): > > > > Nobody can pinpoint a random east Asian person’s origin. Now and then, you may be able to make a good guess based on a very stereotypical face, but those occasions are rare and you still might be wrong. I know this, because I watched a lot of Asian-Americans (with ancestors in various countries) teaching in China argue up and down that they were not Chinese, did not have Chinese heritage, and had nothing to do with China other than happening to be teaching there. But a million times a day, they were mistaken for Chinese and treated with shock and disbelief in claiming they were not. > > I’ve known several Chinese (from China) people who spent time living in Japan, and all told me they were taken to be Japanese until it became obvious that they didn’t _speak_ Japanese. I got the impression that they kind of envied _my_ experience in Japan. The Japanese generally have zero expectation that a white person will be able to speak any Japanese at all, and tended to be pleasantly surprised that I could manage as much as I did (which was very little, to be honest). I agree with all of this. The only reason it’s even somewhat possible to sometimes guess the ethnicity of an east Asian individual is that Korea and Japan are more homogenous than many other countries. But there are still wide variations. Don’t try to guess; you’ll embarrass yourself. And I can confirm that people who are from east Asia are no better at distinguishing ethnicity than anyone else. And can be as gruff towards Asian-looking people who don’t know the language as some Americans are towards foreigners. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [Obligatory link with test](http://alllooksame.com/). It is not incorrect to note differences, but rules are not definites. Heh, these types of tests are always fun. Despite what I said just above, it is possible to guess at better than random, because there are [stereotypical differences](https://fstoppers.com/portraits/average-faces-women-around-world-2944) between the people of different countries. I managed to get 12 out of 18 right on the faces and 13/18 on the temples. Being an avid people-watcher makes a difference (when you only understand 10% of what’s being said, you tend to watch faces very closely). And I think I’ve visited about half the Korean temples they pictured (or at least very similar ones), so I had a big advantage with those. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/37 "2014-12-19T16:50:54Z")
Add me to the list of people who are curious why the OP needs to be able to identify Asian ethnicity. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Even Americans and Canadians have trouble telling each other apart. Nah, Canadians are easy to recognize by their [beady eyes and flappy heads](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100420232946/southpark/images/9/93/ChristmasinCanada09.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/38 "2014-12-19T17:38:57Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > “Spanish” instead of Hispanic or Latino is a New York area thing? Actually, I hear it a fair bit around here, too (Lancaster, PA). Of course, the Amish call all non-Amish “English” so the “Spanish” fallacy shouldn’t feel lonely here… ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/39 "2014-12-19T17:45:46Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Whereas 46% of Koreans are Parks… That can’t possibly be right. “Kim” is a much more prevalent Korean surname. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552/40 "2014-12-19T17:54:57Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Do not use the word “Mexican” because you can’t tell who is Puerto Rican, Honduran, Argentinian, Cuban, Colombian, etc., and don’t call them “Spanish” either (I had a friend who absolutely insisted this was appropriate, because they all spoke Spanish!). That last is wrong, of course, but it does strike me that it’s no _more_ wrong than calling and and all English-speaking white people “Anglos.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-ethnicity-identification-at-a-glance/707552.md?page=3)