# Can YOU Tell Asians Apart? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299 "2003-06-25T14:44:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/41 "2003-06-25T22:47:14Z")
Who can tell the difference just from looking at a posed photograph between Belgian, Dutch, and German? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/42 "2003-06-25T22:53:05Z")
7… I knew all the japanese people, because we have ALOT of Japanese tourists up north in the winter… they come for the northern lights.(aurora borealis) Allot of them come to have sex under the northern luck, because tis apparently good luck to have a child conceived while under the northern lights. ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/43 "2003-06-25T22:53:48Z")
Im filipino and I got a 9 What really gets me are white people. They all look alike wit dem round eyes… ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/44 "2003-06-25T22:54:27Z")
I got a five… rather sad considering the fact that over half my school is some form of asian… It probably would have been easier for me at least if they had thrown in some pacific islanders or filipinos in the mix. Kitty ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/45 "2003-06-25T23:21:17Z")
17/18. But then again, I’m Japanese-Okinawan and I grew up in Hawaii. Asians never all looked alike to me. What an odd test. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/46 "2003-06-25T23:37:06Z")
16/18. Having a good number of friends whose parents came over from Asia, I just compared the people on the test to my friends and their families. See, **Antiquarian** no traveling necessary when it seems like the world’s entire collection of cultures ends up at your high school. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/47 "2003-06-26T02:02:19Z")
5/18. I am a hopeless white-bread suburban Anglo. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/48 "2003-06-26T02:58:05Z")
I knew what this thread was about without even having to open it. The test was in the Internet cache on my brother’s computer months ago, so I took it for a lark. I seem to recall scoring 7/18 on the test. And I’m Chinese! ☹ F\_X ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/49 "2003-06-26T05:00:54Z")
7 only and I’ve lived 15 years in Taiwan, HK, China and Japan. One thing that I think throws this off is that I’m pretty sure these are all Asian Americans. So that will greatly skew the results. Seriously, I’ve lived in asia for almost all of the past 15 years. I don’t know Asian American fashions, hairstyles, etc. These cultural indicators associated with nationality are different than Asians in Asia. And scrunched up facial expressions, glasses, etc also cover up clues toward identity. Those of you that have never come to Asia but are around significant Asian populations in the US seem to nail the test. It would be interesting to compare this set to photos’s of “average” Asians taken in Asia. I bet it would be quite different results - at least for me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/50 "2003-06-26T05:20:25Z")
I’m not convinced this is actually a meaningful test but I took it anyway. I scored in the ughsville range of 7/18 Very Bad I also didnt get any Koreans right, apparently I dont have a mental template for them. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/51 "2003-06-26T05:34:51Z")
Crap, I got a 4. Not horribly dissapointing because I knew I wouldn’t do well. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/52 "2003-06-26T06:07:03Z")
6/18. Better than I thought I’d do. Then again, I’m white and I wouldn’t be able to distinguish between an Englishman, a Canadian, and an American either. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/53 "2003-06-26T06:31:25Z")
8/18. Bah. My wife is Chinese, and I have lived four years in Singapore, doing business with Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/54 "2003-06-26T06:53:19Z")
Um no, and I hate that I can’t. I wish there were some sort of “Listen you whitey, HERE is how we look different from each other” training course. ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/55 "2003-06-26T07:16:17Z")
Eight out of eighteen? But I do so well in person. Besides, it’s not that everyone looks the same, if they did, I could tell the groups apart, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/56 "2003-06-26T07:34:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CanvasShoes \* > \*\*I wish there were some sort of “Listen you whitey, HERE is how we look different from each other” training course. \*\* Well, let me put it this way, can you tell German and Dutch apart? Just by looking at a mugshot? On picture, it’s virtually impossible to tell whether someone is Korean or Japanese. In person, though, general demeanor will help you greatly tell them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/57 "2003-06-26T08:08:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*The ones I had the most difficulty with involved distinguishing Japanese vs. Korean. How can anyone tell them apart? \*\* Koreans tend to have rounder facial features, especialy in the cheek bones. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/58 "2003-06-26T08:10:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jovan \* > \*\*Well, let me put it this way, can you tell German and Dutch apart? Just by looking at a mugshot? > > On picture, it’s virtually impossible to tell whether someone is Korean or Japanese. In person, though, general demeanor will help you greatly tell them apart. \*\* Well they were different enough for the Japanese to consider them both less than human and slaughter them in untold numbers and in untold, horrific ways. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/59 "2003-06-26T09:45:15Z")
11/18. Pretty good for a whiteboy who’s never left Europe. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299/60 "2003-06-26T09:54:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*Well they were different enough for the Japanese to consider them both less than human and slaughter them in untold numbers and in untold, horrific ways. \*\* And this is relevent how? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-asians-apart/184299.md?page=4)