# What’s with Japanese stuff always listing people’s blood types **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893 "2021-04-13T04:51:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Garak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Garak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garak)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/1 "2021-04-13T04:51:44Z")
Seems like an Asian thing. My wife grew up in asia and kept asking me what my blood type was early on. She was really confused when I kept telling her I don’t know we don’t really emphasize that in America ---
**Author:** ![DeathPool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e95f7d/32.png) [@DeathPool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeathPool)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/2 "2021-04-13T04:55:09Z")
Well it’s a form of pseudoscience I think with like the weight loss diets by blood type. That said there have been some studies linking certain disease outcomes or overall health with certain blood types that may be statistically true. Not sure if or when it started in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/3 "2021-04-13T04:55:11Z")
There is this popular Asian myth that personality has something to do with blood type - so much so that _“…no less than two-thirds of people in several East Asian countries and areas, such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, believe in the association between blood types and personality…Many people in Japan and Korea have been discriminated against because of their blood type. Employers ask blood types during interviews despite the warnings they have been given. Children at schools have been split up according to their blood type. The national softball team has customized training to fit each player’s blood type. Companies have given work assignments according to their employee’s blood type.”_ (Wikipedia) > **[Blood type personality theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_personality_theory)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The blood type personality theory is a pseudoscientific belief prevalent in Japan and South Korea, which states that a person's blood group system is predictive of a person's personality, temperament, and compatibility with others. The theory is generally considered a superstition by the scientific community. > One of the reasons Japan developed the blood type personality indicator theory was in reaction to a claim from German scientist Emil von Du... ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/4 "2021-04-13T05:24:01Z")
> [@Garak](#): > > My wife grew up in asia and kept asking me what my blood type was early on. There’s a theory of marriage compatibility based on blood types. I guess it’s the Japanese equivalent of astrological signs, but a large percentage of the population seems to take it seriously. A good article written for visitors to Japan and people who want to understand Japanese culture: > **[Japanese Blood Types: And What They Say About Your Personality](https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-blood-type/)** > > What does your blood say about you? In Japan, it's believed your personality is determined by your blood. Is this theory scientific? > Do you know what blood type you are? What about the blood type of everyone in your family? > > I do, and I even know the blood type, or _ketsuekigata_, of all my friends, too. And I’m not alone. According to a 2016 survey of 3,355 Japanese people, **99% knew their blood type.** > > Wow! But why all the blood knowledge? > > In Japan, blood types are considered an important indicator of a person’s personality. It’s known as the “Japanese Blood Type Personality Theory.” Though this may seem far-fetched, a lot of people believe in it. In fact, the aforementioned survey shows 29% of males and 45% of females believe. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/5 "2021-04-13T05:34:33Z")
This is only a Japanese (and possibly Korean) thing. Please don’t lump all of Asia with foibles of one country. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/6 "2021-04-13T05:45:27Z")
Errr…it is a bit more than those two. Taiwan has a sizable number of people who ascribe to it; some Chinese do too. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/7 "2021-04-13T09:35:11Z")
Therefore all of Asia believes the foolishness? Does India? Does Malaysia? Does Tajikistan? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/8 "2021-04-13T10:34:23Z")
A lot of Americans use “Asian” to mean East Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) or at most East and Southeast Asian. I remember the confusion of many of my coworkers when we had a presentational of Indian cuisine and dance as the centerpiece of our Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month observations. These included co-workers of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese descent. Heck, my wife who is Chinese-American doesn’t intend to include me (Indian American) when she says “Asians”! In fact when I joined the “Asian American” professional organization for my specialty in 2009, I was the only South Asian in the local chapter (several hundred strong), and seem to have puzzled and even annoyed many members. Now there are a few South Asians but still no one of Southwest Asian heritage that I know of. And almost all of the members from Malaysia and Indonesia identify as “Chinese from Malaysia” or “Chinese from Indonesia” In fact I know of Tajik-, Turkish- and Lebanese-American colleagues who insist that they are NOT Asian-American. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/9 "2021-04-13T13:16:44Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > A lot of Americans use “Asian” to mean East Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) or at most East and Southeast Asian. Yeah, I think it is partly discriminatory. Small European countries are known by their names like Danish or Belgian … But when it comes to Asia, white Americans have clubbed all cultures and countries into one group whether they identify as such or not. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/10 "2021-04-13T13:45:58Z")
People tell me Asian jokes all the time! Asian drivers, Asian parents, Asian shopkeepers. Never mind that I identify as Asian, am married to a Chinese person. They also must think I’m too stupid to realize that if you’re making racist “jokes” about [east] Asian, Jewish or Black people around me, that behind my back you’re making similar remarks about me. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/11 "2021-04-13T14:43:46Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Therefore all of Asia believes the foolishness? Does India? Does Malaysia? Does Tajikistan? You said “only a Japanese (and possibly Korean) thing.” I was pointing out that it’s more than just those two. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/12 "2021-04-13T14:43:59Z")
> **[You Are Your Blood Type: Nomi, Toshitaka, Besher, Alexander: 9780671633424:...](https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Blood-Type/dp/0671633422)** > > You Are Your Blood Type \[Nomi, Toshitaka, Besher, Alexander\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. You Are Your Blood Type This book came out in 1988 and introduced the concept to the mass American audience. I don’t know how early it was in Japan, but since the author was the founder of Japan’s ABO Society I’d guess pretty early and important. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/13 "2021-04-13T14:48:32Z")
Errr…it’s condension I was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/14 "2021-04-13T15:47:06Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > Yeah, I think it is partly discriminatory. Small European countries are known by their names like Danish or Belgian … But when it comes to Asia, white Americans have clubbed all cultures and countries into one group whether they identify as such or not. No, it is pretty common to see something described as “European”. Example: > **[How to Dress European (with Pictures) - wikiHow](https://www.wikihow.com/Dress-European)** > > Europeans are known for their great style, and for good reason! They tend to dress in upscale, classy clothes that make most other countries' styles look drab and boring. Whether you're going to Europe on a trip or you'd like to... ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/15 "2021-04-13T16:31:28Z")
Europeans cannot be blamed for blood types and horoscopes, but they have phrenology and haruspicy to their credit. ETA though it does seem that ABO blood types and antigens were discovered by Karl Landsteiner working at the University of Vienna. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-with-japanese-stuff-always-listing-people-s-blood-types/939893/16 "2021-04-13T16:34:49Z")
Europe may have haruspicy, but Japan has [spicy Haru](https://beastars.fandom.com/wiki/Haru).