tercultural CommunicaA study of Intion between China and Japan
Huizhou university zhang ping*Huizhou university guo yaqin
Huizhou university kang chuanjin【Abstract】
Nowadays, people from different cultures encounter each other during travel, study and businessinteraction, so people are getting tightly connected with each other and the intercultural communication
becomes more and more essential. However, the communication may be hindered by the different
cultures, for example the languages, communication styles, behavioral expression, perceptions andbackgrounds. Even the environment we live in and our personality can become the barriers ofcommunication. If we can understand those elements that affect intercultural communication better,learn more about other countries’ cultures and try our best to strengthen intercultural training, we may
become successful communicators.
【Key Words】intercultural communication; cultural difference; intercultural training
Intercultural communication refers to communication that takes place between people of different
cultural backgrounds, whose cultural perceptions and systems are distinct enough to alter thecommunication events. Since people come from different culture, different place, or environment, there
must be a lot of elements preventing people from understanding each other. Obviously, culture plays animportant role in our communication, for culture permeates every aspect of our life. Culture consists of
the learned patterns of behavior common to members of a given society—the unique lifestyle of aparticular group of people. So we can know that culture is around us and has been affecting all the time.
We may misunderstand each other because of different nationality, religion, briefly, or some kind oforganization. To study the differences between cultures is very useful and important, for culture may
become an obstacle between the intercultural communications. However, how does the culture affectpeople’s communication in different cultural aspect?

1. Verbal communication—language
Language is one of the main elements that clearly distinguished one culture from another, but it isalso the key barrier in the process of cultural communication. Language is one of the most prominent
aspect in the cultural influence, because it affects the way we think, our attitudes and behaviors. Whenyou don’t know the language well, it is very difficult to handle conflict effectively. So knowing eachother’s language or at least having a common language is of the first consideration.
However, language is a complex element. It is not only concerning with vocabulary or dialects,
but concerning with cultural traditions. Sometimes, even though you have studied the language formany years, it’s still difficult for you to fully understand the language. Take me for an example. Last
time I went to a beauty salon to have a part time job and the boss is a Japanese. When I saw the guest
had just finished a cup of coffee, I’m wondering whether to make another pot of coffee. At thismoment, the boss came to me and said,’うん、いいよ’,almost without hesitation, I went into thekitchen and made another pot of coffee at once! Yes…actually, I was wrong because what he wasmeant was that I didn’t need to make another pot of coffee! At that time, I had been studying Japanesealmost about two years, but it was my misunderstanding of the meaning of conversational tone that I
made a mistake eventually. In this case, if I could understand the tone, which based on the Japanese
thinking patterns even the local language custom, the mistake could even have been avoided.
Maybe all of the foreigners could feel confused with the complex Japanese appellation when theygo to Japan for the first time. There are lots of greetings in called “あいさつ言葉”. Compared withthe study of language, the study of Japanese greetings is more of the culture of Japan. Japanesegreetings have presented a standard feature—people living in the same situation will use the same andfixed greetings. For example, according to Japan’s national institute of statistics, just before dinner,
98% of the Japanese people will say”いただきます”,even if the dining alone. When they get home,almost about 90% of Japanese people will say”ただいま”to their families. And about 80% of Japanesepeople regard the‘こんにちは’as the greetings during the day. This kind of uniform way of greeting israre in other countries. Evident both inside and outside of the points is also one of the characteristics of
the Japanese people. In Japan, people of the same family and the same social groups are regarded as
own side just like family member, relatives, friends even colleagues and classmates. The opposite isoutside. So it’s important to pay attention to the inside and outside when greeting. For example,
Japanese only say「さようなら」to outsides, if they said 「さようなら」to their couples and lovers,
that is to say they had no fate at all.

2. Nonverbal communication—body language
Yes, we often use verbal language in our daily life, thus nonverbal communication is neglected. Infact, nonverbal communication is a useful tool for communication, especially body language because itis the most common way to transfer more information. Whether we are conscious of it or not, weexpress ourselves when we speak, but we can also convey our opinions and attitude when our mouths
are not open. We can employ eye contact, gesture, facial expressions and other nonverbal behaviors tocommunicate. However, different countries have different cultures which form different understandingof body language. Different nonverbal behaviors may have the same meaning in different countries. Or
they may have different meanings for different people. And the reason lies in that people live in
different areas are influenced by their convention, customs, and values, even modes of thinking.
Sometimes it will cause conflict between people especially in intercultural communication.

2.1 Eye Contact
As saying goes ‘The eyes are the windows of the soul’. That is to say, we can read one’s mind
through his or her eyes. Eye language can express complication feelings and it is an important way tojudge the intimacy of communicators. Chinese
have more eye contact when we are in conversation. According to Chinese tradition, communicator
must have an eye contact each other to express politeness and respect. But there are many rules about
eye language: whether to look at the other communicators or not; when it is the time to look at them;
how long we can look at; who we can look at and who we can’t. They all imply different meanings incommunication.
In China, when two strangers meet with in public, the usual response is to behave in a friendly and naturalmanner, glancing at the other person, perhaps saying 'hello' and exchanging small talk or remaining silent. But if you
try hard to avoid the other's glance or you look out of the window as if nobody sat nearby, you would appear so uneasy
and so unnatural that you might lay yourself open to suspicion! To gaze intently may show your attentiveness, but is notthat necessary. The best way is to look at him or her as naturally as he or she looks at you. While
Japanese often look at the other communicator‟s neck when they are in conversation. They believe eye contact is impol
ite. When it’s your turn to speak, they often look at their feet or knees. Japanese people rarely make eye contact, when
they are under the strong staring, most of them feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, even want to escape. From what is
mentioned above wecanconclude that different cultural background has a great influence on body language. And eye language also reflects
different cultures and believes. So we need to observe and compare and contrast carefully
so as to improve cultural exchange and to blend well.

2.2 Gesture
Hand gesture is one of the most common body language, owing to different custom and culture in
nonverbal communication between China and Japan, even if the same gesture, maybe have great
differences. Most people know the gesture of “ok”—thumb circle with forefinger means ok, thegesture of raising the thumb means all things go well, but which may have different meanings evenopposite meaning in Japan. Yes, Japanese people think this kind of gesture as sign of money! So whenbusinessmen deal with Japanese, you’d better not use the gesture “ok” to express agreement to sign
contract, or Japanese man will think you want to bribe. Raising the big thumb also has different
meaning in Japan, which means representing father, husband or male. But in China, this kind of gesturemeans perfect and excellent in general situation. On the other hand, when you putting up your little
thumb to others, it means you look down upon others in China, but it represents girlfriend, lover inJapan.
As the global village continues to shrink and cultures collide, it is essential for all of us to become
more sensitive, more aware, and more observant to all kinds of motions, gestures that surround us
every day. And as many of cross over cultural borders, it would be fitting for us respect, learn, andunderstand more about the effective, yet powerful “silent language” of gestures. We may not have timeto hear a language, but taking time to learn the “signals” is a powerful communicator.

2.3 Smile
Smiles are an important facial expression. They show interest, excitement, empathy, concern, it
creates an upbeat, positive environment. Simle indicates pleasure, either that you are generally happy or areenjoying the other person’s company or that you are amused by something in particular, such as a joke. A full smile
engages the whole face, particularly including the eyes, which crease and twinkle. When people talk about smile itmeans friendliness and happiness in most situations in China, but Japanese don’t agree with expressing their joys andsorrows through exaggerated facial expressions. And they don’t usually use facial expression to express any otherimportant emotion or information in public. So people are most likely to see a calm, secretive expression or a

bland smile. Japanese smile is elusive. It may express happy, friendly, or to conceal negative emotions,such as unhappiness, anger, embarrassment, etc. For the Japanese people, smile is just a part of socialetiquette, which is used to help maintain harmony. Japanese people think it’s unforgivable to trouble
others because of ourselves’ emotions. Avoiding the leakage of any other negative feelings is a sign ofperseverance sacrifice, and the purpose is to avoid disturbing the social balance. This is the function ofJapanese smile.
2.4 Body Distance
Psychologists discover any person needs personal space, now let’s talk about the culture
difference about body distance. Maybe people in western countries like standing close to showfriendliness. In their culture standing closely is the manner of the people when they converge. So theystand close as possible as they can as if they want to smell the smells of partner. But Chinese people
conform with the principle of non-touching culture during the conversation and keep a moderatedistance when talking with others. At the same time, Japanese people pay more attention to private
space than Chinese, because Japanese people often show welcome by bowing.
With the further deepening of culture exchange and corporation of the world, the opportunities ofcorporation with foreign people are keeping increasing. We will learn to be on the other‟s shoes to think about things. The important things to keep in mind is that most Japanese people do not like people to
be too close when communicating with others. However, being too far apart, of course, may beimpolite, being too close makes people uncomfortable, so we should learn and distinguish how to use
body distance according to different situation in intercultural communication.

3. Intercultural training
3.1 Significance of study
In modern society, most countries in the world communicate with each other frequently and at thesame time, the people speaking different languages have different cultural background, way of living,faith of religion, personal values and so on, which take intervene to the communication of people
coming from different country. When a Chinese meet a Japanese friend, would bowing each other be
offensive for the Chinese? If two young friends of the same sex walk with their arms around eachother’s shoulders would Japanese people regard this as being proper? Does raising the big thumbmeans perfect and excellent, while putting up your little thumb means you look down upon others inall cultures? I’m afraid nobody can give apositive or negative answer about the above questions,because the same behavior in different culture has different meanings. Language is one of the gifts ofhuman being. It lets us share our experiences, helps us learn from others, and allows us tocommunicate across time, but language is only one of the ways we communicate. Gesture and otherbody language are as effectively as words, maybe even more effectively. We can use body language togather information from our surroundings, too. The more you understand body language and the affectto others, the better you
will be in communicating with co-workers, bosses, clients, and others you encounter during theday. By making simple adjustments to your posture, facial expressions and mannerisms,
you can improve the way others view you. In fact, in some respects our primary means ofunderstanding each other are two things we have in common with the rest of the animal world:
our eyes and our bodies. Without gestures, our world would be static and colorless. It’s clear thatwithout body language we can’t finish our informational exchange. There is no doubt that bodylanguage, like verbal language, can express emotions, exchange ideas and deliver information. So wemust learn to know the cultural differences of body language to achieve efficient communication.
3.2 The principles of intercultural communication
Just as an old saying goes “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It is the main principle inintercultural communication. This principle refers that communicators should respect and understandthe culture of the other nations and eliminate the interference of their own cultures. According to thisprinciple, we should learn to know the differences of their customs, believe and their connotations ofbody language.
The other principle indicates that we should conclude the rules by comparison and contrasts of different cultures and excludes the interferences of cultures to avoid cultural confliction.
In the application of this principle, we should keep a tolerant attitude towards the differences of cultures,believes, customs and so on to avoid prejudice and superiority. So in intercultural communication, wecan make full use of these principles, exclude fixed mode of culture and keep open and understanding,attitude towards cultural differences.

4. Conclusion
This essay mainly talks about the intercultural differences between China and Japan. It also
introduces some kinds of commonly used body language and their different uses in different cultural
background. From the study of the intercultural communication above, we know how important of theintercultural communication and how complicated it is. I believe it can help the readers succeed inintercultural communication.

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