Same Ink, Different Voice: 12 Characters Japanese and Mandarin Write the Same but Say Differently (Watercolor Mini-Manga)

Japanese 床 is the floor. Chinese 床 is the bed. Guess where your guest is sleeping tonight. 🛏️

Same Ink, Different Voice is a 15-page watercolor mini-manga about two friends, a Japanese student and a Chinese student. They share a notebook, a city and a surprising number of characters that look identical but sound different, and sometimes mean completely different things.

Each page covers one character or word:

• 🔴 Japanese side: kana reading plus romaji, with the meaning
• 🔵 Mandarin side: pinyin with tone marks, with the meaning
• 💬 A one-line mix-up the two friends walk straight into

Inside: 山 · 水 · 月 · 走 · 床 · 机 · 娘 · 丈夫 · 大丈夫 · 老婆 · 人参 · 大家, plus an "all 12 at a glance" cheat sheet at the back.

It works for Japanese learners curious about Chinese, Mandarin learners curious about Japanese, and anyone who loves a good false friend. Every character shown is written identically in modern Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

Made with AI assistance: watercolor scenes were AI-generated, and all text, readings and layout were added and double-checked separately. Characters are fictional.

— 日本語 —

日本語の「床」はゆか、中国語の「床」はベッド。同じ字なのに読みも意味もズレる漢字12個を、日本人と中国人の学生ふたりの水彩ミニ漫画で紹介。かな・ローマ字・ピンイン付き。本文は英語です。（イラストは画像生成AIで作成。文字と読みは別に作成・確認しています。）

— 繁體中文（台灣）—

日文的「床」是地板，中文的「床」是床鋪。同一個字，日文和中文的讀法、甚至意思都不一樣！用日本學生和中國學生的水彩小漫畫，帶你看 12 個「同字不同音」。附假名、羅馬拼音、漢語拼音。內文為英文；字形以簡體為準（機→机、人參→人参）。（插圖由 AI 生成，文字與讀音另行製作並校對。）

— 简体中文 —

日语的「床」是地板，中文的「床」是床。同一个字，中日两种语言的读音、甚至意思都不一样！一本日本学生和中国学生的水彩小漫画，带你看 12 个「同字不同音」。附假名、罗马音、拼音。正文为英文。（插图由 AI 生成，文字与读音另行制作并校对。）

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