Are 变 and 変 the same?


Is there a difference between 变 and 変 or are they different versions of the
same thing i.e. traditional/simplified?




They are both slightly different simplifications of the traditional Chinese
character which is 變.

变 is the simplified Chinese and 変 the _shinjitai_ , i.e. the Japanese
simplification.

Often the simplifications are the same, but it also often happens that
traditional Chinese characters have slightly different simplifications in
Chinese and Japanese, for example

> simplified Chinese ← traditional Chinese → simplified Japanese
>
>   * 亚 ← 亞 → 亜
>   * 压 ← 壓 → 圧
>   * 围 ← 圍 → 囲
>   * 驿 ← 驛 → 駅
>   * etc.
>

Also sometimes Simplified Chinese has a simplification where Japanese has none
(e.g. 东 ← 東) and sometimes Japanese has a simplification where Simplified
Chinese has none (e.g. 壹 → 壱).

Moreover, it may happen that certain characters are treated as being the
"same", but their renderings in Japanese and Chinese are slightly different,
e.g.

> simplified Chinese ← traditional Chinese ～ "traditional Japanese" →
> simplified Japanese
>
>   * 缘 ← {{zh-CN:緣}} ～ {{ja:緣}} → 縁
>

where "traditional Japanese" is just a nickname for 旧字体 _ky­ūjitai_. (By the
way, displaying different regional variants of the same character can be
achieved using language codes as described [here on
meta](https://japanese.meta.stackexchange.com/a/1502/1628).)

You can usually look this up in any 漢和辞典, but a quick way to check this would
be on the Wiktionary page, for example for the character in question it would
be
[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/变](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%8F%98).




They are both slightly different simplifications of the traditional Chinese
character which is 變.

变 is the simplified Chinese and 変 the _shinjitai_ , i.e. the Japanese
simplification.

Often the simplifications are the same, but it also often happens that
traditional Chinese characters have slightly different simplifications in
Chinese and Japanese, for example

> simplified Chinese ← traditional Chinese → simplified Japanese
>
>   * 亚 ← 亞 → 亜
>   * 压 ← 壓 → 圧
>   * 围 ← 圍 → 囲
>   * 驿 ← 驛 → 駅
>   * etc.
>

Also sometimes Simplified Chinese has a simplification where Japanese has none
(e.g. 东 ← 東) and sometimes Japanese has a simplification where Simplified
Chinese has none (e.g. 壹 → 壱).

Moreover, it may happen that certain characters are treated as being the
"same", but their renderings in Japanese and Chinese are slightly different,
e.g.

> simplified Chinese ← traditional Chinese ～ "traditional Japanese" →
> simplified Japanese
>
>   * 缘 ← {{zh-CN:緣}} ～ {{ja:緣}} → 縁
>

where "traditional Japanese" is just a nickname for 旧字体 _ky­ūjitai_. (By the
way, displaying different regional variants of the same character can be
achieved using language codes as described [here on
meta](https://japanese.meta.stackexchange.com/a/1502/1628).)

You can usually look this up in any 漢和辞典, but a quick way to check this would
be on the Wiktionary page, for example for the character in question it would
be
[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/变](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%8F%98).

