How to you express "difference" in Japanese?
For example, I am trying to say "I wonder if Japanese people are that different from American people."

And also in general ""X" is different from "Y"."

I know "違う”means "different," but I'm not sure how to apply it in these cases. Thanks!

Question

How to you express "difference" in Japanese?
For example, I am trying to say "I wonder if Japanese people are that different from American people."

And also in general ""X" is different from "Y"."

I know "違う”means "different," but I'm not sure how to apply it in these cases. Thanks!

Answer

Hello　ご質問の件ですが、私ならこう訳します。

"I wonder if Japanese people are that different from American people."
＝"日本人はアメリカ人と、そんなに違うのかな / 違うのだろうか"

I wonder if = ～なのかな/～のかな/～だろうか

"X" is different from "Y". = XはYと違う  / XはYとは違う / XはYと異なる 
・違う is a colloquial expression. 　異なる is kind of literary expression.
・If you want to emphasize the difference, I think you should use "XはYとは違う" instead of  "XはYと違う".

参考になればよいのですが　：）

Answer

You're welcome! I hope you'll get an answer from a native speaker.

Answer

Thanks, Misaki, I appreciate your answer!

Answer

"difference"=違い. "X" is different from "Y"=「XはYと違います。」As for your first sentence, I'm not sure about it, but I'll just put my translation to get correction. 「日本人はアメリカ人とそんなに違うのかな。」←誰か訂正してください。