This article investigates several examples of “Japanese Popular Characters (倭俗字)” in the four works of Zheng Kai Lu (正楷錄), Wo Kai Zheng E (倭楷正訛), Tong wen Tong Kao (同文通考), and Sheng Wen Zuan Kao (省文纂考) in the Edo Period of Japan, and finds that the judgment of Edo scholars is not completely accurate. “ (樂)” can be found in Japanese and Korean literature. “ (圖)” can be seen in Japanese and Vietnamese literature. The symbol “ ” can be found in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese literature instead of vulgar characters. The character “豊 (豐)” can be found throughout the Chinese character sphere in East Asia. And “釈(釋)”, “訳 (譯)”, “円 (圓)”, “囲 (圍)”, though not in contemporary Chinese literature, but modern visible. It is necessary to study the Popular Characters from the perspective of Chinese character sphere in East Asia.

Chinese characters spread to the Korean peninsula, forming a huge Chinese character document, unearthed inscriptions, handwritten copies and manuscripts in volume. Investigating the changes in the use of characters in their documents, most of them inherited the normal and popular characters in China. Until the Li Dynasty of Korea, regional popular characters gradually became characteristics. Especially in pen-based and block-printed editions, there are many variants of folk characters, and the types include province variants, understanding variants, symbol variants, cursive variants, and vulgar variants. The article examines the regional variations of “邊” “懷” “竄” “儒” “滅” “釋” “辭” “聲” “樂” in Korean historical documents.

The development of Nom characters is promoted on the basis of and in attachment with Chinese characters, and in this regard the Phonetic Annotation of the Thousand Character Classic 《千字文解音》 compiled in the late Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam was a very practical textbook for learning Chinese characters and Nom characters. Based on categorizing Nom characters, the paper intends to clarify several notions on Nom characters of the Phonetic Annotation of the Thousand Character Classic. In the beginning, Nom characters can be divided into two major types: the directly borrowed Chinese characters and the independently invented ones. The former includes borrowing sounds, meanings, and both. The latter, according to the components of Chinese character formations, can be divided into the pictophonetic of Chinese characters and that of Nom characters. In the last part of the article, we summarize the relationship between Chinese characters and Nom characters. It is necessary not merely to consider the relationship but to understand the comparisons between them. With the aid of studying Nom characters, we can find that irrespective of whether they are directly-borrowed from Chinese or independently invented, the sound of Chinese characters is the most important feature for them. But we cannot ignore the ideographic parts of Nom characters because they, on the one hand, make up the phonetic deficiency of Chinese characters while promoting the development of Nom characters on the other. In our modern society, Chinese characters and Nom characters came to drift apart, and the latter especially was withdrawn from the historical stage, but the traditional culture of Vietnam is still recorded in literature both in Chinese characters and Nom characters. Moreover, the Nom character is one of the most important representatives of Vietnam’s traditional culture. For this reason solely, this research shall be a great help to further understanding of significant cross-cultural aspects between China and Vietnam, and more specifically of histories related to the spreading, application, and development of Chinese characters in Vietnam.

The use of wine vessel Measure words in ancient Vietnamese inscriptions is very complicated. These characters are some examples which are recorded wine vessel quantifier in ancient Vietnamese inscriptions, such as, yu (􄘃)􀉾yu (􂙪)􀉾yu (􃮚)􀉾yu ( )􀉾yu ( )􀉾bo (􆆣)􀉾bo ( )􀉾bo ( )􀉾 cheng (􂜖)􀉾cheng (􂎉)􀉾xiu (􄻟)􀉾xiu ( )􀉾xiu ( )􀉾xiu ( )􀉾xiu ( )􀉾 xiu (􁼯)􀉾hu (􂠻)􀉾hu (􂠸)􀉾hu (􅀢)􀉾ping (􂚫)􀉾lu (􇿪)􀉾weng (􄑖)􀉾zhai (􆺌)􀉾 zhai ( )􀉾jing (􂫒)􀉾ping (􂞁) and zun (􃥾). Above words are compared and analyzed with the use of wine vessel measure words in Chinese. We found measure word Characters for Vietnamese wine vessel are influenced by China. This kind of phenomena reflects Chinese character being studied imitated and innovated by Vietnamese in the course of spread.