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Brazilian Customs and Culture: The Opposite of Japan? / H&A Portuguese Language School
- atsukohoshi
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Oi gente!!!! Tudo bem?
My name is Atsuko Hoshi Natalia.
I am a Board Member of the Japan–Brazil Central Association, a Brazilian dentist, and the owner and instructor of H&A Consulting and its Portuguese language school.
I am a second-generation Japanese Brazilian, born and raised in Santos, Brazil, and I currently live in Tokyo Japan.
This blog is all about “Japan and Brazil — Fascinating Cultural Contrasts!”
Japan and Brazil are located on opposite sides of the planet. When someone asks me, “Which direction is Brazil?”, I instinctively point toward the ground 😅.
Japan is in the Northern Hemisphere, while Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere. The time difference is 12 hours. Morning in Japan is night in Brazil. Summer in Japan is winter in Brazil.
Even when I call my brother in Brazil, the time-zone math couldn’t be simpler:8 a.m. in Japan is 8 p.m. in Brazil. Even someone like me, who’s terrible at calculations, can’t get this one wrong.
Japan and Brazil may be complete opposites geographically, but once you start living in Japan, you notice there are many other things that feel reversed as well.
One example is abbreviated alphabet terms. In Japan, “personal computer” is shortened to “PC,” and Brazil also uses many similar abbreviations.
However, even when the meaning is the same, some Japanese and Brazilian abbreviations flip the word order entirely. The first time I heard them, I couldn’t help thinking, “Huh?? (ﾟДﾟ;)”
For example, in Japan “Information Technology” is abbreviated as “IT,” as in “IT companies.” But in Brazil, it’s expressed as “TI” (pronounced tay-ee).
So the sentence “I work for an IT company” becomes, in Portuguese:“Eu trabalho para uma empresa de TI.”
Recently, the much-discussed “AI” — artificial intelligence — is expressed as “IA” in Portuguese. For example, the sentence “The progress of AI technology in recent years has been remarkable.” becomes: “O progresso da tecnologia de IA nos últimos anos tem sido notável.” This is because “artificial intelligence” in Portuguese is “inteligência artificial,” so the abbreviation follows that word order and ends up being the opposite of Japanese.
Likewise, the familiar term IT is an abbreviation of “Information Technology,” but in Portuguese it becomes “Tecnologia da Informação,” so the abbreviation switches to “TI.”
Communication styles also differ significantly between Japan and Brazil. Simply put, Brazilians generally prefer direct communication, whereas Japanese people tend to prefer indirect communication.
In Brazil, more direct and physical communication is common, so people tend to keep a closer distance from one another. They hug, they maintain strong eye contact, and they pay close attention to the mouth while communicating. Because of this, they put a great deal of effort into dental care as well.
In contrast, in Japan, indirect communication is generally preferred, and people tend to avoid physical contact and direct expressions. It often takes time to get to the conclusion — ideas are expressed in a roundabout way, with the expectation that the other person will “read between the lines.”
A Japanese friend once told me something that really resonated with me: “In Japan, villages used to be the basic unit of daily life, and since rice farming required cooperative work, maintaining good relationships within the community was extremely important. If someone failed to do so, they would be ostracized — what we call murahachibu (being excluded from the village). To avoid such conflicts, people intentionally avoided speaking too directly and instead prioritized harmony.”
When I heard that, I thought, “That makes perfect sense.
In Japan, saying “yes” is considered polite and is generally used to show that you have received and acknowledged what the other person said. The expression also carries a tone that helps maintain a good relationship with the other person.
On the other hand, when saying “no,” people tend to choose their words very carefully to avoid hurting the other person’s feelings. It is often expressed indirectly, using phrasing that softens the refusal.
In Japan, there is a tendency to value the group or organization over the individual. Because of this, people are expected to be mindful of others’ positions and hierarchies, and to speak and behave politely. As a result, issues such as unpaid overtime and even karoshi — death from overwork — have become serious social problems. Incidentally, karoshi is used as-is in English, just like karaoke; both originated from Japanese. In Portuguese, however, it is expressed as “morte por excesso de trabalho.” … I’m glad it’s not karoushi.
By contrast, Brazil places greater value on individual freedom and self-expression. Brazil is a nation of immigrants, where people come from different backgrounds, cultures, and ancestral origins. Because of this diversity, there is no culture of “tacit understanding” or “reading the context.” If ideas are not expressed directly, they simply don’t get across.
Also, the word “yes” in Brazil carries a strong nuance of agreement. If someone disagrees with another person’s opinion, saying “no” clearly and directly is considered a normal and transparent way of communicating.
Communication, therefore, cannot be reduced to language ability alone. Understanding the cultural and behavioral differences between Japan and Brazil is essential for building better relationships. And in Brazil, communicating clearly — saying “yes” and “no” without ambiguity — is a key part of forming strong interpersonal connections.
If you enjoyed this topic, feel free to leave a comment or share your own experiences with cultural differences. I’d love to hear from you!
If you want to further improve your Portuguese skills, check out the short video below (57 seconds) and click the button below as well.
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