Do you read CN, KR or both?

[KTLChamber]

What novels do you mostly read? The translation of Chinese novels, or Korean novels, and what's your reason?

The novels don't have to be limited to those from Wuxiaworld, but I've left out other languages such as Japanese because Wuxiaworld only has novels from these two languages (for now...).

Well, I'll go first, but I'm a Korean translator so I'm biased...

I read novels from both languages, but I primarily read Korean, because I'm a native and there's a more diverse selection of novels I can choose from.

Still, I have read a LOT of Chinese novels, and in fact, I was introduced to Chinese novels first (despite being of Korean descent) in the form of Douluo Dalu 1 (Anybody still remember Tang San?), and I followed Coiling Dragon and Desolate Era when Ren was still translating them.

Edited October 27, 2023 by KTLChamber

[retired penguin]

so many novels 🥰

[DylinThePizza]

But what metric do we use to base this comparison? The number of words read or the number of novels read for each novel? Because the Chinese novels that I've read are very long, so although I haven't read that many, the word count and chapter count I've read would be very high. On the other hand, I've read a large variety of different Korean novels.

[KTLChamber]

1 minute ago, DylinThePizza said:

But what metric do we use to base this comparison? The number of words read or the number of novels read for each novel? Because the Chinese novels that I've read are very long, so although I haven't read that many, the word count and chapter count I've read would be very high. On the other hand, I've read a large variety of different Korean novels.

Gut feeling. Whichever you feel like you're reading more of

Edited October 27, 2023 by KTLChamber

[Cosyjuhye]

I prefer reading Chinese novels (the original language) and translated Korean novels. Mainly because my reading speed from fastest to slowest is Chinese > English > Korean 🙈

[BakeKuroNeko]

Chinese and a bit of Korean. Have read many novels from YA to adults. English or western ones and Japanese gotta be my highest. Niche stuff like D-Genesis is my cup of tea. Read Chinese because of Jin Yong and Wang Dulu (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, read most of his wuxia romance novels in English, somebody translated it into English. It's on par with official translations.) and drama like Nirvana in Fire. All in all, I read a lot. 

[Veela]

I read both in equal parts, but I prefer cn more when it comes to novels. For mangas, I definitely read a lot more Korean ;)

[dragomon2]

For fantasy/action, chinese for me. Romance/society i lean towards korean novels. Really depends on the type of spice I want at the moment lol

[HighgodLinley]

I read more chinese novels over my time, and I've definitely read much more chinese translation because while CN novels can be 2000, 3000+ chaps, KR novels are usually shorter, which is neither better nor worse but just noticeably shorter on average. KR novels I really liked and can recommend were Overgeared, Book Eater, Second Coming of Gluttony, The Novel's Extra and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Shoutout to Past Life Returner which is possibly my favourite one because of the financial world domination and politics aspect. 

My fav CN novels are Coiling Dragon, ISSTH, Desolate Era, Martial World, A Will Eternal, and more recently I've found Beyond the Timescape to be a masterpiece. My guilty pleasures of CN are Against the Gods, NSHBA and Emperor's Domination, because sometimes face-slappings and humbling arrogant young masters' is the sh*t.

[Angely]

Good question it depends on my mood but I've been mainly reading Chinese translated to english, but there're times I read them equally much. As avid reader in past it was native >English>Chinese translated > Korean translated. But yeah since I'm not Asian I think English is the still most read language I've I read, despite it not really my native language its become similar or equal. xD

Ironically & shockingly I as an Japanese media fan/otaku (anime, games, manga etc.) I never seriously picked up the novels due to sheer amount of them not that I don't have an plan to read list of them 😭, especially after I discovered Chinese novels later on I've been stuck mainly on Chinese & then Korean ever ones since I'v be unable to read English/western & other translated/native ones.

It's not that I don't like them but more that I have already humongous backlog and plan to reads & I like the cultivation asian culture themes/setting. I actually even don't even watch anime, game or read comics/3Ms as much ever since I crossed paths with Chinese novels it depends on my mood/state though. But since I'm binge reader I mainly read Chinese trabslated as it has most chapters & Korean multiple novels simultaneously as they've less chapters. Well it also depends what catches my interest, but yeah if it's completed I tend to randomly binge the english translation else I'd even resort to MTL if I really like it.

I think it's also due Chinese having many mixed genres & tropes in a novel that it's been hard to extricate myself from it. It just suits my taste, same with anime/manga my interest has been shifting to Chinese translated, blame it to cultivation theme mixed with others. I guess also it's due historical/backwards setting too. I rarely read urban settings but it all depends on my mood as I've craves like craving for fantasy, action, apocalypse setting, system setting, ancient setting with farm being the sucker farm/lifesim when it comes to games I get triggered into reading farm theme novels as well.

Yeah, it's sometimes scary being an emo/moody content devourer I can easily swap depending on my mood or cravings/needs when that happens language doesn't matter as much anymore as long as I can understand & like it. Once you like something it's up to you how much you'll invest & depending on interest you have you might end up being stuck for life with it. I often am surprised we'll actually I'm no longer even surprised anymore as how someting I find trash can turn into a treasure etc. all depending on my mood or circumstances. Sigh, çest la vie I guess. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Angely

[Erudite_Birdy]

I prefer completed stories that have a longer length than most Korean novels.

On WW, I prefer Chinese novels because we get two chapters a day which lets you get more immersed in the story. One chapter a day makes it hard for me to keep interested in a story since a lot of chapters are fillers.

[rkumar18]

Well, mostly I read KR novels as they are shorter compared to CN ones. First, I started reading KR novels like TCF and SLR and after that I tried reading CN novels like Soul Land which I really liked the concept of cultivation to reach the Godhood. And after that I tried novels like Martial World and BTTH. In comparison, I have read more KR novels than CN but I'm trying to read Er gen's novels. I'm currently reading Renegade Immortal at the pacing of two to three chapters a day. But the current novels that I'm reading on WW consists of more KR and 3 CN.

[meeno]

I have a tendency to not care which language the series is in as long as it is translated into English and a storyline that peeks my interest at first read. Whether Chinese, Korean or English my genre has always mainly been  Fantasy as LOTR began it all for me way back in the day as my first series read at the tender age of 15 or so. Actually I just finished listing a few series that I have read in English in a thread in the General forums where the topic was 'Which English series/novels have we read'.  On WW I currently have 8 or so Chinese novels on the go, with 1 Korean. 

The Grave Robber Chronicles aka Daomu Biji, or The Lost Tomb ( 8 novels plus many sides) by Xu Lei, is one that I am currently reading on Kindle

 

 

[gedece]

I read the ones I like, I don't really care about the origin. I find it wonderful when any of those novels offer insights on China or Korea culture. 

[KenWright]

I read Chinese and Korean. I feel like I read more Chinese translations, though, that is because it feels that there are more Chinese translations on WW.

In general, I think I have enjoyed Korean novels more - Etranger and Praise the Orc! are two of my all time favorites (you can see my favs on the Math love thread, I posted an Excel file with rankings).

So that is why I gave my answer a 50/50.

[freewheeler]

I mostly read Korean.  My Chinese reading is so so, and I rarely read the translation.  But sometimes I read English translation after.  Wuxiaworld English translations are so good, it can be worth it.

[The Demonized Demon]

Wow, am I the only one who reads CN only? I think there are plenty more on the site...

[Daoist_Badguy]

I read mostly CN with a bit of KR. KR novels often go the hyperrealistic gore route and/or trauma route with overcompensation on these things to boot. Moreover there's this tendency to completely disregard of power systems and simply go the whole OMG OP MC HAXXXX!!!! route where the MC does everything and his opponents scale up (sometimes very suddenly) to literal gods that are for some freaking reason interfering in the world of puny mortals competing with other puny mortals.

 

Solo Leveling is a very good example of this (where the MC basically leaves everyone else in the dust of irrelevancy due to his hax leveling and the story basically revolves around only him) and probably the most well known example (another which leans into the gore/trauma route is This Tutorial Is Too Hard). This sort of novel where the MC eventually, if not quickly, becomes godlike and is sometimes also a cold uncaring asshole (like in Kill the Hero) is a hard pass for me.

[Unkownundead]

When I first dicovered webnovels I read a lot of Japanese novels, it was the time when the dungeon core concept was relatively new , after a while japanese type novels got a bit boring and I was recommended seoul station necromancer which served as my introduction to Korean novels , I once again spent a few years going through Kr novels, before discovering chinese novels with I am a superstar back when W*bnovel actually wanted you to read chapters and not just suck your money out , nowadays I read whatever I can although it has gotten harder due to most novels just rehashing old concepts and finding new good ones being hard as hell

[KenWright]

Both.

[loqwell]

I started with Chinese novels, but have since gotten sucked into some of the Korean tropes due to anime and webcomic adaptations. I like reading novels that have adaptations since oftentimes the descriptiveness can be a bit lacking in translated web novels (not sure if that’s a facet of the culture of webnovels or that things get lost in translation).

[KenWright]

Is this thread still alive? 

[meeno]

possibly, since you and I have both added to it..🙃