Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese borrowed many words from Chinese, mostly between about 500 and 1000 AD. Their readings of Chinese characters, called Sino-Xenic readings, often keep sounds from Middle Chinese that Mandarin no longer has.

Two of these are easy to see. Middle Chinese syllables could end in -p, -t, or -k (the checked tone), and they could end in -m as well as -n. Mandarin has none of these endings. Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese keep most of them.

Romanization: Hanyu Pinyin for Mandarin, Jyutping for Cantonese, Hepburn for Japanese, and Revised Romanization for Korean. The Japanese readings are on'yomi.

These readings have not been checked against Unihan or another dictionary yet.

Final -k

Mandarin has no final consonant here. Cantonese and Korean end in -k, and Vietnamese spells it -c or -ch. Japanese adds a vowel: -ku.

Meaning Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Korean Vietnamese
學 study xué hok6 gaku 학 hak học
六 six liù luk6 roku 육 yuk lục
國 country guó gwok3 koku 국 guk quốc
木 tree mù muk6 moku 목 mok mộc
白 white bái baak6 haku 백 baek bạch
北 north běi bak1 hoku 북 buk bắc

Final -t

Mandarin has no final consonant here. Cantonese and Vietnamese end in -t, and Korean has -l. Japanese adds a vowel: -chi or -tsu.

Meaning Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Korean Vietnamese
日 sun, day rì jat6 nichi 일 il nhật
一 one yī jat1 ichi 일 il nhất
八 eight bā baat3 hachi 팔 pal bát
骨 bone gǔ gwat1 kotsu 골 gol cốt

Final -p

Mandarin has no final consonant here. Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese end in -p. In Japanese it became a long vowel (jū) or -tsu.

Meaning Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Korean Vietnamese
十 ten shí sap6 jū 십 sip thập
入 enter rù jap6 nyū 입 ip nhập
立 stand lì laap6 ritsu 입 ip lập

Final -m

Mandarin and Japanese end in -n here. Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese end in -m.

Meaning Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Korean Vietnamese
三 three sān saam1 san 삼 sam tam
心 heart xīn sam1 shin 심 sim tâm
金 gold jīn gam1 kin 금 geum kim
南 south nán naam4 nan 남 nam nam
音 sound yīn jam1 on 음 eum âm

Final -n

For comparison: these characters ended in -n in Middle Chinese too, and all five readings end in -n.

Meaning Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Korean Vietnamese
人 person rén jan4 jin 인 in nhân
天 sky tiān tin1 ten 천 cheon thiên
山 mountain shān saan1 san 산 san sơn