| sci.lang.japan FAQ / 1. Writing / 1.2. Kanji (漢字) | Search: |
|
In Japanese, one kanji, or Chinese character, may have a number of different readings. For example 木, which means "tree", may be read in three ways: moku, boku, or ki. The moku and boku readings are called on'yomi (音読み), and the ki reading is called a kun'yomi (訓読み).
Before the introduction of Chinese characters to Japan, Japanese had no written form. The Chinese pronunciations, on'yomi, like moku, came in to Japanese at the same time as the kanji. The kun'yomi, like ki, were native Japanese words which existed before the introduction to Japan of Chinese characters, and were attached to the kanji on the basis of the character's meaning.
A kanji may have several kun'yomi, for example if it is used for several different meanings, but these can usually be distinguished by okurigana, the kana placed after the kanji. (See 1.1.8. What is okurigana?) For example, the kanji 行, meaning "go", has two possible kun'yomi of iku and okonau. These words are written with extra kana: iku is 行く, with the kanji followed by く, and okonau is 行う, with the same kanji followed by う.
Most kanji came to Japan between the fifth and ninth centuries. The on'yomi is a Japanese approximation of the Chinese pronunciation of the character at the time it was introduced. Some kanji were introduced more than once from different parts of China at different times, and so have multiple on'yomi. They may also have different meanings.
On'yomi are classified into four types:
| Kanji | Meaning | Go'on | Kan'on | Tou'on | Kan'you'on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 明 | light | myou | mei | min | * |
| 行 | Go | gyou | kou | an | * |
| 極 | Extremely | goku | kyoku | * | * |
| 珠 | Pearl | * | shu | * | ju, zu |
| 度 | Level | do | taku | to | * |
The most common form of readings is the kan'on one. The go'on readings are especially common in Buddhist terminology such as gokuraku (極楽) "paradise". The tou'on readings occur in some words such as isu "chair" or futon.
In Chinese, each character is associated with a single Chinese syllable. However, many on'yomi are composed of two moras (see 7.6. What is the difference between a mora and a syllable?), the second of which is either a long vowel in the first mora, or one of ku, ki, tsu, chi, or n, chosen for their approximation to the final consonants of Middle Chinese. In fact, youon, as well as syllabic n, were probably added to Japanese to better simulate Chinese; none of these features occur in words of native Japanese origin.
On'yomi primarily occur in multi-kanji compound words (jukugo), many of which are the result of the adoption (along with the kanji themselves) of Chinese words for concepts that either didn't exist in Japanese or could not be articulated as elegantly using native words. Chinese-borrowed terms are often considered to sound more erudite or formal than their native counterparts. Surnames usually use the native kun'yomi. (See 9.3. How do Japanese names work?.)
The kokuji, the kanji invented in Japan (see 1.2.5. Which kanji were created in Japan?), do not normally have on'yomi, but there are exceptions, such as the character 働 'to work', which has the kun'yomi hataraku and the on'yomi dou, and 腺 'gland', which has only the on'yomi sen.
Copyright © 1994-2010 Ben Bullock
If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy