Kanji readings are categorized as either on'yomi (音読み, literally "sound reading", from Chinese) or kun'yomi (訓読み, literally "meaning reading", native Japanese), and most characters have at least two readings, at least one of each.

What does kun yomi mean in kanji?

As you know, 音読み (onyomi), which literally means "sound reading", is the Chinese reading of kanji. 訓読み (kunyomi), on the other hand, is the Japanese reading of kanji. It is a reading based on the pronunciation of a native Japanese word.

Do Japanese names use on yomi or kun yomi?

Kunyomi is a near guarantee when you're using proper nouns. Most notably, it's used when you're using native Japanese proper names. Most of the common family names are pronounced using the kunyomi version of the kanji. So, names like 木村 (きむら) and 藤井 (ふじい) will be read as kunyomi.

Is kunyomi in katakana?

Note: Sometimes you'll see on'yomi readings written in katakana or English, and kun'yomi readings written in hiragana. This is a dictionary-only method used for differentiation.

What does Kun and on mean?

On-reading is usually used when the kanji is a part of a compound (two or more kanji characters are placed side by site). Kun-reading is used when the kanji is used on its own, either as a complete noun or as adjective stems and verb stems.

Ask a Japanese Teacher! ON or KUN reading?

42 related questions found

Can you use kun for a girl?

Kun can mean different things depending on the gender. Kun for females is a more respectful honorific than -chan, which implies childlike cuteness. Kun is not only used to address females formally; it can also be used for a very close friend or family member.

What is Nanori Japanese?

Nanori (名乗り, "to say or give one's own name"; also, by extension "self-introduction") are kanji character readings (pronunciations) found almost exclusively in Japanese names. ... For example, the character 希, meaning "hope" or "rare", usually has the pronunciation ki (or sometimes ke or mare).

What is the difference between kun yomi and on Yomi?

The kunyomi is the Japanese reading of the kanji. The Onyomi is the Chinese reading of the kanji. When multiple kanji appear in the same word it's typically read with the onyomi pronounciations, and typically when kanji appear as a single kanji in a word it's read as kunyomi.

What is the opposite of kanji?

Note that while kun'yomi are generally written as hiragana when writing out the word in kana instead of kanji (because native Japanese), these gairaigo kun'yomi are generally written as katakana (because a foreign borrowing).

What is romaji in Japanese?

Romaji is the method of writing Japanese words using the Roman alphabet. Since the Japanese way of writing is a combination of kanji and kana scripts, romaji is used for the purpose that Japanese text may be understood by non-Japanese speakers who cannot read kanji or kana scripts.

Do I need to learn on Yomi?

Well, as the name implies, on'yomi reading is how the kanji is supposed to be read (in a sizeable amount of situations). So, unless you're trying to learn Japanese without actually learning how to read Japanese (which would be bold since 99% of the learning material is text), yes, you have to learn them.

How can I learn kanji effectively?

So to make it a bit easier for you, here are 6 simple steps you can take to start learning Kanji right away.

1. Start By Learning The Radicals. ...
2. Practice Stroke Order To Help You Memorise Kanji. ...
3. Learn Jouyou Kanji. ...
4. Supplement Jouyou Kanji With Other Words That Are Important To You.
5. Use Spaced Repetition.

Why do kanji have multiple readings?

Because of the way they have been adopted into Japanese, a single kanji may be used to write one or more different words—or, in some cases, morphemes—and thus the same character may be pronounced in different ways. From the reader's point of view, kanji are said to have one or more different "readings".

Is reading kanji hard?

Even kanji, the boogeyman of the Japanese language, is actually pretty easy. Technology has not only made it a lot easier to learn kanji (through spaced repetition systems), but a lot easier to read and write kanji too. You no longer have to memorize the stroke order of each kanji; now, you can just type it in!

Are Chinese and Japanese kanji the same?

Chinese is written entirely in hanzi. Japanese makes use of kanji (mostly similar to hanzi), but also has two syllabaries of its own: hiragana and katakana. ... What we're interested in here, though, are the Chinese characters used in both languages.

Why do Japanese call America rice country?

The Rice Country

The reason is that Beikoku is a shortening of the Chinese phonetic transliteration of 'America' -亜米利加. The second character is pronounced mei in the original Chinese but bei in Japanese (this kanji can be read as bei or mei in Japanese).

Is Sushi written in hiragana or katakana?

Sushi and other tidbits

Now you know how to write “sushi” in Hiragana: 「すし」. However, in Japanese, it is usually called 「おすし」. 「お」 is an honorific prefix that is used before certain words such as “money” or “store”.

What rooms do Japanese houses have?

Japanese housing typically has multiple rooms for what in Western housing is the bathroom. Separate rooms for the Japanese toilet, sink, and ofuro (bathing room) are common. Small apartments, however, frequently contain a tiny single bathroom called a unit bath that contains all three fixtures.

Should I learn kanji readings?

Many Japanese learners don't bother with it at all. ... But I think it's important to learn kanji for several reasons. First, learning to speak any language involves learning to read it as well. Second, learning kanji helps you better understand new vocabulary.

Is WaniKani good for learning kanji?

WaniKani teaches kanji with mnemonics to help remember and make sense of them, and reinforces the lessons with periodic reviews to make sure they stick. And knowing kanji helped me to make the jump from reading textbooks to reading native material — the books, video games, and manga I'd always wanted to read.

What is Rendaku in Japanese?

Rendaku (連濁, Japanese pronunciation: [ɾendakɯ], lit. "sequential voicing") is a phenomenon in Japanese morphophonology that governs the voicing of the initial consonant of a non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word.

What is Okurigana Japanese?

Okurigana (送り仮名, Japanese pronunciation: [okɯɾigana], "accompanying letters") are kana suffixes following kanji stems in Japanese written words. They serve two purposes: to inflect adjectives and verbs, and to force a particular kanji to have a specific meaning and be read a certain way.

Where do Nanori readings come from?

Nanori are kanji character readings found almost exclusively in Japanese names. In the Japanese language, many Japanese names are constructed from common characters with standard pronunciations. However, names may also contain characters which only occur as parts of names.