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Kun'yomi
is the way of reading kanji characters using the native Japanese word that matches the meaning of the Chinese character when it was introduced. This pronunciation is contrasted with ''on'yomi'', which is the reading based on the original Chinese pronunciation of the character. Generally, ''kun'yomi'' readings are used for simple, singular words, including most verbs, while ''on'yomi'' readings are used for compound, technical words. Characteristics ''Kun'yomi'' are characterized by the strict (C)V syllable structure of Japanese words (''yamato kotoba''). Most noun or adjective ''kun'yomi'' are two to three syllables long, while verb ''kun'yomi'' are usually between one and three syllables in length, not counting trailing hiragana called '' okurigana''. ''Okurigana'' are not considered to be part of the internal reading of the character, although they are part of the reading of the word. A beginner in the language will rarely come across characters with long readings, but ...
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Kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequently-derived Syllabary, syllabic scripts of and . The characters have Japanese pronunciations; most have two, with one based on the Chinese sound. A few characters were invented in Japan by constructing character components derived from other Chinese characters. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan made its own efforts to simplify the characters, now known as , by a process similar to China's simplified Chinese characters, simplification efforts, with the intention to increase literacy among the general public. Since the 1920s, the Japanese government has published character lists periodically to help direct the education of its citizenry through the myriad Chinese characters that exist. There are nearly 3 ...
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On'yomi
, or the Sino-Japanese vocabulary, Sino-Japanese reading, is the reading of a kanji based on the historical Chinese pronunciation of the character. A single kanji might have multiple ''on'yomi'' pronunciations, reflecting the Chinese pronunciations of different periods or regions. ''On'yomi'' pronunciations are generally classified into ''go-on'', ''kan-on'', ''tō-on'' and ''kan'yō-on'', roughly based on when they were borrowed from China. Generally, ''on'yomi'' pronunciations are used for technical, compound words, while the native ''kun'yomi'' pronunciation is used for singular, simpler words. Usage ''On'yomi'' primarily occur in , many of which are the result of the adoption, along with the kanji themselves, of Chinese words for concepts that either did not exist in Japanese or could not be articulated as elegantly using native words. This borrowing process is often compared to the List of English words with dual French and Anglo-Saxon variations, English borrowings fro ...
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Okurigana
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. For example, the plain verb form (''miru'', "see") inflects to past tense (''mita'', "saw"), where is the kanji stem, and る and た are okurigana, written in hiragana script. With very few exceptions, okurigana are used only with kun'yomi (native Japanese readings), not with on'yomi (Chinese readings), as Chinese morphemes do not inflect in Japanese, and their pronunciation is inferred from context, since many are used as parts of compound words ( kango). The technique in which native scripts are used to inflect adjectives or verbs may have initially taken after Korean scribal strategies, namely gugyeol, and later spread to Japan. When used to inflect an adjective or verb, okurigana can indicate aspect ( perfective versus imperfective), affirmative or negative me ...
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Hanzi
Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only one that has remained in continuous use. Over a documented history spanning more than three millennia, the function, style, and means of writing characters have changed greatly. Unlike letters in alphabets that reflect the sounds of speech, Chinese characters generally represent morphemes, the units of meaning in a language. Writing all of the frequently used vocabulary in a language requires roughly 2000–3000 characters; , nearly have been identified and included in ''The Unicode Standard''. Characters are created according to several principles, where aspects of shape and pronunciation may be used to indicate the character's meaning. The first attested characters are oracle bone inscriptions made during the 13th century BCE in what ...
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Ryukyuan Languages
The , also Lewchewan or Luchuan (), are the indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago. Along with the Japanese language and the Hachijō language, they make up the Japonic language family. Just as among Japanese dialects it is hard to understand each other, the Ryukyu and mainland Japanese languages are not mutually intelligible. It is not known how many speakers of these languages remain, but language shift toward the use of Standard Japanese and dialects like Okinawan Japanese has resulted in these languages becoming endangered language, endangered; Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, UNESCO labels four of the languages "definitely endangered" and two others "severely endangered". Overview Phonologically, the Ryukyuan languages have some cross-linguistically unusual features. Southern Ryukyuan languages have a number of syllabic consonants, including unvoiced syllabic fricatives (e.g. Ōgami Miyako language, Miyako ...
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Wago
are native Japanese words, meaning those words in Japanese that have been inherited from Old Japanese, rather than being borrowed at some stage. Together with kango () and gairaigo (), they form one of the three main sources of Japanese words (there is also elaborate Japanese sound symbolism, of mimetic origin). They are also known as .Shibatani, Masayoshi''The Languages of Japan (Section 7.2 "Loan words", p.142) Cambridge University Press, 1990. The word "yamato kotoba" itself is composed of native Japanese words, and hence is an autological word. The synonym ''wago'' is instead a kango, and hence a heterological word. Lexical function Yamato kotoba form a fundamental part of the Japanese lexicon, similar to native words (from Old English) in English – while borrowed words are used for many technical terms (particularly kango, as with Latin and Greek in English), or for modern or stylish purposes (mostly gairaigo, as with French in English), much of the core vocabulary ...
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Jōyō Kanji
The are those kanji listed on the , officially announced by the Japanese Ministry of Education. The current List of jōyō kanji, list of 2,136 characters was issued in 2010. It is a slightly modified version of the tōyō kanji, kanji, which was the initial list of Secondary education in Japan, secondary school-level kanji standardized after World War II. The list is not a comprehensive list of all characters and readings in regular use; rather, it is intended as a literacy baseline for those who have completed compulsory education, as well as a list of permitted characters and readings for use in official government documents. Due to the requirement that official government documents make use of only kanji and their readings, several rare characters are also included due to their use in the Constitution of Japan, which was being written at the same time the original 1,850-character kanji list was compiled. The 2,136 kanji in the kanji consist of: * 1,026 kanji taught in pr ...
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Yamato Kotoba
are native Japanese language, Japanese words, meaning those words in Japanese that have been inherited from Old Japanese, rather than being borrowed at some stage. Together with Sino-Japanese vocabulary, kango () and gairaigo (), they form one of the three main sources of Japanese vocabulary, Japanese words (there is also elaborate Japanese sound symbolism, of mimetic origin). They are also known as .Shibatani, Masayoshi''The Languages of Japan (Section 7.2 "Loan words", p.142) Cambridge University Press, 1990. The word "yamato kotoba" itself is composed of native Japanese words, and hence is an autological word. The synonym ''wago'' is instead a kango, and hence a heterological word. Lexical function Yamato kotoba form a fundamental part of the Japanese lexicon, similar to native words (from Old English) in English – while borrowed words are used for many technical terms (particularly kango, as with Latin and Greek in English), or for modern or stylish purposes (mostly ga ...
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Kokuji
In Japanese, or are kanji created in Japan rather than borrowed from China. Like most Chinese characters, they are primarily formed by combining existing characters - though using combinations that are not used in Chinese. Since kokuji are generally devised for existing native words, they usually only have native ''kun'' readings. However, they occasionally also have a Chinese ''on'' reading derived from a related kanji, such as (''dō'', 'work'), which takes its ''on'' pronunciation from (''dō'', 'move'). In rare cases, a kokuji may only have an ''on'' reading, such as (''sen'', 'gland'), which was derived from (''sen'', 'spring, fountain') for use in medical terminology. The majority of kokuji are semantic compounds, meaning that they are composed of two (or more) characters with relevant meanings. For example, ('work') is composed of ('person' radical) plus ('move'). This is in contrast to Chinese kanji, which are overwhelmingly phono-semantic compounds. Thi ...
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Gakken
is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales are reported at ¥ 90 billion ($789 million US). Gakken publishes educational books and magazines and produces other education-related products. For nursery school age children and their caretakers, they produce items such as child care and nursing guides. For school children, they publish text books, encyclopedias, and science books. Gakken also publishes educational magazines for high school students, as well as school guides for all levels. Gakken also provides products for playrooms, study rooms, computer rooms and science rooms. Gakken also publishes general family-oriented and gender-oriented magazines in sports, music, art, history, animation, cooking, and puzzles. History Gakken is perhaps originally known for producing Denshi blocks and packaging them within electronic toy kits such as the Gakken EX-System, as far back as the 1970s. One ...
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