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 readings of three or even four syllables are not uncommon. This contrasts with ''on'yomi'', which are only one or two syllables, as they were adapted from Chinese characters, which are almost all monosyllabic.

As with ''on'yomi'', there can be multiple ''kun'yomi'' for the same kanji, and some kanji have no ''kun'yomi'' at all. For instance, the character for east, , has ''tō'' as its ''on'yomi'', from Middle Chinese '. However, Japanese already had two words for "east": ''higashi'' and ''azuma''. Thus the kanji had the latter readings added as ''kun'yomi''. In contrast, the kanji , denoting a Chinese unit of measurement (about 30 mm or 1.2 inch), has no native Japanese equivalent; it only has an ''on'yomi'', '' sun'', with no native ''kun'yomi''.

Usage

In a number of cases, multiple kanji were assigned to cover a single Japanese word. Typically when this occurs, the different kanji refer to specific shades of meaning. For instance, the word , ''naosu'', when written , means "to heal an illness or sickness". When written it means "to fix or correct something". Sometimes the distinction is very clear, although not always. Differences of opinion among reference works are not uncommon; one dictionary may say the kanji are equivalent, while another dictionary may draw distinctions of use. As a result, native speakers of the language may have trouble knowing which kanji to use and resort to personal preference or by writing the word in hiragana. This latter strategy is frequently employed with more complex cases such as もと ''moto'', which has at least five different kanji: , and , the first three of which have only very subtle differences. Another notable example is ''sakazuki'' "sake cup", which may be spelt as at least five different kanji: , and ; of these, the first two are common—formally is a small cup and a large cup.

Local dialectical readings of kanji are also classified under ''kun'yomi'', most notably readings for words in Ryukyuan languages. Further, in rare cases gairaigo (borrowed words) have a single character associated with them, in which case this reading is formally classified as a ''kun'yomi'', because the character is being used for meaning, not sound.

Most '' kokuji'', Japanese-created Chinese characters, only have ''kun'yomi'', although some have back-formed a pseudo-''on'yomi'' by analogy with similar characters, such as ''dō'', from ''dō'', and there are even some, such as ''sen'' "gland", that have only an ''on'yomi''.

Examples

''uketamawaru'', ''kokorozashi'', and ''mikotonori'' have five syllables represented by a single kanji, the longest readings in the ''jōyō'' character set. These unusually long readings are due to a single character representing a compound word:

* is a single character for a compound verb, one component of which has a long reading.
** It has an alternative spelling as ''u(ke)-tamawa(ru)'', hence (1+1)+3=5.
** Compare common ''u(ke)-tsu(keru)''.
* is a nominalization of the verb which has a long reading ''kokoroza(su)''.
** This is due to its being derived from a noun-verb compound, ''kokoro-za(su)''.
** The nominalization removes the okurigana, hence increasing the reading by one mora, yielding 4+1=5.
** Compare common ''hanashi'' 2+1=3, from ''hana(su)''.
* is a triple compound.
** It has an alternative spelling ''mi-koto-nori'', hence 1+2+2=5.
Further, some Jōyō characters have long non-Jōyō readings (students learn the character, but not the reading), such as ''omonpakaru'' for .

See also

*On'yomi
*Kanji

Notes

References

{{Japanese language

Kanji
Japanese writing system terms