How to Know What Reading of a Kanji to Use

Yous only started learning Japanese. You're cruising through your beginner kanji list nice and piece of cake.

木. Hey, a tree! 山. Hey, a mountain! Heck yeah, this is easy! The characters even sort of looks like trees and mountains.

Only then you look at the pronunciations… wait. Why are there ii ways to read 木? Is information technology もく or is information technology き? Do I read 山 as さん or やま? Which ane should I use? Why can this ane exist read ten possible means? Who did this and where are they hiding?!

However, it'south also belatedly. You lot're here, and in that location's no way home. Welcome… to Kanji Park.

The readings (on'yomi and kun'yomi) of kanji are very complicated. At least, that's what many people will tell you. Information technology's kind of true, but it doesn't have to be this way. Figuring out what to learn and when to use which kanji reading is a lot simpler than everyone makes it out to exist.

We're going to show you how to do this so you can apply information technology to your ain kanji studies. Kanji will brand more sense, and you lot'll be able to focus on what's really important: learning how to read Japanese.

Prerequisite: By the manner, this article is going to apply hiragana, ane of Japan's 2 phonetic alphabets, then if yous don't know information technology yet, if you're a fiddling iffy, or if you lot merely want a refresher, take a await at our hiragana guide first. It usually only takes a day or two (with the help of mnemonics) to get information technology down pat.

• Outset, Some History
• Two Kanji Readings for the Cost of 1
• Single Reading Exceptions
• Why Are At that place And so Many Kanji Readings?
• Romance of the Three Language Shifts
• Multiple Kun'yomi Readings
• How Can I Know the Reading?
  • On'yomi Compounds
  • Single Kanji Kun'yomi
  • Single Kanji On'yomi
  • Kun'yomi with Okurigana
  • Kun'yomi Compounds
  • Exceptions
• How To Learn Kanji Readings
  • i. Just Learn Ane Reading Per Kanji
  • two. Cull the "All-time" Kanji Reading to Learn
  • three. Learn Other Readings Through vocabulary
• Next Steps to Learning Kanji

Before you read any farther: we besides recorded a podcast on on'yomi and kun'yomi. We highly recommend yous read the article and listen to the podcast episode (instead of just one or the other) for a deeper understanding of the concept. Trust the states, your understanding of kanji readings will be then much better when you know almost on'yomi and kun'yomi!

Now you can subscribe to the Tofugu podcast and come up dorsum afterwards once you finish reading this article.

First, Some History

What we know today as "kanji" originated in China (they call it hànzì). These hànzì characters fabricated their way through the Korean Peninsula, then hopped over to Japan more often than not via Classical Chinese religious texts.

Japan was sooOOOooo in love with China at the time they adopted the Chinese writing organisation and applied it to their own linguistic communication.

Taking the meanings of the Chinese hànzì and applying them to the Japanese language was fairly straightforward. If you saw the character 食, you'd know the significant was "repast," "food," or something along those lines.

But the sounds of the Chinese language and the Japanese language are completely different. Despite this, Japan went ahead and adopted the Chinese readings for the kanji too.

What we know today as "kanji" originated in China (they call it hànzì). These hànzì characters fabricated their way through the Korean Peninsula, then hopped over to Japan mostly via Classical Chinese religious texts.

"Simply wait," you lot say. "How is that fifty-fifty possible? Wouldn't that hateful Japanese people started speaking Chinese?"

Short reply: no. Japan had their own language, and while it isn't the aforementioned as Japanese today, it wasn't Chinese either. They had their own words for things like water, burn, food, and all the other stuff that exists in life. Instead of converting the Japanese language into Chinese, they decided each kanji will have a Chinese mode of reading it and a Japanese way of reading it.

These two readings are what we know as on'yomi and kun'yomi readings.

• On'yomi 音読み: Readings derived from the Chinese pronunciations.
• Kun'yomi 訓読み: The original, indigenous Japanese readings.

Notice how I said the on'yomi were derived from Chinese pronunciations? The Japanese didn't bring over the Chinese pronunciation for kanji wholesale.

Japanese is a very simple language (in terms of the number of sounds available to it). The Chinese language has far more sounds than the Japanese language does. Things like distinct pitches can lead to a complete change of meaning. Thus, Nippon had to catechumen these Chinese readings into something that could be said within the Japanese alphabet of sounds. This, too as Japan's lack of tones, is why they're (sometimes) like, just not exactly the same as the originals.

Two Kanji Readings for the Price of Ane

Thanks to this adoption of characters and readings, virtually all kanji accept at least ane on'yomi (Chinese origin) and one kun'yomi (Japanese origin) reading. So if you want to easily read Japanese you'll need to know them both. Here are some examples of kanji where both readings are commonly used:

Kanji	Meaning	On'yomi	Kun'yomi
水	Water	すい	みず
火	Fire	か	ひ
木	Tree	もく	き
国	Land	こく	くに
犬	Dog	けん	いぬ
山	Mountain	さん	やま
女	Woman	じょ	おんな
男	Man	だん	おとこ
内	Within	ない	うち
目	Center	もく	め

Notation: 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. Nosotros won't be using them here.

Multiply this by pretty much every other kanji. Sure, some kanji will accept one reading that is fashion more than useful than the others, but for the well-nigh office, at that place will exist an on'yomi and kun'yomi reading worth learning.

I'one thousand going to leave information technology at that for at present, so we can look beyond "one on'yomi and one kun'yomi," considering, unfortunately, kanji readings are non that simple.

Single Reading Exceptions

Although virtually kanji have both an on'yomi and kun'yomi reading, there are exceptions. At that place are kanji that only have one or the other.

Kanji that only accept an on'yomi reading are ordinarily for things that either:

1. Do not have a unmarried, unified term (in Japanese), and thus took the Chinese reading for clarity, or…
2. Were ideas or concepts that didn't yet exist for the Japanese people.

This may seem impossible. How could a language not take a concept for some things?

Remember these language transitions were happening style back in history and Japan was not however the unified group of islands nosotros know today. They were fractured, unrelated groups with unique leaders and systems of government that happened to live together on a couple of large islands. Not only did they enjoy fighting amid themselves, they as well did not have the Net.

With that in mind, here are examples of kanji that only have on'yomi readings:

Kanji	Significant	On'yomi
肉	Meat	にく
材	Lumber	ざい
感	Feeling	かん
点	Point	てん
医	Doc	い
茶	Tea	ちゃ
胃	Tummy	い
職	Work	しょく
象	Elephant	ぞう
秒	Second	びょう

On the flip side, there are also kanji characters that only accept kun'yomi readings considering they are kanji created in Nihon. This means they (Japanese aristocracy/scholars/priests) took pieces of kanji characters and put them together to create a new kanji, for a concept that was native to Japan. These are called Kokuji 国字 (literally "national characters").

Here are examples of made-in-Japan kanji:

Kanji	Significant	Kun'yomi
畑	Field	はたけ
姫	Princess	ひめ
匂い	Fragrant	におい
峠	Mount Pass	とうげ
枠	Frame	わく
籾	Unhulled Rice	もみ
鰯	Sardine	いわし
栃	Horse Anecdote	とち
込む	To Be Crowded	こむ
咲く	To Bloom	さく

And so, yous tin can't always presume a kanji volition have two readings: an on'yomi and a kun'yomi. Sometimes it's merely one of them, for the reasons listed above. That makes it simpler for you, the kanji learner!

Unfortunately, things are nearly to accept a darker turn.

Why Are There Then Many Kanji Readings?

At present that y'all know well-nigh Chinese and Japanese readings, everything should be cake right? Well, not exactly. Permit's accept a step back.

We know kanji came over from Red china via Korea, merely history spans a long, long time. And if you know anything nigh Chinese history (or if you've played Dynasty Warriors), you lot know that the seat of power in People's republic of china was pretty much constantly changing hands.

As an outsider, you probably recall of these kingdoms as a bunch of "Chinese" people fighting each other while speaking the aforementioned "Chinese" language. Red china is big, there are many groups, many cultures, and – most importantly for this article – many languages.

As ability in China inverse, and then did the "official" language.

Equally power in China changed, so did the "official" language.

These language shifts had a directly outcome on the types of Chinese language that were brought to Japan. And not every kanji was brought over at the same time or from the same place.

For example, one version of Chinese pronounces the character 下 as げ while some other pronounces it equally か, centuries later. The character and the concept stayed the same, but for some reason Japan idea it would exist nifty to just adopt both Chinese readings for the same kanji. In the case of this kanji, we terminate up with words that use the げ reading:

Kanji	Reading	Pregnant
下品	げひん	Rough, Vulgar
下巻	げかん	Last book (in a series)
下旬	げじゅん	Finish of the month
下駄	げた	Geta, Japanese wooden clogs
下痢	げり	Diarrhea

And words that use the か reading:

Kanji	Reading	Meaning
地下	ちか	Underground
以下	いか	Less than, Below
地下鉄	ちかてつ	Subway
廊下	ろうか	Corridor, Hallway
却下	きゃっか	Rejection

Can y'all approximate which reading arrived in Japan afterwards? (Hint: it'south the reading used with subway systems.)

Romance of the Three Language Shifts

There were three major reading adoption periods in the history of the Japanese linguistic communication:

• Go-on 呉音 (4–6th century): The Wu Dynasty pronunciation
• Kan-on 漢音 (7–9th century): The Han Dynasty pronunciation
• Tō-on 唐音 (1185–1573): The "Chinese" pronunciation

In pretty much every case, these characters and their readings were brought over by scholars of Buddhism and Confucianism in the class of religious and historical texts (usually through scrolls). Japanese scholars would then copy and adapt those texts into their ain writing.

The majority of the on'yomi readings we use today are from the Kan-on group, though you'd never know it by looking at a lexicon. In fact, most dictionaries make no mention of the origins of the on'yomi readings and merely list them all without any differentiation.

The 2 major Japanese-Japanese dictionaries (that I'grand aware of) that do have this information are 新漢語林 and 新選漢和辞典. Some online Japanese dictionaries also list them for sure kanji, take this example of 明 in コトバンク:

Here you can see among the on'yomi readings that めい is from 漢 (Kan-on), みょう is from 呉 (Get-on), and みん is from 唐 (Tō-on). If you ever see these three kanji in a dictionary or resource, at present yous know what they're talking nearly!

Let's take a await at examples of kanji with multiple on'yomi readings, which, as yous know now, are merely readings from different Chinese language eras.

Kanji	Go-on (呉)	Kan-on (漢)	Tō-on (唐)
明	みょう	めい	みん
京	きょう	けい	きん
行	ぎょう	こう	あん
和	わ	か	お
頭	ず	とう	じゅう
珠	しゅ	しゅ	じゅ
子	し	し	す
清	しょう	せい	しん

If you know some Mandarin, y'all may detect the Tō-on readings are the closest to modern Chinese (specifically Mandarin Chinese). You tin probably guess why: because they are the nigh recent additions to the Japanese linguistic communication.

I tin almost guarantee you'll never be asked about which on'yomi reading is from when or where, but knowing why there are multiple readings can help alleviate the overall confusion that comes with learning kanji.

Multiple Kun'yomi Readings

Just because kun'yomi readings originated in Japan, you lot may start out thinking there is but ane kun'yomi per kanji, just it isn't that unproblematic. In that location can be multiple kun'yomi readings for one kanji, merely like there can be multiple on'yomi readings, simply the reasons are slightly different.

In Japan, earlier there was writing, spoken language still existed and words for similar concepts would be said dissimilar ways.

In Nihon, before in that location was writing, spoken language notwithstanding existed and words for similar concepts would exist said unlike ways.

For case, if you ask someone about a bubbly beverage in different areas of the United States y'all'll get multiple names for it: soda, popular, coke, or cola are all acceptable answers (though if we're existence real, "soda" is the only correct i). Still, at the end of the day, anybody'south describing the same tooth-rotting beverage.

When a kanji graphic symbol that encompassed multiple concepts appeared, all the different ways of saying it went under a one character umbrella.

A mod example would await a lot like this: if the 🍪 emoji made its way to American shores, we might assign both "cookie" and "beige" to it as meanings, just use those words in spoken language, and replace all writing with the 🍪 emoji.

With that in mind, take a look at kanji that have multiple kun'yomi readings:

Kanji	Vocab	Reading	Meaning
上	上	うえ	Up
	上げる/上がる	あげる/あがる	To Raise/To Rise
	上る	のぼる	To Climb

Kanji	Vocab	Reading	Meaning
下	下	した	Down
	下げる/下がる	さげる/さがる	To Hang
	下さい	ください	Delight

Kanji	Vocab	Reading	Meaning
生	生	なま	Raw
	生む	うむ	To Give Birth
	生きる	いきる	To Live
	生える	はえる	To Grow

As you lot tin run across, the words have similar meanings, but slightly different readings, living under the same kanji roof. You tin can imagine the person making these decisions thinking: "'To climb,' 'to rise,' and 'up' all have to practice with upwardly things, and so let's put them all inside 上. Woo wee, I'm such a genius!"

How Tin I Know the Reading?

Now y'all know everything virtually the why and the where, but now it'southward fourth dimension to cover the how.

How exactly do y'all know which reading is beingness used? The general rules are fairly unproblematic, merely with every language there are exceptions.

So, let's first by focusing on those patterns. This will aid you lot place the right reading of a kanji, almost of the time. The rest? We'll talk virtually that after you lot sympathize the basics.

On'yomi Compounds

A two-kanji (or more than) compound commonly takes the on'yomi readings. These are called jukugo 熟語（ じゅくご ） . There are no hanging-on hiragana (okurigana) sticking out from the word.

Also, these words most resemble the Chinese language, which is merely one character after some other. When you run into a chemical compound word like this, chances are these kanji will utilise the on'yomi readings.

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
東京	とうきょう	Tokyo
先生	せんせい	Instructor
元気	げんき	Energy
最高	さいこう	Best
地下鉄	ちかてつ	Subway

Single Kanji Kun'yomi

Most words that consist of a unmarried kanji, sitting all alone with no okurigana, are read with the kun'yomi reading. These include nouns and they make upwardly the bulk of beginner words you lot larn from textbooks and in classrooms.

Japanese	Reading	Pregnant
人	ひと	Person
手	て	Hand
心	こころ	Heart
南	みなみ	South
冬	ふゆ	Wintertime

Single Kanji On'yomi

While less common than single kanji words that employ the kun'yomi reading, there are many instances of unmarried kanji using the on'yomi reading. This is particularly true for unmarried kanji numbers, but in that location are enough of other examples as well.

Japanese	Reading	Pregnant
本	ほん	Book
天	てん	Heaven
字	じ	Character
文	ぶん	Sentence
一	いち	One

Kun'yomi with Okurigana

If a kanji has hiragana fastened to it, it well-nigh ever uses the kun'yomi reading. These kana suffixes are called okurigana 送り仮名（ おく　がな ） and they are mostly adjectives and verbs, but they tin can be used for nouns too.

Japanese	Reading	Significant
大きい	おおきい	Big
食べる	たべる	To Eat
行く	いく	To Go
玉ねぎ	たまねぎ	Onion
乗り場	のりば	Bus Cease

Kun'yomi Compounds

Some kanji compounds words, especially those that accept to do with nature (very Japanese) or fundamental directions, can take the kun'yomi readings for both kanji. While not equally mutual as on'yomi compounds, they practise exist in some very common words.

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
月見	つきみ	Moon Viewing
南口	みなみぐち	S Exit
朝日	あさひ	Morning Sun
虫歯	むしば	Cavity
場合	ばあい	Case

Exceptions

There are, of course, many exceptions to the rules above:

• Words that contain kanji that have both on'yomi and kun'yomi readings.
• Kanji that get assigned to katakana words.
• Words with kanji that take readings that don't make whatsoever logical sense when you look them upwards in the dictionary.

You tin read near all of these and more in our commodity about weird kanji.

How To Larn Kanji Readings

Now that you know the basics patterns, it'due south fourth dimension to take a expect at ways you can larn kanji readings. It's not easy, particularly when one kanji can have so many (correct) means of reading it.

First, let'south consider the traditional method for learning kanji readings.

1. Teacher tells you lot to learn the kanji readings, because they're going to exist on the quiz.
2. Yous accept the quiz.

There is no thought virtually what kanji reading(s) are more than useful to know. As you lot saw from the examples above, non all kanji readings are created equally. Some readings become used a lot. Others near never. And you're but being asked to memorize sounds without much context.

We're not going to get into a huge amount of detail about how to choose good kanji readings to learn hither. Nosotros already did that in our article nigh how to learn kanji. Then, let's pigment in wide strokes (and I'll point y'all in the right direction when things need to get more specific).

1. Simply Learn One Reading Per Kanji

This goes against what a lot of people say and exercise, and so stick with me hither. Learning all of the readings of a kanji actually means you are learning less.

You have multiple strands of weak, new information in your head. Past trying to hold onto all of them, you end up belongings onto none of them (you lot can't recollect the readings).

Yet, by learning and associating ane reading for the pregnant (which you should already know), yous're creating a stronger bond. Thus, you lot will acquire this one reading hands.

Also, you need to have faith in one thing: the long run, yous will learn all the important readings for this kanji, just for now, y'all are learning one. We'll tell you why in the next section.

2. Choose the "All-time" Kanji Reading to Learn

You are only learning one kanji reading. And then which one should y'all acquire? The "best" i, of grade, but how exercise you know which reading that is?

For almost kanji, there will be a single reading that shows upward in 80–ninety% of the vocabulary. Let's consider – as an example – a kanji that has three readings. Nosotros will also presume – for the sake of this instance – that each reading will toll you ten minutes of fourth dimension. Hither is the value of each of that kanji'south readings:

• Kanji Reading ane: Used in xc% of the vocabulary.
• Kanji Reading 2: Used in 7% of the vocabulary.
• Kanji Reading three: Used in 3% of the vocabulary.

You are paying ten minutes of time to learn each reading. One of the readings is conspicuously style more valuable than the others. Why would you pay the same corporeality of time for something that has, comparatively, almost no value? Yous could use the extra time to learn more kanji (which means you will exist able to read more overall).

Of grade, the percentages will be different from kanji to kanji, just in full general there will be 1 reading that is way more valuable than the others. Y'all demand to pick that reading out. Forget almost on'yomi, forget most kun'yomi, and just think of the "best" reading as "the reading."

So what virtually the other readings? Aren't they of import to know?

3. Larn Other Readings Through vocabulary

Yous will learn the other kanji readings by studying vocabulary. So really, you're not missing out on anything by not learning the less common readings forth with the kanji.

You won't have the result of crossing your memory wires (readings learned through vocabulary will be more associated with that vocabulary word than the original kanji), and assuming you are learning useful vocabulary words, yous will naturally learn the adjacent nearly common kanji readings.

You will learn the other kanji readings past studying vocabulary. And so really, you lot're not missing out on anything by not learning the less common readings forth with the kanji.

Using this method, you volition learn the kanji readings and words that are most common. Yous will likewise be able to learn more kanji in less time.

That means you will be able to read a higher percent of Japanese text sooner, and the faster you exercise this, the more you'll be able to learn (considering there'south nothing amend for learning Japanese than reading Japanese).

This method requires a lot of long term thinking, simply y'all will get to the end much, much faster.

Next Steps to Learning Kanji

Now you know where kanji came from (China), what their readings are (on'yomi and kun'yomi), and a bit about how and when to utilize them. But it's not over nevertheless.

Since language is fluid and erstwhile and complicated, in that location are notwithstanding exceptions to rules everywhere. The best thing to do is apply these rules as a starting time judge, and then expect up the answer to see if the word y'all're looking at follows the rules or not.

Or, if you want to be a kanji main, you tin start to acquire both the on'yomi and kun'yomi readings for kanji with the vocabulary words that utilize them. However, don't just jump in correct away and endeavour to memorize them all at once, as in that location are over 2,000 kanji used in everyday life in Japan. That's a lot of information, and quite a pit of chaos, particularly to the new learner.

To bring some guild to this chaos, we recommend looking at our article on spaced repetition learning, every bit well as our big how to learn kanji guide. You will larn how to choose the right information to larn, then build yourself a durable system for getting information technology into your long term memory.

And if you don't experience similar spending time putting together your own study technique, take a await at WaniKani for a kanji method that does all this and much more. The showtime three levels are free and cover 75+ kanji (meanings plus the best readings) and 200+ vocabulary words that use the kanji (so y'all can larn more than than one kanji reading). This is more than than most Japanese classes tin finish in a year, and you'll stop it all in a calendar month. If you go through the whole organization, you lot'll be able to learn over ii,000 kanji and 6,000 words.

Whatever you end up doing, I hope this article helped you understand kanji readings. It's not like shooting fish in a barrel, but once you know what each reading does, and where it comes from, information technology gets simpler. Don't exist overwhelmed past all the readings either. The more than readings that you larn, the easier it gets (that's skilful news).

Have religion it'll get better and continue moving forward. Practiced luck, linguistic adventurer!

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Source: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/onyomi-kunyomi/

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