On'yomi and Kun'yomi: Why Kanji Have Multiple Readings
The two main ways to read a kanji, how to tell which to use, and how to learn readings without being overwhelmed.
A single kanji can have several readings, and that is one of the biggest challenges for learners. The system is more logical than it first looks.
Two families of readings
- 音読み (おんよみ, on'yomi) — the "sound reading", based on the original Chinese pronunciation.
- 訓読み (くんよみ, kun'yomi) — the "meaning reading", the native Japanese word for the same idea.
An example: 山 (mountain)
| Reading | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| さん (san) | on'yomi | in compounds: 富士山 (Fujisan, Mount Fuji), 火山 (kazan, volcano) |
| やま (yama) | kun'yomi | standing alone: 山 (yama, mountain), 山道 (yamamichi, mountain path) |
Another: 水 (water)
| Reading | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| すい (sui) | on'yomi | 水曜日 (suiyōbi, Wednesday), 水泳 (suiei, swimming) |
| みず (mizu) | kun'yomi | 水 (mizu, water) |
Rules of thumb
These help you guess, though they have exceptions:
- A kanji on its own, or with hiragana attached, is often kun'yomi: 食べる (taberu), 大きい (ōkii), 水 (mizu).
- Compounds of two kanji are often on'yomi: 学生 (gakusei), 電車 (densha), 新聞 (shinbun).
Exceptions exist, so learn each word as it comes.
Multiple on'yomi
Some kanji have more than one on'yomi, from different waves of borrowing. For example, 生 has せい (sei) and しょう (shō) as on'yomi, and several kun'yomi such as いきる, うまれる and なま.
How to cope
- Learn words, not isolated readings. 学生, 先生 and 生活 teach the readings of 生 in context.
- Learn the most common reading first.
- Note that okurigana (the hiragana after a kanji) tells you the reading: 食べる is taberu, 食事 is shokuji.
- Use furigana (small hiragana above kanji) in textbooks.
- Look up unfamiliar readings in a dictionary.
Why it's this way
Japanese borrowed Chinese characters and, over centuries, borrowed Chinese pronunciations too, while keeping its own words. The result is two layers.
Tips
- Learn vocabulary in compounds.
- Use context to choose readings.
- Use the dictionary to check readings.
English Japanese Dictionary
Offline English–Japanese dictionary with kanji, hiragana and katakana support
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