Kun'yomi
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Japanese writing |
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Components |
Uses |
Transliteration |
Kun'yomi (
Characteristics[edit]
Kun'yomi are characterized by the strict (C)V syllable structure of 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 monosyllabic, and is unusual in the Chinese family of scripts, which generally use one character per syllable—not only in Chinese, but also in Korean, Vietnamese, and Zhuang; polysyllabic Chinese characters are rare and considered non-standard.
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,
Usage[edit]
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 なおす, naosu, when written
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
Examples[edit]
承 る is a single character for a compound verb, one component of which has a long reading.- It has an alternative spelling as
受 け賜 る u(ke)-tamawa(ru), hence (1+1)+3=5. - Compare common
受 け付 ける u(ke)-tsu(keru).
- It has an alternative spelling as
志 is a nominalization of the verb志 す which has a long reading kokoroza(su).- This is due to its being derived from a noun-verb compound,
心 指 す kokoro-za(su). - The nominalization removes the okurigana, hence increasing the reading by one mora, yielding 4+1=5.
- Compare common
話 hanashi 2+1=3, from話 す hana(su).
- This is due to its being derived from a noun-verb compound,
詔 is a triple compound.- It has an alternative spelling
御言 宣 mi-koto-nori, hence 1+2+2=5.
- It has an alternative spelling
Further, some Jōyō characters have long non-Jōyō readings (students learn the character, but not the reading), such as omonpakaru for
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Coulmas, Florian (1991). Writing Systems of the World. Wiley. p. 125. ISBN 978-0631180289.
- ^ Loveday, Leo (1996). Language Contact in Japan: A Socio-Linguistic History. Clarendon Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0198235590.
- ^ Shibatani, Masayoshi (2008). The Languages of Japan. Cambridge University Press. pp. 120–126. ISBN 978-0521369183.