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How do you know when to use each one? I always get confused on Anki when I don’t understand the reading and meaning of kanji and radicals.
This Tofugu article should help explain things http://www.tofugu.com/2010/03/23/the-types-of-kanji-in-japanese-onyomi-vs-kunyomi/
I don’t haha. Whether a word uses on- or kun-yomi doesn’t really matter. I learn words, and just kinda “notice” when kanji are pronounced the same way frequently. I don’t learn readings separately, they just come through learning vocab.
Why bother learning that 日 can be pronounced ひ、に、にち、じつ、たち or か and which is on/kun when you could just spend that time learning words that use it? :D Just learn 日陰（ひかげ）、日本（にほん）、毎日（まいにち）、本日（ほんじつ）、一日（ついたち） and 二日（ふつか）, and that way you have 6 new words to play with, instead of just abstract readings haha.
I forgot which order now, but I believe it’s something like on’yomi for 2+ kanji in a word and kun’yomi for a single kanji with kana at the end. Exceptions all over the place.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by
Luke.
I am with mister, things come naturally. I can take examples from words I studied just now
生活・せいかつ
生産・せいさん
産業・さんぎょう
業者・ぎょうしゃ
合格者・ごうかくしゃ
and it continues endlessly. The pattern is so easy to see, and you can easily learn the onyomi as you learn words.
AnonymousThe official rule is that if there is JUKUGO, or compound-kanji (at least 2 kanji NEXT to each other), both kanji use the ON’YOMI.
You use the KUN’YOMI when the kanji is BY ITSELF. You also use the KUN’YOMI when hiragana FOLLOWS the kanji to generate the meaning of the word.
HOWEVER, EXCEPTIONS are ALL OVER THE PLACE. A kanji by itself may favor the on’yomi, and two kanji in jukugo may favor the kun’yomi. A jukugo may even have on’yomi for one kanji and kun’yomi for the other!
I usually try to just know the actually word in the first place, and then understand how the reading of the kanji works. I’d say that despite these rules, at least 45% of all words have these reading exceptions.
Good luck!Kanji with an okurigana ending (i.e. glued-on hiragana) always uses the kun’yomi, no exceptions. That’s the one exception to the “there’s always exceptions” rule. =)
I feel like Michael. I have about 175 Kanji on 3×5 cards taped to my walls with On’Yomi and Kun’Yomi readings (and SOME vocab), but I feel as though they are starting to become pointless as I learn more vocab. I get accustomed to some with the On’Yomi readings (when paired with other Kanji), but there is multiple on’yomi for some that it changes too much.
Just learn the vocab and be FAMILIAR with the Kanji readings (try to find the top 3 most frequent readings of whatever Kanji you look at). The readings aren’t as important as the vocab.
I believe you are incorrect Joel..
For example: 大した （たいした） = Considerable, Great
Ooo, that’s a new word to me. That said, I don’t think the した is okurigana.
Anonymousした is the past tense form of the verb する, so 大した literally means ‘done big’, which translates to ‘considerable or great.’
Its OK its the one exception to the one exception to the there’s always an exception rule, which turns out to still hold true.
You don’t need to comfort me, because it’s not an exception. It’s two different words slitting next to each other. It’d be like saying “blue iguana” is an exception to the “I before E” rule, because it’s going E-I.
I did think it was the past tense of する, but none of the dictionaries I checked would explain that explicitly.
TextFugu’s explanation:
大した（たいした）＝ Considerable, Great
Meaning: The した part is actually the past tense of “to do” (so, it’s “did”). If you “did” something “big” then you did something “considerable” or “great” (in size).
Reading: You’ll have to remember that this word uses the on’yomi reading even though it looks like it shouldn’t (because it looks like there’s hiragana coming out of it). The hiragana is actually a separate piece, though, so don’t get confused!
so basically i should just focus on the meanings of the kanji and learn the vocab and the on and kun readings will come naturally? this sure did help alot! thanks! i was feeling a bit overwhelmed for a second lol
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This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by
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