掲示板 Forums - Kanji (*´Д｀*)

I dont understand that with different speaking like(im not good at english srry) that konyugo(or smth) and that (other thing) which one do i use to pronounce the kanji and for what do i need 2?!

(Im new in kanji ;)

( you already got an answer, but I'll throw in mine too, since I was in the middle of writing it and I think it gives you some additional information )

🟥 Kun'yomi are usually native (Japanese) readings, and are typically used when you have a kanji by itself. So the word for "cat" ねこ, would be 猫 (ねこ, kun). This is common for a lot of adjectives and verbs. 速い、 遅い、 寝る、 動く、etc. Basically, when you see hiragana directly after a kanji, and you can tell that it's not grammar, the kanji is usually going to use one of its kun'yomi. That hiragana is called okurigana (送り仮名(おくりがな)​), and you can see it in ( ) when you look at the dictionary entry for kanji such as 動. In this case you have うご + (かす) and うご + (く), which would looks like 動かす and 動く in full kanji.

🟩 On'yomi are based on old Chinese readings (Kanji comes from China), and are typically used in words where two (or more) kanji are "stuck" together. So in the case of 猫, you have words like 愛猫/あいびょう, 老猫/ろうびょう, etc., where 猫 is read びょう.

🟦 Shows you the school-grade where readings are taught. They go 小 (primary)、中 (middle)、高 (high)、ｘ (unknown / not taught in school).

Kanji often have more than one kun'yomi/on'yomi, and you pretty much just have to know which one is used in any given word. There are tendencies that can help you make an educated guess, but at the end of the day you learn the words themselves, you don't read the kanji as if they were letters.

For example, you just need to know that a word like 雨水(あまみず)​ is read using kun'yomi for both of the kanji. Of course readings aren't completely random. The tendencies I mention in 🟥 and 🟩 are quite useful. It's just that there are lots of different readings and a good amount of exceptions.

What I like to do is to learn different readings in the context of words. You still quiz kanji separately, but your main focus is on learning words. For example, when I see 既に, I know how to read it and I know what it means, but quite frankly, I couldn't tell you the exact meaning of the kanji 既, and I'd have to learn some compounds to really memorise its on'yomi. I guess I know in from 既読/きどく, but took me a minute to remember it in isolation :D

Btw. Is it so important to learn how to draw/write them?

日 has a kunyomi of ひ alongside the onyomi ニチ/ジツ.

In どようび, the last び is ひ that has followed the common sound change known as "rendaku".

In sunday, 日曜日(にち・よう・び) you have both onyomi and kunyomi for 日 in the same word.

If you see a compound word, and you don't know which reading to use, you can often guess that it's the on'yomi reading.

However, it's true that the kun'yomi reading can also appear in compound words. These are the exceptions we were talking about; something you just have to learn over time. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it.

(I also just want to say that it's completely fine to not understand something after one or two explanations. After all, Japanese isn't the easiest language out there. Don't be afraid to ask questions, stay curious, and keep learning.)