Do we really need to remember the kunyomi and onyomi reading of each kanji?

Question

I am learning how to write kanji using the obenkyo app. I am trying to remember the strokes of each kanji and how to read them (onyomi & kunyomi).

But do I really need to remember the onyomi & kunyomi for each of them? I mean there are at least 4-5 different ways to read each of the kanji, and I don't think I can remember the strokes, onyomi, and kunyomi all at the same time. That's too much for me.

How important is it to know onyomi and kunyomi readings? How is it useful?

Suppose we came across a word with new kanji somewhere, is there a way to know how to read it?

I mean it's confusing and the readings always change.

For example 人 can be read jin, ri, hito, etc.

Answer 1

Studying Kanji can easily become one of the most overwhelming challenges of studying Japanese. Even people who speak the language decently have difficulty reading and writing Kanji.

As you have no doubt discovered, learning a single 漢字｛かんじ｝ can be a challenge. Unfortunately, you should do your best to learn everything about the character you can.

While you've only touched on it, stroke order IS important, but the more you practice the easier it gets. You'll start to develop a natural feel for it over time.

But do I really need remember onyomi & kunyomi for each of them?

Yes, you do. I'm sorry to say it, but your example of 人 is a classic example of why you should learn all the readings.

人：
Kun'yomi：ひと、-り、-と
On'yomi：じん、にん

Below are some common words that use 人.

あの人｛ひと｝(that person)
一人｛ひとり｝(one person)
二人｛ふたり｝(two people)
仲人 【なこうど】(matchmaker -- less common, but uses the -と reading)
日本人｛にほんじん｝(Japanese people)
本人｛ほんにん｝(the person himself)

The best way to learn the readings of a kanji is to see common usages of it. Look up all the words you can that use the character, and learn how it would be read in different situations. Of course, practice, practice, practice. It will take a lot of effort on your part.

If you see the character on its own (hiragana on both sides), you've likely got a kunyomi. This isn't guaranteed, but it is the case more often than not.

If you see the character with other kanji, it's likely an onyomi. This too isn't guaranteed, but it is also the case more often than not.

The fact of the matter is, you have to expose yourself to Japanese writing a lot before you start to develop an intuitive feel for how things could be read. Honestly, I still misread some characters when I go off of intuition, but as I keep saying, practice makes perfect.

How important is is to know the onyomi and kunyomi readings? How is it useful?

Japanese people use both onyomi and kunyomi readings all the time. It's useful to know both of them because otherwise you will never be able to read the language fluently.

Suppose we came across a word with new kanji somewhere, is there a way to know how to read it?

The only way you will know how to read the characters is if you have had prior experience with it. This will require a lot of practice and a lot of patience. Practice makes perfect here, and you will need a lot of practice.

Take comfort in knowing that kanji is hard for Japanese natives and foreigners alike. I have known several Japanese people who struggled with reading kanji. They could read the common, basic characters, but a lot of the time they needed help from someone who had a better knowledge of the characters. I have even been in reading groups where educated people have needed help reading characters, simply because it was outside their area of expertise. It would be the same thing if I started talking about electrical induction to a doctor. Sure, it's English, but they haven't studied it before, and likely won't fully understand what the term electrical induction means.

Answer 2

Adding to what others said, in my opinion you shouldn't think of it as memorizing all the readings for every kanji, abstractly. You should think of it as learning Japanese words (which you have to know anyway), and then learning how to write them as kanji. Words come first, kanji come later. The words would exist even if the kanji didn't. Consider that Japanese people learn the Japanese language before learning to write (just like peoples of all languages learn to speak before learning to write).

For example, hitori, futari, sannin, hito, hitobito, nihonjin and amerikajin are some Japanese words. If you want to know Japanese, you have to know these words and what they mean (just like learning any other language). This is the basic level. Then, in addition, you also have to know how to write them: 一人、二人、三人、 人、人々、日本人、アメリカ人. You will then naturally absorb, by osmosis, the convention that certain words (hito) and word-pieces (-ri, -jin, -nin) are written with the same character, 人. (The words and word-pieces written with the same character often share a rough general "meaning", but not always.)

So it's not really a matter of drilling "on and kun readings" as one would drill country capitals. Things like -nin and hito aren't just "kanji readings"; they're words and word-pieces (morphemes) that occur in the Japanese language. You have to know what they mean if you want to speak Japanese; and, additionally, you have to know how they're written if you want to read Japanese.

Source: Nara and Noda, Acts of Reading: Exploring Connections in Pedagogy of Japanese.

Answer 3

I believe the best way to remember kanji is by seeing how they are used in words because this is how you will have to read them.

I use Wanikani by Tofugu myself, and have found that the readings, although useful, can get you confused sometimes especially if you try to remember how readings work (onyomi with onyomi, kunyomi with kunyomi, and even exceptions).

"In general, you'll use on'yomi when a word is made up of a multi-kanji compound (this is called jukugo).

You'll use kun readings when a kanji has hiragana attached to it (though this isn't always the case), or when a kanji's sitting out there on its own.

Really though, prior knowledge of the kanji and how it is used is necessary, which unfortunately means you actually have to practice since there are no really solid rules you can use to shortcut your way out of figuring out how to use what pronunciation and where."

Answer 4

Personally, I don't think you need to learn the kun'yomi and on'yomi. Why? Well, you will naturally learn them when you progress with your studies.

Answer 5

From what I understand, and when it comea to mulptiplwe kanji, I think what a lot of folks are worried about are prefixes and suffixes, and knoqing what order they are supposed to be in. Then, afterwards would be the accepted readings.

Basically, it is more of a gut instinct language, based on what is socially practiced based on prefecture (going by each region in Japan, that is).