こんにちは。
After reading jisho, here's some of the information that I found:
管 (kun: くだ on: カン)
Interestingly, if you search the details, jisho lists 管 read as 【カン】 and 【かん】, even though the meaning is the same i.e.: pipe or tube.
My first guess:
Pipe as in cylindrical/tubular pvc pipe.
While tube as in wind instrument.
かん【管】
[共通する意味] ★円筒形で中が空になったもの。
[使い方]〔管〕(くだ)▽ガスの管を引く〔管〕(かん)
くだ【管】
[共通する意味] ★円筒形で中が空になったもの。
[使い方]〔管〕(くだ)▽ガスの管を引く〔管〕(かん)
The explanation is totally the same, that is 'empty-shelled' pvc pipe.
However, it differs on the other entries:
(Kun reading)
管轄 【カンカツ】 jurisdiction, control
配管 【ハイカン】 plumbing, piping
移管 【イカン】 transfer of control
while
(On reading)
管 【かん】 pipe, tube
管狐 【くだぎつね】 mythological pipe fox, stoat
手練手管 【てれんてくだ】 wiles, art of coaxing
手管 【てくだ】 wiles, trick, artifice, coquetry, lover (male) (esp. of a prostitute)
Entries from Wiktionary have more explanation:
管 (hiragana くだ, rōmaji kuda)
Meaning:
a pipe or tube, such as that made of bamboo, wood, metal, or rubber
a shuttle for weaving with a loom (from the way the earliest shuttles were made from bamboo tubes)
the central axis of a spindle for winding the thread
short for 管の笛 (くだのふえ), a kind of small pipe or flute used for signalling during a battle, similar to a fife
an agricultural tool, used to gather up cut rice stalks
short for 管狐 (くだぎつね), a kind of mythical fox roughly the size of a weasel, that would live in bamboo stalks and make prophesies of the future.
My questions:
Why is that there are two exactly same readings as 'kan' in both kun and on reading while retaining the same meaning? i.e.: pipe/tube
Usually, kanji has different readings and different meanings which are then categorized by 'kun' and 'on' reading.
Is there any etymological difference or similarity that makes these two readings 'different' or 'similar'?
Is this related to: that 管 originated from 筦 in Chinese?
If this 管 is used, which is preferable and more natural, かん or くだ? My guess is かん, because くだ feels more 'foreign' to my intuition. Is this correct?
Is there something that I miss? Thank you for all your answers! (´∀｀)
Based on source(jisho.org)
