Questions tagged [multiple-readings]
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61
questions
1
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1answer
66 views
How do I read this sentence? 「そこにいるのは、すでに死んだ先人達。」
The last part of the sentence is throwing me off because I'm not sure whether or not "死んだ先人達" should be read as "しんださきひとたち" or "しんだせんじんたち." Could it depend on context? ...
5
votes
2answers
164 views
When is 事業 read as じぎょう and when as ことわざ
I came across the following sentence from the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series:
Ｘ氏は、一方で慈善事業をやりながら、他方でかなりあくどい商売をしているという噂だ。
I think 慈善事業 should be read as じぜんじぎょう. But as I look up the dictionary ...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
Readings for 安 as しずか (Surname)
Is it possible to read 安 as しずか shizuka? Kanshudo.com has this pronunciation as an additional reading for a surname:
https://www.kanshudo.com/name/%E5%AE%89
I wanted to do some research before asking ...
5
votes
1answer
545 views
頭【かぶり】を振る and 頭【かしら】を横に振る, why the change in pronunciation?
As the title suggests, why is there a change in pronunciation between 頭【かぶり】を振る and 頭【かしら】を横に振る? As far as I can see, there is no difference between the meanings of the two—デジタル大辞泉 even lists the ...
0
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0answers
60 views
Which reading of その他 is more common? [duplicate]
What is the actual common reading of その他? Is it そのほか or そのた? Are there differences in social or grammatical context, or a nuance in the actual meaning?
スーパー大辞林 doesn’t list その他 as a word. There is an ...
13
votes
1answer
756 views
What is the origin of 場所?
The kanji compound 場所 is bugging me. For the longest time, I did not know how to pronounce it, oscillating between ばどころ and じょうしょ. The correct pronunciation, however, is ばしょ. This is weird to me, ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
一日二日 pronunciation
I was trying to determine the pitch accent for the phrase 一日二日 when it means "for a day or two" and realised I might not even have the right reading. I thought it would be いちにちににち, but then ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
平日 - What's the difference between the two readings へいじつ and ひらび?
平日 can be read へいじつ or ひらび. What's the difference between the two readings? Is one more formal than the other?
The basic meaning seems to be "Weekday" (ie Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ...
0
votes
2answers
152 views
Identifying the correct reading for multiple Kanji
I've just started my "Kanji learning" and I'm a bit confused. I understand that almost all Kanji can be read differently depending if its followed by another Kanji or Hiragana. But how do I ...
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0answers
69 views
How does 方 becomes なた in 何方?
Most dictionaries say that 方 is read as ホウ, かた/がた, え.
But why does it change in [何方]{どなた} and is completely different in [何方]{どちら}? Are those some archaic readings or some 'synergetic' words that ...
2
votes
1answer
156 views
Words with varied 音読み｛おんよみ｝
In watching this YouTube video, the last slide displays the following information, which provides examples of words that bear 呉音｛ごおん｝、漢音｛かんおん｝、and 唐宋音｛とうそうおん｝ types of 音読み｛おんよみ｝. I was interested in ...
2
votes
1answer
493 views
Does the meaning of the Kanji change based on its reading
Most Kanji have multiple readings. For example 人 has got the readings:
ひと
ジン
ニン
Does the meaning change when the Kanji is read differently. I don't think that the meaning of this Kanji changes based ...
1
vote
1answer
120 views
How do I remember a Kanji with more than two readings and when to use them [duplicate]
I'm currently studying Kanji using a flashcard app on my computer. I do know that there are two readings for each character, On and Kun. What I don't understand, is when a Kanji has more than two ...
3
votes
1answer
98 views
What is the reading of 弓形?
The word 弓形 has three different readings which are きゅうけい, ゆみがた, and ゆみなり. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much distinction between these three readings. Is this simply a case wherein all ...
1
vote
1answer
233 views
Which reading does Google Translate use for kanji words?
I used a web service to emulate the name "Siavosh" in Kanji. First, you select your name parts from a table of kana and then it gives you a combination of kanji with pronunciation of each kanji ...
2
votes
0answers
100 views
Reading of 大: だい or たい?
The おお reading is out of the scope of this question - it might be involved in the answer though
I'm learning some vocabulary, and noticed that 大 was sometimes read だい, sometimes たい.
The instance that ...
9
votes
2answers
866 views
Can 々 stand for a duplicated kanji with a different reading?
The title may not be so clear, here is what I mean:
々 is used to avoid repeating a kanji. In some cases, the two may not be pronounced the same because the first consonant of the second kanji is ...
0
votes
0answers
128 views
Why does 生 change pronunciation. e.g. 生 = nama but 生きて＝ ikite [duplicate]
I am currently teaching myself japanese and I was listening to a japanese song and one of the words in that song was 生きて and as I am learning, I wanted to see what the first letter meant (or radical, ...
1
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0answers
117 views
Multiple Kun Reading
According to a dictionary website that I use, the character 終 has multiple kun readings. Is there any reason for this? Are there other kanji characters that have a similar case? Do their definitions ...
1
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1answer
86 views
3
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1answer
209 views
Do you read the 一片 in「一片の雲」as ひとひら or いっぺん?
I found the sentence
"A cloud was sailing in the sky" here :
空に一片の雲が浮かんでいた。
How is it pronounced?
そら に ひとひら の くも が うかんで いた。
そら に いっぺん の くも が うかんで いた。
I do not know whether in Japanese a cloud is ...
0
votes
1answer
153 views
Would Painful Death Place be an appropriate translation for 痛死名地
So, I am writing a story where the MC, while native born in Japan, has a foreign mother and surname, which is Tusinachi.
I understand that typically this would make his surname in Katakana, but I ...
2
votes
1answer
394 views
Difference of reading between [易]{やさ}しい and -[易]{やす}い
[易]{やさ}しい and -[易]{やす}い use the same kanji for essentially the same meaning. Why is the reading different? Is this just chance or this is due (historically) to grammar (ありがとうございます comes from ありがたい for ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
How does the particle を relate to the verb 行く in the structure「A を + B に行く」?
I came across this sentence in my japanese practicing material (the point is I didn't make up the sentence so I assume it's correct or at least commonly used)
日本についてのアンケートを中国人100人に行った。
and It doesn'...
3
votes
2answers
236 views
How should I read 花弁?
How should I read 花弁? I came across it in this sentence from ねじまき鳥と火曜日の女たち by 村上春樹.
テーブルの上には紫色の木蓮の花弁が雨に打たれてはりついていた
大辞泉 has these two entries, which leads me to believe 花弁 is more officially ...
9
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2answers
404 views
Is 年月 (months and years) read 【としつき】or【ねんげつ】and is there a difference?
Is 年月 (months and years) read 【としつき】or【ねんげつ】?
Is there a difference?
I found it in the following sentence in WWWJDIC:
年月が過ぎるのは早い。
4
votes
1answer
176 views
Transitive-intransitive pairs with different readings
Transitive-intransitive pairs are common in Japanese. But in general the reading of the kanji is the same. I know of two exceptions: 出す{だす}-出る{でる} and 入れる{いれる}-入る{はいる}. Are there more?
1
vote
1answer
102 views
How to pronounce 面?
For example in the phrase "物の面", how would you commonly pronounce 面?
I see three possibilities: めん、つら、おも. Which one (or ones) are commonly used?
Example sentence: "人の手の指先の内側にある、多くの細い線からできている模様。また、...
2
votes
2answers
353 views
Pronunciation of 年
The general rule to choose between kun (とし) and on (ネン) readings does not seem to work here. Are 今年, 去年, 来年, 毎年, 半年, etc. different kinds of compounds justifying using different readings? Is this the ...
2
votes
2answers
285 views
o'clock kanji pronunciation 時
Is 時 read as "toki" or "ji"? Duolingo and Google Translate don't seem to be in agreement.
2
votes
1answer
110 views
１日 reading, yet again
I was puzzled by this use of "１日," which I had not encountered yet (from tangorin.com):
私たちはたいてい１日の主な食事を晩にとります。
We usually have our main meal of the day in the evening.
...
3
votes
1answer
204 views
Is it common for Kanjis to have several pronunciations like for 乾?
While doing introductionary courses of Japanese, I stumble on a fact that affrights me about the difficulty of the language.
When congratulating each other around a drink: 乾杯
the Kanji 乾 is ...
10
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1answer
2k views
How to read 死神界?
In this manga I'm reading, the word 死神界 appears. I would have read it has しにがみかい but there was furigana indicating the reading to be ここ.
If there was no furigana, how could I know the correct way to ...
1
vote
1answer
356 views
中(なか) vs 中(ちゅう) [closed]
Some of you already gave good answers to the question in the title a while back, but I found some computer-generated pronunciations that confuse me. Are the following sentences' readings correct? ...
6
votes
1answer
149 views
What was the process by which 有職読み applied to personal names?
In premodern Japanese, it was traditional for a prestigious or extremely honorable man whose name was read with kun'yomi to have the reading of his personal name changed to on'yomi in certain ...
1
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2answers
1k views
Why does Duolingo say that 中 is pronounced “naka” but spelled ちゅう?
I am currently doing the beta course for Japaneses on duolingo. In one of the lessons, I was confronted with this question which I kept getting wrong:
When I play the sound, the voice clearly says "...
2
votes
1answer
185 views
How to know the suitable reading of その間 in a given sentence?
Sometimes the reading is そのかん as in
「その間【かん】に彼は居なくなっていました」
"He disappeared in the meantime."
and sometimes the reading is そのあいだ as in
「母は忙しそうに料理をしていた。その間【あいだ】私はテレビを見ていた」
"Mother was ...
0
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1answer
117 views
Could someone clarify the meaning of these sentences?
I'm having some problems with a few pieces of a script I'm reading. These are the following phrases:
"こうであってほしいっていう願望は別でもいいでしょう？" : context for this one is that someone was asked what they thought ...
0
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0answers
127 views
Is kunyomi and onyomi REALLY necessary? [duplicate]
I learn new words really easily, and I recognize words with kanji easily, but I can't seem to memorize 4 kanji 'on and kun readings' without forgetting the 1st once I learn the 5th.
This is coming ...
1
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1answer
193 views
一 (one) kanji onyomi pronunciations
The 一 (one) kanji has two onyomi pronunciations: ICHI and ITSU. When do you use them?
8
votes
5answers
21k views
Do we really need to remember the kunyomi and onyomi reading of each kanji?
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 &...
6
votes
2answers
766 views
How should I read 早々？ As そうそう or はやばや？
How do you read 早々 in these sentences?
I learned there are two readings: そうそう、and はやばや。
How do they differ, if at all?
早々にごへんじいただきありがとうございます。 Thank you for your prompt reply.
新年早々、...
6
votes
1answer
447 views
Exceptions to kanji readings
あなた can be written in kanji as 貴方.
However, I noticed that no combination of the readings of those two characters is at all similar to the pronunciation they produce together - this is the first time ...
2
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3answers
290 views
When is the “しりつ” reading of “市立” used?
In various dictionaries, the word "市立" has "しりつ" listed as the main reading. However, they then go on to list the reading "いちりつ", with a note saying "when spoken to avoid confusion with 私立【しりつ】". This ...
6
votes
2answers
562 views
人 - on'yomi ニン or ジン rule of thumb
I sometimes have trouble figuring out what on'yomi 人 has in unfamiliar jukugo, and was wondering whether there was any kind of rule-of-thumb for figuring it out, assuming it is the only character ...
5
votes
1answer
104 views
What is more common pronunciation for 本文?
What is more common pronunciation for 本文: ほんぶん or ほんもん? Is it geographically specific?
2
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3answers
1k views
How are made up words for anime/manga formed (reading and kanji)?
EDIT: Eiríkr Útlendi has answered my question mostly in regards to readings. What remains is how kanji are chosen for their meanings and why certain words are selected over others e.g. 実 versus 果実. ...
19
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3answers
4k views
How do attendance checklists in Japan deal with multiple possible name readings?
Even though there are several recurring, easily guessable family name readings ([田中]{たなか｝、佐藤｛さとう｝、田村｛たむら｝) in Japanese, there are usually many possible readings to people's names Kanji, especially ...
3
votes
1answer
274 views
can the same compound have different readings when having the same meaning?
I know that kanjis can have many readings. But I thought compounds (combinations) had only one meaning. For what I've read in the board, a compound can have different readings for different meanings. ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Both on'yomi and kun'yomi in a first name?
I know that some Japanese words made of two kanjis can contain both on'yomi and kun'yomi, however, is that was also true for someone's first name?
For example, I have seen the name 雪花 or 雪華 read as 「...
