Kun Reading: pronunciation base on Janpanese word
On Reading: Pronunciation base on Chines word
Kanji have two categories of meanings and pronunciations, referred to as "readings": on readings (音読み or onyomi) and kun readings (訓読み or kunyomi). On readings are derived from the original Chinese pronunciations of the character, and are typically used when a kanji is part of a compound. Kun readings are typically used when kanji are used on their own, either as complete nouns or as adjective and verb stems. Most kanji have at least one on-reading and one kun-reading each. Kanji also have a third, lesser-known reading called nanori reading, which is used for people\'s names.
There are exceptions to these rules. Many kanji have no kun-reading and a few have no on-reading. Some use kun-readings, not on-readings, to make compounds.
Often a kanji will be used for the root of a verb, with the conjugation written in hiragana. When kanji characters are not followed by hiragana they are often grouped in twos and are pronounced in the On reading. The word "kanji"(漢字) is a perfect example of this. Its pronunciation is derived from the Chinese word "hanzi".
Kanji is often accompanied by furigana, that is, ruby characters printed alongside their Kanji counterparts (especially in children\'s texts and mangas, or for characters not included in the 2,000 most commonly used Kanji). Appropriately, the most common Kanji to be found in daily usage is 日, "sun", which gives rise to the name "land of the rising sun".
[此贴子已经被作者于2005-4-4 13:43:39编辑过]