The Kun And On Yomi: Different readings of Kanji for Different Contexts.

This is the second of a two part article about the different readings of the Japanese Kanji. Read the first part here. Note that if you are still confused about this aspect of the Japanese language, feel free to drop a question in the comment box at the bottom of the page. I will be more than happy to help out!

We’ve now established that a Kanji can be read in different ways depending on the context. This is where the Kun and On yomi come into play. They are different ways to read (“yomi” means “read”) the same Kanji. A single Kanji may have multiple On or Kun readings and using one reading or another depends on the context.

To better illustrate this I've prepared a little diagram. Take a little while to look it over.

The diagram is fairly self-explanatory but a little extra information can’t hurt. In the diagram you can the see a single Kanji, 育. This Kanji has a general meaning of “to raise, to bring up”. This is just the general meaning however and when it comes to using this Kanji in some specific context, using the appropriate reading (Kun or On) is required.

The Kun reading of 育 is used when referring to the verb of bringing up something, just like in the sample sentence: “Is it possible for me to raise an animal?” For the moment, simply notice that the Kun reading is “soda” in that very situation.

The ON reading, on the other hand, is used when talking about education as a noun: “The government has been reforming education”. Notice how the ON reading differs from the Kun reading, the former being “soda” while the later is “Iku”.

Understanding that a Kanji is read differently (either Kun or On) is all that has to be understood for now. Keep in mind that a Kanji can have several Kun and On readings.