Onyomi and kunyomi are the two main ways to read kanji characters in Japanese. They essentially represent different pronunciations for the same character. Here’s a breakdown:
Onyomi (音読み, on = sound, yomi = reading)
Origin: Comes from the original Chinese pronunciation of the character when it was introduced to Japan.
Pronunciation: Often reflects the sounds of ancient Chinese, which can be quite different from modern Japanese.
Usage: Typically used for:
Compound words: When multiple kanji are combined to create a new word, onyomi is usually used for each kanji. (e.g. 電車 – densha – train, 時間 – jikan – time)
Some standalone kanji: Onyomi can also be used for certain standalone kanji, especially those related to abstract concepts or foreign origins. (e.g. 水 – sui – water, 火 – ka – fire)
Kunyomi (訓読み, kun = meaning, yomi = reading)
Origin: Represents the Japanese pronunciation that was assigned to the character based on its meaning.
Pronunciation: Based on native Japanese words that already existed before kanji.
Usage: Typically used for:
Standalone kanji: When a single kanji represents a word, kunyomi is often used, especially for words related to concrete objects or basic concepts. (e.g. 木 – ki – tree, 山 – yama – mountain)
Part of a compound word: Sometimes kunyomi is used for one kanji within a compound word, especially when paired with onyomi from another kanji. (e.g. 先生 – sensei – teacher – sensei uses the kunyomi of 生 – しょう – しょう (しょう) and the onyomi of 人 – じん)
Here’s an analogy to help understand onyomi and kunyomi:
Imagine kanji characters as suitcases. Inside each suitcase is a Chinese word with its pronunciation (onyomi). When the suitcase arrives in Japan, they add a Japanese label (kunyomi) on the outside that reflects the meaning of the word inside. Now, you can use the suitcase for two purposes:
Stack suitcases together (compound words): You use the original labels from China (onyomi) to build a new word.
Open a single suitcase (standalone kanji): You use the Japanese label (kunyomi) to understand the meaning of the single character.
Jlpt N5 Kanji for Numbers
Kanji
Meaning
Onyomi
Kunyomi
Vocabulary Example
一
One
ichi
hito(tsu)
いちばん (ichiban) – first
二
Two
ni
futatsu
にかい (nikai) – second floor
三
Three
san
mi(ttsu)
さんにん (sannin) – three people
四
Four
shi
yo(ttsu)
よんひゃく (yonhyaku) – four hundred
五
Five
go
itsu(tsu)
ごご (gogo) – afternoon
六
Six
roku
mu(tsu)
ろくがつ (rokugatsu) – June
七
Seven
shichi
nana(tsu)
しちじ (shichiji) – seven o’clock
八
Eight
hachi
ya(ttsu)
はちがつ (hachigatsu) – August
九
Nine
kyuu
kokono(tsu)
きゅうじ (kyuuji) – nine o’clock
十
Ten
juu
to(o)
じゅうにん (juunin) – ten people
百
Hundred
hyaku
–
ひゃくえん (hyakuen) – 100 yen
千
Thousand
sen
–
せんえん (senen) – 1,000 yen
万
Ten thousand
man
–
まんにん (mannin) – 10,000 people
億
Hundred million
oku
–
おくえん (okuえん) – 100 million yen
兆
Trillion
chou
–
ちょうにん (chōnin) – trillion people (very large number)
Jlpt N5 kanji for Time
Kanji
Meaning
Onyomi
Kunyomi
Vocabulary Example
時
Time
ji
toki
じかん (jikan) – time
間
Interval, space
kan
ma/あいだ (aida)
ごごさんじ かん (gogo san ji kan) – three o’clock in the afternoon (interval)
日
Day
nichi
hi
にちようび (nichiyoubi) – Sunday
月
Month
gatsu
tsuki
がつようび (getsuyoubi) – Monday
年
Year
nen
toshi
ことし (kotoshi) – this year
朝
Morning
chou/jou
asa
あさごはん (asagohan) – breakfast
昼
Daytime, noon
chu
hiru
ひるやすみ (hiruyasumi) – lunch break
夕
Evening
yuu/seki
yuube
ゆうごはん (yuugohan) – dinner
夜
Night
ya
yoru
よるみがかた (yoru no mikata) – ally of night
分
Minute
fun
bu/pun
さんじ じゅうふん (san ji juufun) – ten minutes past three
時間 (じかん)
Hour (already learned)
じっかん (jikkan) – ten hours
午前 (ごぜん)
AM
gozen
ごぜんじゅうじ (gozen juuji) – ten o’clock AM
午後 (ごご)
PM
gogo
ごごさんじ (gogo san ji) – three o’clock PM
昨日 (きのう)
Yesterday
kinou
きのうのよる (kinou no yoru) – last night
今日 (きょう)
Today
kyou
きょうのあさ (kyou no asa) – this morning
明日 (あした)
Tomorrow
ashita
あしたのひる (ashita no hiru) – tomorrow’s lunch
Jlpt n5 Kanji for Places & Directions
Kanji
Meaning
Onyomi
Kunyomi
Vocabulary Example
家
House, home
ka
ie
うち (uchi) – home (kunyomi)
学校
School
gakkou
gakkou
がっこうへいく (gakkou e iku) – go to school
病院
Hospital
byouin
byouin
びょういんに行く (byouin ni iku) – go to the hospital
公園
Park
kouen
kouen
こうえんへいく (kouen e iku) – go to the park
駅
Station (train, bus)
eki
eki
えきに行く (eki ni iku) – go to the station
店
Shop, store
ten
mise
みせ (mise) – shop (kunyomi)
銀行
Bank
ginkou
ginkou
ぎんこうへいく (ginkou e iku) – go to the bank
日本
Japan
nihon
nippon
にほんじん (nihonjin) – Japanese person
上
Up
jou/shou
ue
うえ (ue) – up (kunyomi)
下
Down
ka/ge
shita
した (shita) – down (kunyomi)
右
Right
u/yuu
migi
みぎ (migi) – right (kunyomi)
左
Left
sa/za
hidari
ひだり (hidari) – left (kunyomi)
前
Front
zen
mae
まえ (mae) – front (kunyomi)
後ろ
Back
kou/go
ushiro
うしろ (ushiro) – back (kunyomi)
道
Road, way
dou
michi
みち (michi) – road (kunyomi)
交差点
Intersection
kousaten
kousetsuten
こうさてんでまがる (kousatende magaru) – turn at the intersection
信号
Traffic light
shingou
shigan
しんごを待つ (shingo o matsu) – wait for the light
川
River
sen
kawa
かわ (kawa) – river (kunyomi)
山
Mountain
san
yama
やま (yama) – mountain (kunyomi)
海
Ocean, sea
kai
umi
うみ (umi) – sea (kunyomi)
部屋
Room
heya
beya
へや (beya) – room (kunyomi)
入口
Entrance
nyuukou
iriguchi
いりぐち (iriguchi) – entrance (kunyomi)
出口
Exit
deguchi
deguchi
でぐち (deguchi) – exit (kunyomi)
郵便局
Post office
yuubinkyoku
yuubinkyoku
ゆうびんきょくへいく (yuubinkyoku e iku) – go to the post office
