On'yomi and Kun'yomi
Every kanji in Japanese has at least one reading, but often two or more completely different pronunciations. This is one of the most confusing aspects of Japanese for beginners. For Mandarin speakers, it is also one of the biggest advantages.
The two main categories are on’yomi (音読み) and kun’yomi (訓読み). Understanding when each is used, and why on’yomi often sounds like Mandarin, will help you read compound words immediately.
Two readings, one character
Section titled “Two readings, one character”| Reading type | Japanese name | Origin | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| On’yomi | 音読み | Chinese-derived pronunciation | Often resembles Mandarin |
| Kun’yomi | 訓読み | Native Japanese word | Unrelated to Chinese |
Think of it this way: when Japan imported a kanji, they imported two things. The character itself (meaning), and an approximate Chinese pronunciation (on’yomi). But Japan already had native words for many concepts, so those native words became the kun’yomi readings.
In Mandarin, each character has essentially one primary reading (with tone). In Japanese, each kanji can have multiple readings depending on context. The reading that resembles Mandarin is almost always the on’yomi. If you hear a kanji reading that sounds Chinese-adjacent, you are hearing centuries-old pronunciation borrowed from the continent.
Why on’yomi exists
Section titled “Why on’yomi exists”When kanji arrived in Japan (5th–8th centuries), scholars did not just borrow the shapes. They borrowed the sounds too. Buddhist monks, diplomats, and scholars who learned Chinese brought back pronunciations from different regions and dynasties of China.
Over time, these pronunciations were adapted to fit Japanese phonology. Japanese has fewer sounds than Chinese (no tones, limited consonant clusters). The result: readings that are clearly related to Chinese but distinctly Japanese.
Side-by-side: on’yomi vs Mandarin
Section titled “Side-by-side: on’yomi vs Mandarin”| Kanji | On’yomi | Mandarin | English | Resemblance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 山 | さん (san) | shān | mountain | Strong |
| 水 | すい (sui) | shuǐ | water | Strong |
| 人 | じん (jin) | rén | person | Moderate |
| 生 | せい (sei) | shēng | life, birth | Strong |
| 学 | がく (gaku) | xué | study, learning | Strong |
| 心 | しん (shin) | xīn | heart, mind | Strong |
| 金 | きん (kin) | jīn | gold, money | Strong |
| 火 | か (ka) | huǒ | fire | Moderate |
| 木 | もく (moku) | mù | tree, wood | Moderate |
| 天 | てん (ten) | tiān | heaven, sky | Strong |
| 地 | ち (chi) | dì | earth, ground | Moderate |
| 日 | にち (nichi) | rì | sun, day | Moderate |
| 月 | げつ (getsu) | yuè | moon, month | Moderate |
| 年 | ねん (nen) | nián | year | Strong |
| 国 | こく (koku) | guó | country | Strong |
| 語 | ご (go) | yǔ | language, word | Moderate |
| 食 | しょく (shoku) | shí | food, eat | Moderate |
| 電 | でん (den) | diàn | electricity | Strong |
| 車 | しゃ (sha) | chē | vehicle | Moderate |
| 道 | どう (dō) | dào | road, way | Strong |
When you encounter an unfamiliar on’yomi, guess the Mandarin reading first, then Japanese-ify it: drop the tone, simplify the consonant cluster, swap final consonants for vowels. 電 diàn → でん den. 学 xué → がく gaku. 国 guó → こく koku. You will not always be exact, but you will often be close enough to recognize the word. That is what matters.
The general pattern: when to use which
Section titled “The general pattern: when to use which”Here is the rule that covers 80% of cases:
| Situation | Reading used | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kanji alone (standalone word) | Kun’yomi | 山 = やま (yama, mountain) |
| Kanji in a compound (2+ kanji) | On’yomi | 富士山 = さん (san, in Mount Fuji) |
| Kanji with hiragana attached (okurigana) | Kun’yomi | 食べる (taberu, to eat) |
| Kanji in names | Either (must memorize) | 山田 (Yamada), 東京 (Tōkyō) |
Worked examples
Section titled “Worked examples”山 — “mountain” by itself → kun’yomi やま
富士山 — “Mount Fuji” → on’yomi さん (because 山 is in a compound)
水 — “water” by itself → kun’yomi みず
水曜日 — “Wednesday” → on’yomi すい (because 水 is in a compound)
人 — “person” by itself → kun’yomi ひと
日本人 — “Japanese person” → on’yomi じん
One shortcut: if the kanji combination looks like a Chinese compound word (学生, 社会, 文化), read it with on’yomi, because it is essentially a Chinese compound word with Japanese pronunciation. If the kanji has hiragana hanging off it (食べる, 新しい, 行きます), read it with kun’yomi, because the hiragana is native Japanese grammar.
Practical reading strategy
Section titled “Practical reading strategy”When you see kanji in the wild, follow this decision tree:
- Is it two or more kanji together? → Try on’yomi. Think Mandarin.
- Is it one kanji with hiragana attached? → Kun’yomi for the kanji part.
- Is it a single kanji alone? → Probably kun’yomi (but check; some single kanji use on’yomi too).
- Is it a name? → Memorize individually. Names are irregular.
Even with these rules, choosing the right reading feels confusing at first. You will misread words. That is normal, and it gets easier with exposure.
On’yomi vs Mandarin: reference table
Section titled “On’yomi vs Mandarin: reference table”Use this table as a quick reference. Readings are the most common on’yomi for each character.
| Kanji | On’yomi | Mandarin | English | Example compound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | いち (ichi) | yī | one | 一番 (いちばん), number one |
| 二 | に (ni) | èr | two | 二月 (にがつ), February |
| 三 | さん (san) | sān | three | 三月 (さんがつ), March |
| 四 | し (shi) | sì | four | 四月 (しがつ), April |
| 五 | ご (go) | wǔ | five | 五時 (ごじ), five o’clock |
| 六 | ろく (roku) | liù | six | 六月 (ろくがつ), June |
| 七 | しち (shichi) | qī | seven | 七月 (しちがつ), July |
| 八 | はち (hachi) | bā | eight | 八月 (はちがつ), August |
| 九 | きゅう (kyū) | jiǔ | nine | 九月 (くがつ), September |
| 十 | じゅう (jū) | shí | ten | 十分 (じゅっぷん), ten minutes |
| 百 | ひゃく (hyaku) | bǎi | hundred | 百円 (ひゃくえん), 100 yen |
| 千 | せん (sen) | qiān | thousand | 千円 (せんえん), 1000 yen |
| 万 | まん (man) | wàn | ten thousand | 一万 (いちまん), 10,000 |
| 上 | じょう (jō) | shàng | above, up | 以上 (いじょう), more than |
| 下 | か (ka) | xià | below, down | 以下 (いか), less than |
| 中 | ちゅう (chū) | zhōng | middle, inside | 中国 (ちゅうごく), China |
| 大 | だい (dai) | dà | big, great | 大学 (だいがく), university |
| 小 | しょう (shō) | xiǎo | small | 小学校 (しょうがっこう), elementary school |
| 新 | しん (shin) | xīn | new | 新聞 (しんぶん), newspaper |
| 古 | こ (ko) | gǔ | old, ancient | 古代 (こだい), ancient times |
Numbers are an especially easy win. Japanese number on’yomi and Mandarin numerals share clear phonetic DNA, especially 三 (san/sān), 四 (shi/sì), 七 (shichi/qī), and 百 (hyaku/bǎi).
Kun’yomi in action
Section titled “Kun’yomi in action”Kun’yomi readings are the native Japanese words that were mapped onto kanji. They often have no resemblance to Mandarin:
| Kanji | Kun’yomi | On’yomi | Mandarin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 食 | た (ta) / たべる (taberu) | しょく (shoku) | shí | eat / food |
| 行 | い (i) / いく (iku) | こう (kō) | xíng | go |
| 見 | み (mi) / みる (miru) | けん (ken) | jiàn | see |
| 言 | い (i) / いう (iu) | げん (gen) | yán | say |
| 来 | く (ku) / くる (kuru) | らい (rai) | lái | come |
| 書 | か (ka) / かく (kaku) | しょ (sho) | shū | write |
| 読 | よ (yo) / よむ (yomu) | どく (doku) | dú | read |
| 話 | はな (hana) / はなす (hanasu) | わ (wa) | huà | speak |
When hiragana follows the kanji (食べる, 行く, 見る), you are looking at kun’yomi. These are native Japanese verbs, not Chinese compounds.
Multiple on’yomi readings
Section titled “Multiple on’yomi readings”Some kanji have more than one on’yomi, a relic of borrowing from different Chinese dynasties and regions at different times. Remembering which reading applies where is genuinely confusing at first. It takes time, and even advanced learners occasionally hesitate. Context usually makes the correct reading obvious, but not always on the first try.
| Kanji | On’yomi readings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 生 | せい, しょう | 学生 (がくせい) vs 一生 (いっしょう) |
| 人 | にん, じん | 日本人 (にほんじん) vs 人口 (じんこう) |
| 日 | にち, じつ | 日本 (にほん) vs 毎日 (まいにち) |
You will pick these up through exposure. For now, learn the most common reading for each kanji and expand from there.
If you speak both Mandarin and a southern Chinese dialect (Cantonese, Hokkien, Shanghainese), you have an extra advantage. Go-on readings sometimes resemble southern dialect pronunciations more than Mandarin. Cantonese 人 (jan4) is arguably closer to Japanese じん than Mandarin rén.
Putting it all together
Section titled “Putting it all together”Here is a sentence that uses on’yomi, kun’yomi, hiragana, and katakana, with every reading labeled:
私は毎日大学で日本語を勉強しています。
“I study Japanese at university every day.”
| Word | Reading type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 私 (I) | Kun’yomi わたし | Standalone native word |
| 毎日 (every day) | On’yomi まいにち | Compound (毎 + 日) |
| 大学 (university) | On’yomi だいがく | Compound (大 + 学), like 大学 |
| 日本語 (Japanese language) | On’yomi にほんご | Compound (日本 + 語) |
| 勉強 (study) | On’yomi べんきょう | Compound (勉 + 強), false friend |
| しています | Hiragana | Grammar (progressive + polite) |
As a Mandarin speaker, you recognized 毎日 (每日), 大学 (大学), 日本語 (日本语), and 勉強 (勉强) before you even learned the Japanese pronunciations. That is what on’yomi gives you.
Summary
Section titled “Summary”On’yomi readings come from Chinese and appear most often in compound words. They often sound like Mandarin, which gives you a head start on vocabulary you already know in Chinese. Kun’yomi readings are native Japanese words, used when a kanji stands alone or appears with hiragana. Those you need to learn individually.
The practical rule is simple: two kanji together usually call for on’yomi; kanji plus hiragana usually call for kun’yomi. When you hit an unfamiliar on’yomi, guess the Mandarin reading first. You will often be close. Some kanji carry multiple on’yomi readings because Japan borrowed from China across several centuries, and each wave left its mark. The system is messy. It rewards patience more than perfection.