Kun\' yomi

The reading kun , or kun' yomi (訓読み, “semantic reading”), of a Kanji is that resulting historically from Japanese. During the appearance in Japan of the Chinese writing, this one was used to transcribe the Japanese language. Indeed, the kanji are ideograms: they convey an idea, and not a sound. This reading coexists in particular with the reading one or On' yomi .

Principle

To use the Chinese characters to transcribe the Japanese language raises great difficulties, which one can try to illustrate by adapting the kanji to transcribe French: thus, the Verb “to eat” could be written “食 er” (the kanji 食 being read “mang”).

A complete sentence would become then:

I want 食 er an apple.

I have already 食 E.

When the Japanese imported the Chinese writing, they applied the same principle. The kanji is used to transcribe the verbal root (reading kun ) and other characters make it possible to write the variable part of the verb. Therefore very often, a word made up of a Kanji and followed Hiragana must be read in reading kun.

Example of readings kun

Verbs

食べる (たべる, taberu ): to eat,
見る (みる, miru ): to see,
来る (くる, kuru ): to come;

Names

水 (みず, mizu ): water,

Adjectives

新しい (あたらしい, atarashii ): new,
高い (たかい, takai ): large/high.

Zh-classical: 訓讀

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