Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Kanji express meaning, NOT sounds

The following is from the About.com: Japanese Language site. This site is a great resource for newbies studying Japanese. The concepts are explained in a way that is very easy to understand.

To understand the concept of kanji, it is important to keep in mind this rule: Kanji express meaning, NOT sounds. Kanji take the form of outlines; the meaning is understood from its form. To illustrate, here are some kanji characters:


'temple'
じ (on reading)
てら (kun reading)


'village'
そん (on reading)
むら (kun reading)


'cherry blossom'
おう (on reading)
さから (kun reading)



'to learn'
がく (on reading)
まな (kun reading)



Source
About.com

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