Can one kanji have multiple meanings?

There are a number of words that have more than one reading in Japanese. However, some words have different readings and different meanings to go with them.

Why are there two kanji for the same word?

Sometimes in Japanese, a single word is spelled with different kanji. This can happen for multiple reasons. Primarily, those different kanji may have slightly different meanings, and in writing they can specify which is the meaning of the word. This happens when a word can be used in multiple different ways.

How many meanings does kanji have?

Kanji Symbols Kanji is symbolic, or logographic. It is the most common means of written communication in the Japanese language, with more than 50,000 different symbols by some estimates. However, most Japanese can get by with using about 2,000 different kanji in everyday communication.

Are there two versions of Japanese?

The Japanese language relies on not one but three different alphabets — hiragana, katakana and kanji — which are differentiated both by their distinct appearances and by their use.

Why does kanji sound different?

Because of the way they have been adopted into Japanese, a single kanji may be used to write one or more different words—or, in some cases, morphemes—and thus the same character may be pronounced in different ways. From the reader’s point of view, kanji are said to have one or more different “readings”.

Can kanji have multiple pronunciations?

The same kanji may have multiple on’yomi as kanji, together with their Chinese reading, have been imported throughout the history of the Japanese language, from different areas of China. (Then they are called kan’on, go’on, tōsōon. See more about this here.)

Can a kanji have more than one meaning?

In addition to the variety of Chinese-derived readings, a kanji may have several native Japanese kun-yomi readings when a kanji used for more than one meaning. For example, 行 has two kun-yomi readings, iku and okonau. Different kun-yomi can usually be distinguished by kana placed after the kanji, called okurigana.

What are the kan’yō-on readings of kanji?

In addition, there are Kan’yō-on ( 慣用音) readings which are mistakes which became established. In addition to the variety of Chinese-derived readings, a kanji may have several native Japanese kun-yomi readings when a kanji used for more than one meaning. For example, 行 has two kun-yomi readings, iku and okonau.

What is the difference between onyomi and kanji?

Most Chinese characters came to Japan between the fifth and ninth centuries. The on-yomi is an approximation of the Chinese pronunciation of the character at the time it was introduced. Some kanji were introduced more than once from different parts of China at different times, and so have multiple on-yomi readings.

What is the difference between hiragana and kanji?

Complete sentences written only in hiragana and katakana would be extremely long and resemble a jumble of letters, not a full thought. But used in conjunction with kanji, the Japanese language becomes full of nuance. Kanji has its historical roots in Chinese writing.