Kun-Reading VS. On-Reading?

Question

I'm learning Japanese right now and was wondering whats the difference between the Kun-Reading and the On-Reading?Also how do I know whick one to use at certain times?Lastly,do you guys know any inexpensive Japanese learning websites?

Answer 1

Japanese originally had no writing system. They borrowed the characters from Chinese, as well as some of the pronunciations. The "on" reading is the one borrowed from Chinese, and the "kun" is the one that is original to Japanese. Here's an example:
The Japanese word for water was mizu, with no way to write it. The Chinese word for water is shui, written 水. The Japanese took that character and its pronunciation and modified it slightly to "sui". So 水 in Japanese can be read as its on reading, "sui", or as its kun reading, "mizu".
Usually you use the on reading when it's part of a compound word, and the kun reading when it's a word by itself.
Here's a list of Japanese resources. They are all free; however, they're more like kanji dictionaries than learning grammar and such.
http://groups.msn.com/narutomangareturns/japaneseresources.msnw
Or, you can search "learn Japanese online" on Google. Most of the first entries are free to use.

Answer 2

Kanji On Kun

Answer 3

I have a kan-wa dictionary that has the on-yomi in katakana and the kun-yomi in hiragana. That is how I tell. I think it is a matter of context and experience. But, when you make a mistake you've just added more experinece to your chances of one day knowing which is which. So get a good book in Japanese and start reading. That, I think is the quickest way to learn.

Answer 4

Kunyomi 訓読み is the "Japanese" reading of a Kanji, while Onyomi 音読み is the approximately Chinese reading of a Kanji. I say approximately because sometimes the it *closely* resembles the original Chinese reading (while at other times it just doesn't). For example, 動 in Chinese is "dong" which can't be literally represented in Japanese; instead its Onyomi form is "dou."

There are patterns to when to use the Kunyomi or Onyomi forms:

¤ When Kanji are accompanied by Kana (the phönetic characters) the Kunyomi form is *usually* used: 動く is ugo-ku and 動かす is ugo-kasu.

¤ If a Kanji appears by itself, Kunyomi is again *usually* used: 車 is kuruma.

¤ When combined with other Kanji, the Onyomi form is *usually* used: 自動車 is ji-dou-sha. (Notice that the 2nd and 3rd Kanji here have otherwise been identified as ugoku and kuruma.)

¤ There are a few irregular readings which simply must be memorized: 七夕 is tana-bata.

In my explanations above I said *usually* because, well, that is the norm, but it doesn't hold up 100% of the time. Ultimately it boils down to a lot of memorization of the patterns, and experience will teach you to make educated guesses about unfamilar Kanji combinations.

To learn to read and write Kanji, I recommend the "Basic Kanji Book" series:
¤Basic Kanji Book Vol. 1, by Chieko KANO and others, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd.
ISBN 4-89358-091-4
¤Basic Kanji Book Vol. 2, by Chieko KANO and otehrs, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd.
ISBN 4-89358-119-8
¤Intermediate Kanji Book Vol. 1, by Chieko KANO and others, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd.
ISBN 4-89358-356-5
¤Intermediate Kanji Book Vol. 2, by Chieko KANO and others, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd.
ISBN 4-89358-489-8