Kanji Study Questions

[jeffreymgibson]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 questions regarding studying kanji. I've already tried to find the answers on my own with little luck.

1st question: Each Kanji character has an ON and a KUN reading. Sometimes there can be many different readings for a character. I use http://jisho.org as my source for the readings of each character. So what I have been wondering, when you learn a new kanji, which reading's should you learn. It's impossible for me to learn every reading for every kanji. Should I just learn just the 1st reading listed under the kun and on? Are these the most common readings. Or should I learn the 1st and 2nd as well. Out of the 150 kanji that I've studied so far, I know the readings for some of them, but for some of them I only know the English meaning.

One thing about English, an A is an A no matter how you look at it.

2nd question: Under the kun and on readings, there are periods in some of the readings. What are these for? I'm not talking about the commas that separate each reading. I've been trying to find an answer for this.

Thanks,
Jeffrey

 

[jeffreymgibson]

I've come up with a better way to ask my above 1st question.

When I learn a new kanji, what all should I memorize. There is no way I can memorize all the kun, on, and english meanings for each kanji, it's just too much material. So what exactly are the most important parts to learn?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

 

[TODO]

A KANJI character code is included in below.

Many Chinese characters(KANJI) have been transmitted from China in the form of "Chinese writing book and Chinese poetry".
Japanese people changed the form of the character of fonts to be transmitted from China, and made the basis of the Japanese KANJI character.
Since it is a pronunciation character of the form which Japan does not have, Japanese people speak with a provincial accent so that ones may understand.
It is the phonetic reading which is depended on the pronunciation. =(equal) ON-yomi
Although it is difficult to Japanese pronunciation, to tell a KANJI, it can tell by writing a character for Chinese people.
The method of reading in the form expressing "the meaning of a character" is native Japanese reading so that Japanese people can use using a KANJI

character.=(equal) KUN-yomi

My opinion : 1.and 2.
I think that many KANJI characters are satisfactory by 1st reading. （ON and KUN-yomi)
The 2nd or subsequent ones is old reading and the literary language currently used in literature.
I would like to show you the KANJI character "woman", as one example.
http://jisho.org/kanji/details/女

Readings Chinese:nu:3,ru3
Japanese on:Jo,Nyo
Japanese kun:Onna,Me

When reading by one KANJI character, you can understand by native Japanese reading generally "Onna". = KUN-yomi
However, in an "idiom", when phonetic reading is many, it is used "Jo". = ON-yomi

女性 = 性別が女の人 : Jo Sei = Sei Betsu ga Onna no Hito
Woman = sex is a woman.

くの一 = 女の忍者 : ku no ichi = Onna no Ninja
Ninja woman
Stroke order "く"+"ノ"+"一" Hiragana "ku"+ Katakana "no" + Kanji "ichi" = Onna

木 > 林 > 森 > 森林
Ki > Hayashi > Mori > Shinrin(ON-yomi)
Tree > Copse > Woods > Forest

The KANJI character is an "ideographic character".
As you know, such an alphabet A, a "phonogram" is different.

The foundations of a KANJI character :
A radical(BuSyu:部首) is memorized.
Type which makes the right part of a KANJI character, Tsukuri(旁).
Pronunciation is based on Tsukuri(旁).
Although there are some exceptions, this is applied to almost all KANJI characters.

It is pardon if translation is well impossible.
If it becomes your reference,

 

[TODO]

bits of knowledge 豆知識
In the words of KANJI characters is a completely different meaning, however become the same notation, in Korean language (HANGUL) which is said to be excellent language.

bou (ON-yomi)
防 Proof
hou (ON-yomi)
放 Release

KANJI ENGLISH HANGUL
bousui (ON-yomi)
防水 Waterproof 방수

housui (ON-yomi)
放水 Drainage 방수

bouka (ON-yomi)
防火 Fire protection 방화

houka (ON-yomi)
放火 Arson 방화