Japanese On'yomi vs Kun'yomi Complete Guide 2026: How to Tell Them Apart [JLPT N5]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
3 rules for predicting kanji readings + 50 essential kanji with both readings
On'yomi vs Kun'yomi: Why Does One Kanji Have Multiple Readings?
Japanese kanji have two kinds of reading: on'yomi (音読み) and kun'yomi (訓読み). This is one of the most confusing things for beginners. Once you understand the history and logic, you can guess most readings and read much better.
On'yomi (音読み): Readings from Chinese
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人口 | じんこう | population |
| 山頂 | さんちょう | mountaintop |
| 学生 | がくせい | student |
| 電話 | でんわ | telephone |
Kun'yomi (訓読み): Native Japanese Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 山 | やま | mountain |
| 川 | かわ | river |
| 人 | ひと | person |
| 木 | き | tree |
| 日 | ひ | sun/day |
How to Tell: When On'yomi vs Kun'yomi?
Rule 1: kanji compounds are usually on'yomi — 学校 (がっこう), 電車 (でんしゃ).
Rule 2: a single kanji ＋ hiragana is usually kun'yomi — 食べる (たべる), 書く (かく), 高い (たかい).
Rule 3: personal/place names are usually kun'yomi — 山田 (やまだ), 大阪 (おおさか); 東京 (とうきょう) is an on'yomi exception.
On'yomi vs Kun'yomi for Important Kanji
| Kanji | On'yomi (compound) | Kun'yomi (native word) |
|---|---|---|
| 山 | さん (山頂) | やま (富士山) |
| 川 | せん (河川) | かわ (川沿い) |
| 人 | じん/にん (人口・三人) | ひと (この人) |
| 水 | すい (水曜日) | みず (水を飲む) |
| 火 | か (火曜日) | ひ (火をつける) |
| 木 | もく (木曜日) | き (木を植える) |
| 大 | だい (大学) | おお (大きい) |
| 小 | しょう (小学校) | ちい/こ (小さい) |
| 上 | じょう (向上) | うえ (机の上) |
| 下 | か (地下) | した (机の下) |
Multiple On'yomi: Go-on, Kan-on, Tō-on
| Reading system | Era | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 呉音 (go-on) | earliest (5th-6th c.) | 仏（ぶつ） |
| 漢音 (kan-on) | Nara period (7th-8th c.) | 仏（ふつ） |
| 唐音 (tō-on) | Muromachi (14th-15th c.) | 椅子（いす） |
Conjugating Kun'yomi Verbs
Kun'yomi verbs take hiragana okurigana (送り仮名) endings:
- 食べる (たべる) → 食べます・食べない・食べて
- 書く (かく) → 書きます・書かない・書いて
💡 Okurigana distinguishes readings: 大きい (おおきい) vs 大きな (おおきな); 分かる (わかる) vs 分ける (わける).
❌ Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: wrong reading for names — 山田 = やまだ (kun'yomi), not さんでん.
Mistake 2: reading a compound with kun'yomi — ✗ 電話 = でんは → ✓ でんわ (on'yomi).
Mistake 3: forgetting weekday readings — 月火水木金土日 = げつ・か・すい・もく・きん・ど・にち (all on'yomi!).
⚠️ Easy traps to avoid
① On'yomi ≈ Chinese, but don't copy it. On'yomi were borrowed from old Chinese, so 「学校 (がっこう)」 may sound faintly like a Chinese dialect — but the pronunciation has been Japanized; don't read it as Chinese.
② Many on'yomi per kanji. 山 (さん／せん), 行 (こう／ぎょう／あん) — borrowed from different Chinese dialects across eras (呉音・漢音・唐音); learn them per word.
③ Names are the most irregular. 日下 (くさか), 飛鳥 (あすか) are 熟字訓 you can't read piece by piece — memorize them as special cases.
💡 The one thing to remember
To tell on'yomi from kun'yomi, one rough rule gets you far: two-plus-kanji compounds are usually on'yomi (学校 = がっこう); a lone kanji or one with kana okurigana is usually kun'yomi (山 = やま, 食べる = たべる). Plenty of exceptions (names especially) — look them up as you go. Front-load the readings: the meanings you'll often already know.
❓ FAQ
Q: Quick way to tell on'yomi from kun'yomi?
Rough rule: kanji compounds (勉強・電車) are usually on'yomi; a lone kanji or one with okurigana (山・食べる) is usually kun'yomi. Exceptions abound (names, places) — look up and memorize.
Q: Why does one kanji have several on'yomi?
Japan borrowed readings from different Chinese regions across eras (呉音・漢音・唐音). 「行」 has こう (銀行), ぎょう (行事), あん (行脚). Don't memorize the sources — just learn the reading per word.
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. What is the on'yomi of 「山」?
(A) やま (B) さん (C) せん (D) かわ
Q2. What reading type is 「学生」?
(A) kun'yomi (B) on'yomi (C) mixed (on ＋ kun) (D) mixed (kun ＋ on)
Q3. In 「食べる」, what is 「食」?
(A) on'yomi (しょく) (B) kun'yomi (た) (C) tō-on (た) (D) go-on (た)
Q4. What is the reading of 「人口」?
(A) ひとくち (B) じんこう (C) にんく (D) ひとぐち
Q5. Which is an on'yomi compound?
(A) 山 (やま) (B) 水 (みず) (C) 電話 (でんわ) (D) 高い (たかい)
Answer Key
1. (B) さん ── the on'yomi of 山 is さん (e.g. 山脈, 山頂). やま is kun'yomi.
2. (B) on'yomi ── 学 (がく) ＋ 生 (せい) = a combination of two kanji's on'yomi.
3. (B) kun'yomi (た) ── in 食べる, 食 is read た, the kun'yomi.
4. (B) じんこう ── 人口 = じんこう (on'yomi compound).
5. (C) 電話 (でんわ) ── 電話 is an on'yomi compound; 山/水/高い are kun'yomi.