Way of Writing in Kanji

Way of Writing in Kanji

The ancient Chinese drew pictures of various things around them. These pictures have gradually been simplified and have taken on a square shape to make them easier to write. This is how the present Kanji characters were made. Each Kanji, before, carries a specific meaning. Look at the following picture.

These Kanji characters were made from very primitive pictures as follows. Usually each Kanji has at least two ways of being read; the so-called “KUN YOMI” (Japanese reading) and “ON YOMI” (Chinese reading).

When a single Kanji is used alone as a word, we usually read it by its “KUN YOMI” (Japanese reading) which gives its meaning. When Kanji are used together with other Kanji to make a word, we often read them by their “ON YOMI” (Chinese reading). Generally speaking however, the way of reading Kanji should be decided according to each individual word.