adding 「化」as a suffix can create サ変名詞, right？What is the technical term for this?


"Personification" might be the term for adding 「人」or「者」as a suffix to a noun.

I am pretty sure that 「化」can also function as a suffix to a noun. My
perception is that adding 「化」as a suffix "injects action", and enables the
newly formed noun to feel like gerunds and infinitives (which insert action
into sentences via nouns), as well as function as a サ変名詞：  
「兵器」= "weapon"; 「兵器化する」= "to weaponize";  
「可視」= "visibility"; 「可視化する」= "to visualize";  
「コモディティー」= "commodity"; 「コモディティー化する」= "to commoditize";  
_I am sure that there are many examples. They would be used in newspapers to
make articles as short as possible?_

(1) But, does the construct of "injecting action" with a「化」suffix really
exist？  
(2) What are some websites that explain this?  
(3) Is there a short phrase in English, or Japanese, that is used to identify
this construct?




The verbal morpheme
[化【か】](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E5%8C%96&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=02707000)
in Japanese acts as a derivational suffix. Since it's a verbal morpheme (as in
Chinese), it forms verbal nouns from regular nouns. These verbal nouns can be
used in periphrastic constructions with する (see [Japanese "Verbal Noun and
_suru_ " Constructions](http://www.billposer.org/Papers/japper.pdf) by Bill
Poser).

It corresponds fairly closely to _-ization_ or _-ification_. It adds the
meaning _-ize, -(i)fy_ (intransitively: "to become", transitively: "to cause
to become"), but the resulting compound is still a syntactically a noun.
Placing it in a periphrastic construction with する allows it to be used as a
verb:

[code]

     武器　　　　　　　　weapon
     武器化　　　　　　　weaponization
     武器化する　　　　　weaponize
    
[/code]

In particular, this suffix can be attached to _adjectival nouns_ (called
形容動詞の語幹 in traditional grammar):

[code]

     グローバル　　　　　global
     グローバル化　　　　globalization
     グローバル化する　　globalize
    
[/code]

But as [jovanni points
out](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/13138/13147?noredirect=1#comment28163_13147),
the resulting words don't work quite the same way; the result of グローバル化する is
not a グローバル, but a thing which is global.

Much like English _-ize_ and _-(i)fy_ affixation, Japanese 化 affixation is a
productive process, so you can add it to nouns whenever you feel it makes
sense to do so:

[code]

     階層　　　　　　　　stratum
     階層化　　　　　　　stratification
     階層化する　　　　　stratify
     アイコン　　　　　　icon
     アイコン化　　　　　iconization
     アイコン化する　　　iconize
    
[/code]

Of course, the stranger it is semantically, [the sillier the result
is](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1285146442):

[code]

     ハンバーガー　　　　hamburger
     ハンバーガー化　　　hamburgerization
     ハンバーガー化する　hamburgerize
    
[/code]

But I think that as long as a noun can be interpreted as something other than
a verbal noun, 化 can attach to it. It seems to be very productive!




The verbal morpheme
[化【か】](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E5%8C%96&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=02707000)
in Japanese acts as a derivational suffix. Since it's a verbal morpheme (as in
Chinese), it forms verbal nouns from regular nouns. These verbal nouns can be
used in periphrastic constructions with する (see [Japanese "Verbal Noun and
_suru_ " Constructions](http://www.billposer.org/Papers/japper.pdf) by Bill
Poser).

It corresponds fairly closely to _-ization_ or _-ification_. It adds the
meaning _-ize, -(i)fy_ (intransitively: "to become", transitively: "to cause
to become"), but the resulting compound is still a syntactically a noun.
Placing it in a periphrastic construction with する allows it to be used as a
verb:

[code]

     武器　　　　　　　　weapon
     武器化　　　　　　　weaponization
     武器化する　　　　　weaponize
    
[/code]

In particular, this suffix can be attached to _adjectival nouns_ (called
形容動詞の語幹 in traditional grammar):

[code]

     グローバル　　　　　global
     グローバル化　　　　globalization
     グローバル化する　　globalize
    
[/code]

But as [jovanni points
out](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/13138/13147?noredirect=1#comment28163_13147),
the resulting words don't work quite the same way; the result of グローバル化する is
not a グローバル, but a thing which is global.

Much like English _-ize_ and _-(i)fy_ affixation, Japanese 化 affixation is a
productive process, so you can add it to nouns whenever you feel it makes
sense to do so:

[code]

     階層　　　　　　　　stratum
     階層化　　　　　　　stratification
     階層化する　　　　　stratify
     アイコン　　　　　　icon
     アイコン化　　　　　iconization
     アイコン化する　　　iconize
    
[/code]

Of course, the stranger it is semantically, [the sillier the result
is](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1285146442):

[code]

     ハンバーガー　　　　hamburger
     ハンバーガー化　　　hamburgerization
     ハンバーガー化する　hamburgerize
    
[/code]

But I think that as long as a noun can be interpreted as something other than
a verbal noun, 化 can attach to it. It seems to be very productive!

