General guidelines for choosing 訓読み vs. 音読み in kanji reading


I am trying to come up with general rules for _kanji_ reading. So far I have
the following down:

>   1. Compound _kanji_ words are read as _on'yomi_
>   2. Single _kanji_ words are read as _kun'yomi_
>   3. Verbs composed _kanji_ followed by _okurigana_ are read as _kun'yomi_
>   4. Geographical and personal names are read as _nanori_
>   5. Exceptions to the above that need to be memorized
>

Are there any other guidelines?




I think you correctly identified very broad tendencies. However, as noted in
the comments, there are many counterexamples to each one of your first four
rules, so many that they shouldn't fall under rule 5 "exceptions".

>   1. Compound _kanji_ words are read as _on'yomi_
>

There are many pure _kun'yomi_ compounds

> 場合、子供、言葉、相手、部屋、手紙、…

and compounds with mixed readings (called _jūbako yomi_ or _yutō yomi_ , see
[Can a Japanese word combine both on'yomi and kun'yomi
characters?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/40433/1628)).

* * *

>   2. Single _kanji_ words are read as _kun'yomi_
>

Again, not always.

> 気、本、図、点、例、文、席、…

* * *

>   3. Verbs composed _kanji_ followed by _okurigana_ are read as _kun'yomi_
>

There is a broad class of verbs derived from so-called " _suru_ verbs", which
take an _on'yomi_ _kanji_ and some form of _suru_ that has changed through
sound change

> 愛す、通じる、投じる、信じる、講ずる、案ずる、…

However, this class is easily identified, so you may also put it under the
"exceptions" rule.

* * *

>   4. Geographical and personal names are read as _nanori_
>

Not every name is a _nanori_ reading (unless you say that _nanori_ readings
_include_ all standard readings, in which case this isn't really a rule at
all).

> 小林 愛子、林 愛、黒川 慎太郎

(Then, the only rule I can think of for reading names is "anything goes". Also
see [Both on'yomi and kun'yomi in a first
name?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/41404/1628))

* * *

Rule 5, however, is a good rule.

>   5. Exceptions to the above that need to be memorized
>

There will **always** be exceptions that need to be memorized.




I think you correctly identified very broad tendencies. However, as noted in
the comments, there are many counterexamples to each one of your first four
rules, so many that they shouldn't fall under rule 5 "exceptions".

>   1. Compound _kanji_ words are read as _on'yomi_
>

There are many pure _kun'yomi_ compounds

> 場合、子供、言葉、相手、部屋、手紙、…

and compounds with mixed readings (called _jūbako yomi_ or _yutō yomi_ , see
[Can a Japanese word combine both on'yomi and kun'yomi
characters?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/40433/1628)).

* * *

>   2. Single _kanji_ words are read as _kun'yomi_
>

Again, not always.

> 気、本、図、点、例、文、席、…

* * *

>   3. Verbs composed _kanji_ followed by _okurigana_ are read as _kun'yomi_
>

There is a broad class of verbs derived from so-called " _suru_ verbs", which
take an _on'yomi_ _kanji_ and some form of _suru_ that has changed through
sound change

> 愛す、通じる、投じる、信じる、講ずる、案ずる、…

However, this class is easily identified, so you may also put it under the
"exceptions" rule.

* * *

>   4. Geographical and personal names are read as _nanori_
>

Not every name is a _nanori_ reading (unless you say that _nanori_ readings
_include_ all standard readings, in which case this isn't really a rule at
all).

> 小林 愛子、林 愛、黒川 慎太郎

(Then, the only rule I can think of for reading names is "anything goes". Also
see [Both on'yomi and kun'yomi in a first
name?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/41404/1628))

* * *

Rule 5, however, is a good rule.

>   5. Exceptions to the above that need to be memorized
>

There will **always** be exceptions that need to be memorized.

