noun
kun
noun
1
In Japanese, the way of reading a kanji character according to its native Japanese meaning, rather than its borrowed Chinese-derived sound.
"The character for 'mountain' has a kun reading of 'yama' and an on reading closer to the original Chinese."
"Beginners often struggle with knowing whether to use the kun or on reading of a kanji."
How to Use Kun
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe native-Japanese pronunciation of a kanji, as opposed to its Chinese-based 'on' pronunciation.
Easily confused with
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The character for 'mountain' has a _____ reading of 'yama' and an on reading closer to the original Chinese.
Etymology
From Japanese 訓読み (kun'yomi), literally "meaning reading."