Chūgoku On‘in de Nihongo o Manabu138

Introduction

The Chinese language has a long and rich history, and its influence can be seen in many other languages spoken in East Asia.
A large percentage of the Japanese language is composed of words borrowed from Chinese, and over time, their pronunciation has been transformed.
In Japanese, the characters borrowed from Chinese are known as kanji, and they can be read in two ways: on'yomi, or the "sound reading", and kun'yomi, or the "meaning reading".
The on'yomi is typically similar to the original Chinese pronunciation, while the kun'yomi is usually a native Japanese reading.
Many Japanese words have both on'yomi and kun'yomi readings, and the choice of which one to use depends on the context.

The History of Chinese Influence on Japanese

The earliest contact between China and Japan occurred during the Yayoi period (300 BC - 300 AD), when rice cultivation and other agricultural techniques were introduced to Japan from China.
During the Nara period (710 - 794 AD), Japan sent envoys to China to study the Chinese political system, culture, and language.
The envoys brought back with them a wealth of knowledge, including the Chinese writing system, which was adopted by the Japanese and used to write both Chinese and Japanese texts.
The introduction of Chinese writing had a profound impact on the Japanese language, as it allowed for the expression of more complex ideas and concepts.
Over time, many Chinese words were borrowed into Japanese, and their pronunciation was adapted to fit the Japanese sound system.

The Sound System of Japanese

The Japanese sound system is very different from that of Chinese.
Chinese is a tonal language, meaning that the pitch of a syllable can change its meaning.
Japanese, on the other hand, is a moraic language, meaning that each syllable has a fixed length.
Additionally, Japanese has a smaller inventory of consonant sounds than Chinese.
These differences in sound system have led to some changes in the pronunciation of Chinese words borrowed into Japanese.
For example, the Chinese word for "water" (水) is pronounced "shui" in Chinese, but it is pronounced "sui" in Japanese.
Similarly, the Chinese word for "mountain" (山) is pronounced "shan" in Chinese, but it is pronounced "yama" in Japanese.

The Two Readings of Kanji

As mentioned above, many Japanese words have both on'yomi and kun'yomi readings.
The on'yomi is typically similar to the original Chinese pronunciation, while the kun'yomi is usually a native Japanese reading.
The choice of which reading to use depends on the context.
For example, the kanji for "tree" (木) can be read as "boku" (on'yomi) or "ki" (kun'yomi).
The on'yomi is used in compounds, such as "bokusatsu" (tree killing), while the kun'yomi is used in native Japanese words, such as "kiiro" (yellow).
There are some general rules that can help you to determine which reading to use, but there are also many exceptions.
The best way to learn which reading to use is to consult a dictionary or to ask a native Japanese speaker.

Chinese Phonology and Japanese PronunciationThe comparative phonology of Chinese and Japanese is a complex and fascinating topic.
The two languages have very different sound systems, and this has led to some interesting changes in pronunciation when Chinese words were borrowed into Japanese.
For example, the Chinese final consonant "-p" is often pronounced as "-h" in Japanese.
This is because the Japanese sound system does not have a voiceless bilabial stop.
Similarly, the Chinese final consonant "-t" is often pronounced as "-d" in Japanese.
This is because the Japanese sound system does not have a voiceless alveolar stop.
These are just a few examples of the many changes that have occurred in the pronunciation of Chinese words borrowed into Japanese.

Conclusion

The Chinese language has had a profound impact on the Japanese language.
Many Japanese words are borrowed from Chinese, and their pronunciation has been adapted to fit the Japanese sound system.
This has led to the development of two readings for many kanji, the on'yomi and the kun'yomi.
The choice of which reading to use depends on the context.
The study of Chinese phonology and Japanese pronunciation can help us to understand the historical relationship between the two languages.

2024-10-15

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