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On'yomi (音読み, [oɰ̃jomi], lit. "sound(-based) reading"), or the Sino-Japanese reading, is the reading of a kanji based on the historical Chinese pronunciation of the character. A single kanji might have multiple on'yomi pronunciations, reflecting the Chinese pronunciations of different periods or regions.[1][2] On'yomi pronunciations are generally classified into go-on, kan-on, tō-on and kan'yō-on, roughly based on when they were borrowed from China.
Generally, on'yomi pronunciations are used for technical, compound words, while the native kun'yomi pronunciation is used for singular, simpler words.
- ^ Coulmas, Florian (1991). Writing Systems of the World. p. 125. ISBN 978-0631180289.
- ^ Shibatani, Masayoshi (2008). The Languages of Japan. Cambridge University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0521369183.