To guess how a kanji word is read, run four checks in order. Decide whether it takes the onyomi (the reading borrowed from Chinese) or the kunyomi (the native Japanese one). For an onyomi, look for the kanji’s sound part: 晴, 清, 精 and 静 all contain 青, and all read セイ. Then allow for the sound changes that happen when kanji join, like 学校. Last, know which words follow no rule, such as 大人, and learn those whole.
In short
- On or kun: two or more kanji together, guess onyomi; kanji followed by hiragana, guess kunyomi.
- Sound part: a kanji often reads like the simpler kanji inside it. This works for onyomi only.
- Sound changes: がく + こう becomes がっこう, さん + ほ becomes さんぽ, て + かみ becomes てがみ.
- Stop guessing for words read as a whole (今日, きょう) and for names, and check the reading.
Step 1: decide onyomi or kunyomi
The shape of the word tells you which kind of reading to try first. These are first guesses, not rules; the onyomi and kunyomi guide covers the clues in full and has a 10-word quiz.
| You see | Try first | Example | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two or more kanji, no hiragana | Onyomi | 電車 | Some compounds are kunyomi: 手紙 |
| Kanji followed by hiragana | Kunyomi | 食べる | A few are onyomi + する: 勉強する |
| One kanji standing alone | Kunyomi | 山, 水 | Some are onyomi: 本, 駅, 肉 |
| A number and a counter | Onyomi | 三枚 | Exceptions: 一人, 二人, 二日 |
If the guess is onyomi, step 2 can tell you which sound to try. If it is kunyomi, skip to step 3: kunyomi have to be learned as words, and the sound part says nothing about them.
Step 2: find the sound part
Many kanji are built from two pieces: one that hints at the meaning, and one that hints at the sound. In 晴 (clear weather), 日 (sun) carries the meaning and 青 carries the sound, so 晴 reads セイ, like 青. Kanji built this way are called 形声文字, and they are the most common type. The meaning part is usually the kanji’s radical; the sound part is usually the rest, often on the right or at the bottom.
So when you meet a new kanji, cover the radical and ask whether the rest is a kanji you can read. If it is, its onyomi is your first guess. Some families where the sound carries over cleanly:
| Sound part | Kanji that read the same | In a word |
|---|---|---|
| 青セイ | 晴clear weather清pure精spirit静quiet | 晴天 せいてん clear sky |
| 古コ | 固hard故reason個individual湖lake | 個人 こじん individual |
| 工コウ | 功merit攻attack紅crimson項item | 成功 せいこう success |
| 交コウ | 校school効effect郊suburbs | 効果 こうか effect |
| 官カン | 管pipe館building | 図書館 としょかん library |
| 反ハン | 飯meal板board版edition販sell | 販売 はんばい sales |
| 票ヒョウ | 標mark漂drift | 目標 もくひょう goal |
| 化カ | 花flower貨goods | 通貨 つうか currency |
When the sound part misleads
The sound part is a hint, not a rule. Pronunciation drifted over the centuries, so in some families the reading matches, in others it is close (the vowel or the first sound shifts), and in a few it has nothing to do with the sound part at all.
| Sound part | Kanji built on it, with their onyomi |
|---|---|
| 寺ジ | 時ジmatches持ジmatches詩シclose待タイdifferent特トクdifferent |
| 主シュ | 注チュウclose柱チュウclose住ジュウclose |
| 方ホウ | 放ホウmatches訪ホウmatches防ボウclose |
A close reading is still useful: if you guess シュ for 注 and a word list shows 注意, the link to 主 helps you remember it.
Step 3: expect the sounds to change when kanji join
Your guess can have every reading right and still sound wrong, because readings bend when kanji are joined. Three changes cover most cases.
| Change | When it happens | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A small っ | An onyomi ending in く or き before a k sound, or ending in つ or ち before a k, s, t or h sound | がく + こう → 学校 いち + しょ → 一緒 けつ + か → 結果 |
| h becomes p | After ん or a small っ | さん + ほ → 散歩 しん + はい → 心配 しゅつ + はつ → 出発 |
| The second part starts voiced | Often in words made of two kunyomi: か becomes が, ひ becomes び, は becomes ば | て + かみ → 手紙 はな + ひ → 花火 こと + は → 言葉 |
None of these is guaranteed. 学生 keeps its く because the next sound is s, and 手首 (wrist) does not voice its second part. Treat them as the next thing to try when a guess sounds slightly off.
Step 4: know when to stop guessing
Some words cannot be worked out from their kanji. Recognize them, look them up once, and learn them as vocabulary.
- Words read as a whole. The reading belongs to the word, not to each kanji: 今日, 明日, 大人, 時計, 上手, 下手. These are called 熟字訓, and many are everyday words, so you will learn them early.
- Words that mix the two readings. 場所 is kunyomi then onyomi; 毎朝 and 番組 are onyomi then kunyomi. Step 1 gets these half right, which is still a start.
- Names. Personal and place names use readings that do not appear in ordinary words. 和 is usually ワ, but in a name such as 和也 it is かず. Always check a name’s reading.
The fastest check is furigana, the small kana printed over kanji in learner texts. See what furigana is and how to read with it. For why one kanji ends up with so many readings in the first place, see why one kanji has many readings.
A worked example: 旅館
- Step 1. Two kanji and no hiragana: try onyomi.
- Step 2. 旅 you may know from 旅行 (travel): りょ. 館 is 食 (the eating radical, narrowed) next to 官, and 官 reads カン.
- Step 3. りょ ends in a vowel, so nothing changes.
- Guess: りょかん. That is right: 旅館 is a traditional Japanese inn.
Practice: guess, then check
Say your guess for each word out loud, then open it to see the reading and which step decides it.
快晴Show the reading
かいせい, clear, sunny weather
Two kanji, so onyomi. 晴 carries 青, which gives セイ; 快 is かい.
晴れShow the reading
はれ, sunny weather
Hiragana after the kanji, so kunyomi. The sound part 青 only predicts onyomi, so it does not help here.
美術館Show the reading
びじゅつかん, art museum
館 carries 官, which gives カン.
高校Show the reading
こうこう, high school
校 carries 交, which gives コウ; 高 is also こう.
日記Show the reading
にっき, diary
にち + き: the ち turns into a small っ before the k sound.
新品Show the reading
しんぴん, brand-new item
しん + ひん: after ん, ひ becomes ぴ.
青空Show the reading
あおぞら, blue sky
あお + そら, both kunyomi: the second part starts voiced, そら becomes ぞら.
期待Show the reading
きたい, expectation
待 carries 寺, which would suggest ジ, but 待 reads タイ. One of the families that misleads.
湖Show the reading
みずうみ, lake
One kanji standing alone, so kunyomi first. In compounds it reads コ (from 古), as in 湖水 (こすい).
眼鏡Show the reading
めがね, glasses
Read as a whole word. Neither がん nor きょう appears; learn it as vocabulary.
Checking readings in FluencyTool
In FluencyTool, a kanji’s page in the dictionary lists its on-yomi and kun-yomi, its radical and example words that use it, so you can check a guess against real words. The Kanji Tower teaches the 1,026 kanji of Japanese elementary school inside sentences, where the reading comes with the word.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tell how to read a kanji just by looking at it?
Not with certainty. The checks on this page give a good first guess for most compound words, but some words are read as a whole (今日, きょう) and names use readings of their own. Guess, then confirm with furigana or a dictionary.
What is the sound part of a kanji?
Many kanji are built from a part that hints at the meaning and a part that hints at the sound. In 晴 (clear weather), 日 (sun) is the meaning part and 青 is the sound part, so 晴 reads セイ like 青. Kanji formed this way are called 形声文字 (けいせいもじ), and they are the most common type.
Does the sound part help with kunyomi?
No. The sound part comes from the Chinese pronunciation, so it predicts the onyomi only. 晴 reads セイ in 晴天 (せいてん), but on its own with okurigana it is 晴れ (はれ), a native Japanese word the sound part says nothing about.
Why is 学校 read がっこう and not がくこう?
When an onyomi ending in く is followed by a k sound, the く usually becomes a small っ: がく + こう becomes がっこう. Before other sounds it stays, which is why 学生 is がくせい. Readings ending in つ or ち do the same before k, s, t and h sounds, as in 一緒 (いっしょ) and 出発 (しゅっぱつ).
Which reading should I learn first for a new kanji?
The one in the word where you met it. A reading learned inside a real word is easier to remember and to use than a list of readings, and the other readings will come with the next words that use the kanji.
Last reviewed November 13, 2026. Readings follow the jōyō kanji table (2010). The sound-part families were chosen to show the pattern; they are not a complete list.