Learn each reading together with a complete word and its meaning.
The idea
On readings derive historically from Chinese pronunciations; kun readings represent native Japanese words. 山 is やま alone but さん in 富士山; 水 is みず alone and すい in 水曜日. Compounds often use on readings, while standalone words often use kun readings.
| Word | Reading |
|---|---|
| 山 | やま |
| 富士山 | ふじさん |
| 水 | みず |
| 水曜日 | すいようび |
| 本 | ほん |
| 日本 | にほん |
Examples
- 山に登ります。I climb a mountain.
- 富士山は高い山です。Mount Fuji is a high mountain.
- 水を飲みます。I drink water.
- 水曜日に会います。I will meet you on Wednesday.
- 本を読みます。I read a book.
- 日本に住んでいます。I live in Japan.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
These are tendencies, not reliable rules: 本 is ほん even alone, and 日本 is にほん. Some words mix readings or have special readings. Check the whole word in a dictionary.
Try it yourself
山 → ＿。（やま／さん）
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やま
山 as the word for a mountain is やま, a kun reading.
富士山 → ふじ＿。（やま／さん）
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さん
富士山 is ふじさん; さん is an on reading of 山.
水曜日 → ＿ようび。（みず／すい）
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すい
水曜日 is すいようび; 水 has the on reading すい here.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
山 → ＿。（やま／さん）
富士山 → ふじ＿。（やま／さん）
水曜日 → ＿ようび。（みず／すい）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the examples aloud, group 山 and 水 by word, and recall each reading before looking at the table.