Just something as simple as the character for "one" has the On readings "ichi" and "itsu." So how would I know which one to use if I saw this as part of a compound?
Answer
Unless someone knows something that I don't, you just have to learn it for each word. Sometimes a word's pronunciation has evolved so that 9 times out of 10 it's pronounced one way, and that 10th time its the other. For example, it's a pretty safe bet that the On-yomi for 一 in a compound is いち or いっ (depending on the sound following it), but every now and then you'll find it read いつ (as in 単{たん}一{いつ} which is so hard for me to remember).
No comments:
Post a Comment