Kokuji

Template:Short description Template:Table Hanzi Template:Japanese writing

The kanji for tasuki, a kokuji, with furigana above.

In Japanese, Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo are kanji created in Japan rather than borrowed from China. Like most Chinese characters, they are primarily formed by combining existing characters - though using combinations that are not used in Chinese.

Since kokuji are generally devised for existing native words, they usually only have native kun readings. However, they occasionally also have a Chinese on reading derived from a related kanji, such as Template:Nihongo2 (dō, 'work'), which takes its on pronunciation from Template:Nihongo2 (dō, 'move'). In rare cases, a kokuji may only have an on reading, such as Template:Nihongo2 (sen, 'gland'), which was derived from Template:Nihongo2 (sen, 'spring, fountain') for use in medical terminology.

The majority of kokuji are semantic compounds, meaning that they are composed of two (or more) characters with relevant meanings. For example, Template:Nihongo2 ('work') is composed of Template:Nihongo2 ('person' radical) plus Template:Nihongo2 ('move'). This is in contrast to Chinese kanji, which are overwhelmingly phono-semantic compounds. This is because the phonetic element of phono-semantic kanji is always based on the on reading, which most kokuji don't have, leaving semantic compounding as the only alternative. Other examples include Template:Nihongo2 'sakaki tree', formed from Template:Nihongo2 'tree' and Template:Nihongo2 'deity' (literally 'divine tree'), and Template:Nihongo2 'crossroads' formed from Template:Nihongo2 'road' and Template:Nihongo2 'cross'.

Kokuji are especially common for describing species of flora and fauna including a very large number of fish such as Template:Nihongo2 (sardine), Template:Nihongo2 (codfish), Template:Nihongo2 (seaperch), and Template:Nihongo2 (sillago), and trees such as Template:Nihongo2 (evergreen oak), Template:Nihongo2 (Japanese cedar), Template:Nihongo2 (birch, maple) and Template:Nihongo2 (spindle tree).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

TermEdit

The term kokuji in Japanese can refer to any character created outside of China, including Korean gukja ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and Vietnamese chữ Nôm. Wasei kanji refers specifically to kanji invented in Japan.

HistoryEdit

Historically, some kokuji date back to very early Japanese writing, being found in the Man'yōshū, for example—Template:Nihongo2 iwashi "sardine" dates to the Nara period (8th century)—while they have continued to be created as late as the late 19th century, when a number of characters were coined in the Meiji era for new scientific concepts. For example, some characters were produced as regular compounds for some (but not all) SI units, such as Template:Nihongo2 (Template:Nihongo2 "meter" + Template:Nihongo2 "thousand, kilo-") for kilometer, Template:Nihongo2 (Template:Nihongo2 "liter" + Template:Nihongo2 "thousand, kilo-") for kiloliter, and Template:Nihongo2 (Template:Nihongo2 "gram" + "thousand, kilo-") for kilogram. However, SI units in Japanese today are almost exclusively written using rōmaji or katakana such as Template:Nihongo2 or Template:Nihongo2 for km, Template:Nihongo2 for kl, and Template:Nihongo2 or Template:Nihongo2 for kg.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In Japan, the kokuji category is strictly defined as characters whose earliest appearance is in Japan.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> If a character appears earlier in the Chinese literature, it is not considered a kokuji even if the character was independently coined in Japan and unrelated to the Chinese character (meaning "not borrowed from Chinese"). In other words, kokuji are not simply characters that were made in Japan, but characters that were first made in Japan. An illustrative example is Template:Nihongo. This spelling was created in Edo period Japan from the ateji (phonetic kanji spelling) Template:Nihongo2 for the existing word ankō by adding the Template:Nihongo2 radical to each character—the characters were "made in Japan". However, Template:Nihongo2 is not considered kokuji, as it is found in ancient Chinese texts as a corruption of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (魚匽). Template:Nihongo2 is considered kokuji, as it has not been found in any earlier Chinese text. Casual listings may be more inclusive, including characters such as Template:Nihongo2.Template:NoteTag Another example is Template:Nihongo2, which is sometimes not considered kokuji due to its earlier presence as a corruption of Chinese {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

ExamplesEdit

There are hundreds of kokuji in existence.<ref>Template:Citation.</ref> Many are rarely used, but a number have become commonly used components of the written Japanese language. These include the following:

Jōyō kanji has about nine kokuji; there is some dispute over classification, but the following are generally included:Template:Cn

Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} dō, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hatara(ku) "work", the most commonly used kokuji, used in the fundamental verb Template:Nihongo, included in elementary texts and on the JLPT N5.
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ko(mu), used in the fundamental verb Template:Nihongo
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} nio(u), used in common verb Template:Nihongo
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hatake "field of crops"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} sen, "gland"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} tōge "mountain pass"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} waku, "frame"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hei, "wall"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} shibo(ru), "to squeeze" (disputed; see above);

Jinmeiyō kanji:

Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} sakaki "tree, genus Cleyera"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} tsuji "crossroads, street"
Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} monme (unit of weight)

Hyōgaiji kanji:

Template:Nihongo2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} shitsuke "training, rearing (an animal, a child)"

Some of these characters (for example, Template:Nihongo2, "gland")<ref>Buck, James H. (October 15, 1969) "Some Observations on kokuji" in The Journal-Newsletter of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 45–9.</ref> have been introduced to China; additionally, Standard Mandarin readings are assigned to some kokuji used in Japanese toponymy, for example by the Guobiao standard GB/T 17693.10.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In some cases, the Chinese reading is the inferred Chinese reading, interpreting the character as a phono-semantic compound (as in how on readings are sometimes assigned to these characters in Chinese), while, in other cases (such as Template:Nihongo2), the Japanese on reading is borrowed (in general this differs from the modern Chinese pronunciation of this phonetic). Similar coinages occurred to a more limited extent in Korea and Vietnam.

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

Template:Japanese language