N4 · Writing Japanese
Okurigana and words written in kana
okurigana: the kana after a kanji
Where a word stops being kanji and starts being kana, and why some words are written in kana altogether.
Okurigana are the kana that follow a kanji inside one word and carry the part of it that changes. In 食べる, 食べます and 食べない the kanji holds the meaning and the start of the word; the kana after it carry the ending. The same is true of adjectives: 高い, 高くない, 高かった. On this site the furigana sit over the kanji only, and the okurigana stand beside them, so you can see exactly where the split falls.
The split follows conventions that are mostly predictable. Whatever conjugates is in kana, and sometimes a little more: 起きる, 教える, and every adjective ending in -shii keeps the し in kana: 新しい, 美しい. The okurigana also tell you which reading a kanji has: 少ない (few) and 少し (a little) share a kanji, as do 細い (thin) and 細かい (fine, detailed). Read the kana first and the kanji becomes easy.
Many words are normally written in kana even though a kanji exists: これ, ある, いる, できる, もう, まだ, たくさん, ありがとう. The clearest group is verbs used as grammar rather than for their meaning. 見る (look) has a kanji, but in 食べてみる (try eating) it means "try", and it is written in kana. The same holds for 〜ていく, 〜てくる, 〜ておく and 〜てください.
English speakers go wrong in two directions. Some write every word that has a kanji in kanji, which makes a text look stiff and old-fashioned. Others drop part of the okurigana, writing a stem that is not a word. When unsure, look at how a dictionary or a typing program writes the word: the standard split is what everyone else will expect to read.
The form
| to eat | 食べる・食べます・食べない |
| to teach | 教える・教えて |
| expensive, high | 高い・高くない・高かった |
| new | 新しい |
| few — a little | 少ない・少し |
| thin — fine, detailed | 細い・細かい |
| bright | 明るい |
| to look — to try (kana) | 見る・食べてみる |
| to go — to go on (kana) | 行く・増えていく |
| usually in kana | ある・いる・できる・もう・まだ |
The rules one by one
The kanji holds the stem; everything that changes is written in kana after it.
昨日は早く起きました。I got up early yesterday.
Adjectives ending in -shii keep the し in kana.
新しい靴を買いました。I bought new shoes.
The okurigana often tell you which reading the kanji has.
お金が少ないので、少しだけ買います。I have little money, so I will only buy a little.
A verb used as grammar after the te-form is written in kana.
どうぞ着てみてください。Please, do try it on.
Many common words are normally written in kana even though a kanji exists.
質問がたくさんあります。I have a lot of questions.
A closer look
Nouns that drop their okurigana
A verb in the middle of a sentence keeps its okurigana: 受け付けます. But when the same word has hardened into a noun for a fixed thing, especially on signs, the okurigana are often dropped: 受付 (reception). Both spellings are correct in their place, and a learner will meet the short one on every building directory.
This shows what okurigana are for. They help a reader to see how a word is built and how it is read. A familiar noun on a sign needs no such help, so the convention lets it go.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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a verb compound has become the name of a place or thing
the okurigana are often left out: 受付 rather than 受け付け.
受付は入口の横です。Reception is next to the entrance.
A fixed term on a sign is read as a whole, and the shorter spelling is quicker to take in.
How to spot it
- 食べる
- 新しい
- 少ない
- 〜てみる
- 〜てください
Example sentences
先生が日本語を教えてくれます。The teacher teaches me Japanese.
このかばんは高くなかったです。This bag was not expensive.
細かいお金がありますか。Do you have any small change?
美しい景色ですね。What a beautiful view.
もう晩ご飯を食べましたか。Have you had dinner yet?
日本の料理を作ってみました。I tried making Japanese food.
8 more example sentences
窓を開けてもいいですか。May I open the window?
明日は六時に起きなければなりません。I have to get up at six tomorrow.
細い道を歩きました。We walked along a narrow street.
この問題は難しくありません。This question is not difficult.
ここに名前を書いてください。Please write your name here.
電車がなかなか来ません。The train is taking a long time to come.
兄は料理ができます。My older brother can cook.
部屋が明るくなりました。The room has become brighter.
Worth knowing (1)
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One verb, two spellings
In 見てみます the same verb appears twice: first in kanji, because it means "look", then in kana, because it means "try". Nothing about the sound changes. The spelling tells the reader which job the verb is doing.
ちょっと見てみます。I will have a quick look.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The し of 美しい belongs in the okurigana, like the し of every adjective ending in -shii. Without it the word is no longer a word, and a reader stumbles over a kanji that seems to have lost its ending.
Kanji for the meaning, kana for everything that changes — and kana for a word that is doing grammar.
Your turn
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