+- kanji koohii FORUM (http://forum.koohii.com)
+-- Forum: Learning Japanese (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: Off topic (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-13.html)
+--- Thread: What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? (/thread-12184.html)
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - john555 - 2014-09-14
I think it's three. E.g., あ-た-ら: 新
Would there be a kanji representing four or more syllables?
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - Vempele - 2014-09-14
糎 センチメートル (found on Wikipedia).
Ones that are actually used:
承る うけたまわる
志 こころざし
慮る おもんぱかる
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - john555 - 2014-09-14
So six syllables. Wow.
I was thinking this morning that reading kanji out loud feels more "natural" when each kanji represents a single syllable (like in Chinese).
I realized that (to me anyway) it feels a bit odd when reading out loud a multi-syllable word represented graphically by a single kanji, I'm not sure why.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - yudantaiteki - 2014-09-14
If you don't want to deal with the annoying Japanese writing system, you'll have to pick another language.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - SomeCallMeChris - 2014-09-15
john555 Wrote:So six syllables. Wow.I don't know about modern Chinese, but many chinese-derived ON readings are two syllables. The chinese-derived readings are pretty much limited to one or two syllables (or more accurately 'mora'), but kun readings can be arbitrarily long as a single kanji could be chosen to represent any given Yamato (ie., originally Japanese) word. Or perhaps even a loan word as in the centimeter example above.
I was thinking this morning that reading kanji out loud feels more "natural" when each kanji represents a single syllable (like in Chinese).
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - Arupan - 2014-09-15
.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - Vempele - 2014-09-15
That's 3 by the OP's criterion (not sure how he gets 6 and not 7 or 5 from センチメートル, though).
At the other extreme, I think there's at least one word with more than one kanji per mora, but the closest I can recall is 秋刀魚 さんま.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - yudantaiteki - 2014-09-15
The Koujien has a word 豆油 pronounced ご, but I've never seen or heard of that word outside of the dictionary. I just know it because when I start typing a word into my electronic dictionary that starts with ご, it shows up.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - comeauch - 2014-09-15
There's 海鷂魚 「えい」!
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - buonaparte - 2014-09-15
The funniest reading I've come across:
小保方晴子 /STAPさま/
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - toshiromiballza - 2014-09-15
百舌鳥 もず bull-headed shrike
香具師 やし charlatan
七五三縄 しめなわ Shinto rope
五十日の祝 いかのいわい newborn's 50th day celebration
骨皮筋右衛門 ほねかわすじえもん reduced to skin and bones
I suppose 風邪 also qualifies.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - vonPeterhof - 2014-09-15
Readings of surnames offer great examples of both extremes:
五月七日 つゆり
九十九院／四十四院 つるし
正月一日 あお
一 にのまえ [get it?
]九 いちじく [GET IT!?
]Also, 与謝野晶子's real given name was 志よう (しょう). Apparently that kanji represents less than a mora.
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - howtwosavealif3 - 2014-09-15
I googled japanese and found this in one of the posts
http://blog.livedoor.jp/vipreaction/archives/24620663.html
門人
「ものかげからきゅうにとびだしてひ とをおどろかせるときにはっするこえ」
There's also this
http://www.eris.ais.ne.jp/~himitu/html/ach/word.html#
Needlessly I've never come across the word above or the ones in the links
More obscure kanji
http://www17.plala.or.jp/u-ho/zatugaku2.html
What is the largest number of syllables represented by a single kanji? - yudantaiteki - 2014-09-15
howtwosavealif3 Wrote:I googled japanese and found this in one of the postsThis was brought up in a previous post -- this is not a reading of the kanji. The 大漢和辞典 gives meanings of kanji, some of which are used as readings and some of which aren't. This is a phrase that defines the kanji -- 物陰からきゅうに飛び出して人を驚かせる時にはっする声.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/vipreaction/archives/24620663.html
門人
「ものかげからきゅうにとびだしてひ とをおどろかせるときにはっするこえ」
The same is true of all the other long readings typically given; they're definitions or meanings, not readings.
However, there are some genuine readings from older kanbun texts that are long -- I can't come up with any over 5 offhand, but I've seen 事（つかうまつ）る and 宇（あめのした）, for instance.