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NOT A DIFFICULT KANJI

 

 

This is the kanji with a negative attitude, as its meaning is “not, negation.” The kun reading of this character, na(i), is most often written in hiragana in contemporary Japanese texts. This is also true of its conjugated kun forms, like naku naru 無くなる (=get lost; go missing; to die). There are two on readings, MU and BU. These are located at the beginning of many compound words, and the high frequency of both readings makes the distinction between MU and BU mostly a memorization task:

MU-beginning words:

無色(むしょく)colorless

無口(むくち)taciturn

無休(むきゅう) no holidays; never close (said of a store or business

 

BU-beginning words:

無事(ぶじ)safe and sound

不気味(ぶきみ)eerie

無用心(ぶようじん)unsafe; lacking caution

 

Words that end with the kun reading:

A few words, like mottainai 勿体無い (=wasteful) end with the kun reading.

 

Words that end with the on reading:

Words that end with the on reading of are rare:

皆無(かいむ)nothing; nil

有無(うむ)existence; presence

虚無的(きょむてき)nihilistic