Quote:
Originally Posted by Tangram
If my research proves correct, 'scholars' (take that as you will) in Japan do not only learn Japanese-language kanji. From what I can gather, it's like how in English, we take on Latin phrases for medicine, science, philosophy, etc. Although they are not actually English, we use them as if they were.
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There are multiple readings for most kanji - the onyomi and kunyomi. The onyomi is the "chinese" reading (or, rather, the japanised pronunciation of the chinese reading), and the kunyomi is the Japanese word that the kanji is used for.
Many kanji have up to around five readings - multiple onyomi and / or kunyomi.
Hurrah!