History Main / AlternateCharacterReading

* ''Manga/{{xxxHolic}}'': [[CloningBlues Watanuki]]'s name is based on an alternate reading of April 1. [[note]]The term "April 1" in Japanese referred to the first day of the fourth ''Chinese'' month, which would be in May in the Georgian calendar -- perfect time to change to thinner clothing. Watanuki is literally 綿抜き -- "pulling out cotton (filling from the coats)." Hence the reading.[[/note]]

* ''Series/DaiMajinKanon'' used this as part of its IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming so that, while every episode title had a different meaning, all were read as "Kanon."

A somewhat related though fundamentally different wordplay is ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateji ateji]]'' (当て字), where a word (usually one not written in ''kanji'') is phonetically transcribed into ''kanji'', which almost always apply ''on'yomi'' readings. For example, the kanji written form of sushi, 寿司 (su-shi) is an ateji, and literally means something like "lifespan-administrator". ''Ateji'' is usually used for some older Japanese loanwords and as a general wordplay trick; the former usually ignores ''kanji'' semantics completely, while the latter will often consider semantics to achieve phono-semantic matching.

** The CEO of hololive's nickname, "Yagoo", is a result of this. His real name is Tanigou, but the kanji for it (谷郷) can also be read as "Yagoo". In one stream, Subaru kept misreading his name as "Yagoo" and it stuck.

* [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Kinoko Nasu]] loves this. Almost every single term in his stories is written with kanji and furigana to give a double meaning to every single thing. This even applies to the ending songs for the anime adaptation of ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'', where non-standard kanji are given for lyrics in the liner notes. Special mention to 'VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its spinoffs:

* Inverted in the other great Nasuverse VN, ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}''. The protagonist and [[spoiler:his evil adopted brother]] are both called Shiki, but written with different kanji.

** The [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable two]] [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion Josukes]] have first names that alternatively be read as [[FamilyThemeNaming "JoJo"]].

A somewhat related though fundamentally different wordplay is ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateji ateji]]'' (当て字), where a word is phonetically transcribed into a series of kanji characters. For example, the kanji written form of sushi, 寿司 (su-shi) is an ateji, and literally means something like "lifespan-administrator". The characters' meanings will be disregarded most of the time, though semantics will sometimes be considered (and often for stylistic reasons).

* Back in her Music/SakuraGakuin days, Moa Kikuchi's CatchPhrase was "Value love the most". This is a pun on her given name, since "Moa" is written with the kanji characters for "most" and "love". Following {{Music/Babymetal}}'s popularity, a brand of saké (Japanese rice wine) written with the same kanji but pronounced "Sai-ai" (the individual pronunciations of the kanji characters) [[TheRedStapler got a surge of demand]] from fans wanting to have the "Moa saké".

One note is that kanji characters, having Chinese roots, also have Chinese pronunciations, and one can go from there to other derived regional readings. These readings are rarely used for word plays.

* ''On'yomi'' (Japanese: 音読み) is a reading based on the Chinese pronunciation of the loaned Chinese character when it was incorporated as a ''kanji''. It usually consists of single syllables, or at most two syllables. Characters with ''on'yomi'' may have multiple one ''on'yomi'' readings, due to being borrowed into Japanese at different points in time.

* Something of an important plot point in ''Anime/MazeMegaburstSpace'' regarding how the title character got [[SexShifter his/her]] name. [[spoiler:Mei's brother Akira has a name that can also be read as 'mei' Thus the two get the nickname Meis which after their FusionDance morphs into Maze ([[FunWithHomophones Meis]]).]]

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has the, uh, structure that gives Angels unlimited power, which due to the kanji used can be translated either as "S2 Engine" or "S2 Organ." The ambiguity helps to ramp up the Angels' [[EldritchAbomination weirdness levels.]]

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': several techniques used by ninjas from the Land of Lightning are named in GratuitousEnglish, but written using kanji that could be read in a way that ''somewhat'' match the English name. For example: Lariat, written with the kanji for "Lightning Plough Hot Sword" (雷犂熱刀), usually read as "Rairi Nettō", and Laser Circus, written with the kanji for "Encouraging Crushing Chain Tormenting Principle" (励挫鎖苛素), usually read as "Reiza Sakaso".
** Kakuzu's techniques are [[ThemeNaming thematically named]] after [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' using kanji readings. For example, his main technique is named "Earth Grudge Fear", written as 地怨虞 and read "Jiongu" - a reference to Mobile Suit MSN-02 Zeong.

* The title kanji for ''Manga/FullMoon'', 満月, are pronounced as their English meaning "furu muun". While referring to Mitsuki's alter-ego, the same kanji are read as her first name and as "mangetsu", the term for a full moon.

* ''Kun'yomi'' (Japanese: 訓読み) is a reading based on pronunciation of the native Japanese word associated with a ''kanji's'' meaning. It usually consists of multiple syllables. Characters with ''kun'yomi'' usually only have one ''kun'yomi'' reading.

* ''On'yomi'' (Japanese: 音読み) is a reading based on the pronunciation of the loaned Chinese character when it was incorporated as a ''kanji''. It usually consists of single syllables, or at most two syllables. Characters with ''on'yomi'' may have multiple one ''on'yomi'' readings, due to being borrowed into Japanese at different points in time.

* ''Nanori'' (Japanese: 名乗り), also known as ''jinmeikun'' (Japanese: 人名訓) is a particular type of ''kun'yomi'' found in names and ''only'' in names. In most such cases, the name is conceived with a ''kun'yomi''-based Japanese word first, and then a ''kanji'' with a related meaning is attached to that word.

[[AC:Miscellany]]

* ''Jukujikun'' (Japanese: 熟字訓) is a particular type of ''kun'yomi'' used in multi-''kanji'' words where the reading for the whole word is not a composite of the individual readings of any of its constituent ''kanji''.

* ''Jukujikun'' (Japanese: 熟字訓) is a particular type of ''kun'yomi'' used in multi-''kanji'' words where the reading for the whole word is not based on the individual readings of any of its constituent ''kanji''.

This technique dates back to the Man'yōshū and Kojiki, and was very common among Edo period writers (mixing and matching Chinese words to Japanese glosses) and Meiji writers (mixing and matching Sino-Japanese words to recently borrowed Western glosses).

The subtle nuances that can be achieved with the use of an alternate reading are almost always LostInTranslation and will at worst end up being unfunny because [[DontExplainTheJoke detailed explanation is compulsory]]. On the flip side, alternate readings are frequently used when adapting something from English to Japanese in order to retain English names or puns.

Sometimes, the gloss will show a non-standard reading or another kanji, usually to clarify or highlight a particular nuance the author wishes to convey. This is known as ''gikun'' (義訓), and is differentiated from ''jukujikun'' by being a stylistic choice instead of a systematic property. A few instances of ''gikun'' have actually made their way into the mainstream and become evergreen standard, such as the name of the Asuka period, spelled 飛鳥 meaning "flying bird", but read as ''asuka'' meaning "scent of tomorrow". This technique dates back to the Man'yōshū and Kojiki, and was very common among Edo period writers (mixing and matching Chinese words to Japanese glosses) and Meiji writers (mixing and matching Sino-Japanese words to recently borrowed Western glosses). ''Gikun'' can be used in many different ways for many different reasons:

The pronunciation of most Japanese words is not easily gleaned from how they are written. In the UsefulNotes/JapaneseWritingSystem, words written in ''kanji'' often have multiple pronunciations depending on context. Basically, there are two main reading styles for Chinese characters in Japanese, ''kun-yomi'' and ''on-yomi'', both of which can lead to a lot of word play (as in the page's example):
* 訓読み ('Kun-yomi') or 訓読 ('Kundoku') is based on the native Japanese word for whatever the character represents (e.g. "inu" for 犬 (dog)). These readings date back to before the Chinese writing system came to Japan (Japan had no writing system of its own until they started importing Chinese writing around the mid 4th-century). Kun-yomi is most often used when a character appears singly, often with "okurigana" (the hiragana that comes after a kanji to provide completion and/or inflection, verbs being a notable example). There can be many kun-yomi for a single character. Examples: 読む (yo-mu = to read), 書く (ka-ku = to write), 食べる (ta-be-ru = to eat), 星 (hoshi = star). Even though kun-yomi is often reserved for single character appearances, you can also sometimes find it in combinations, like 名前 (na-mae = Name), which uses kun-yomi for both.
** Kun-yomi/kundoku originally referred to ''kanbun kundoku'', or using Chinese characters for their meanings alone, to write Japanese words. This usage became what we now, strictly, call either kun-yomi/kundoku or ''jukujikun'' (search for this below). E.g.: 大和 (''Yamato'', "Japan"), 不知火 (''shiranui'', "unknown fire").
* 音読み ('On-yomi') or 音読 ('Ondoku') is based on the Chinese pronunciation at the time the particular character was imported, modified to fit into the available syllables in Japanese (来 ("Lai") became "Rai" for instance). It is usually a single syllable, or at most two syllables. Many characters only have one on-yomi, but a large number have multiple Chinese readings based on how Chinese people said the word at various points in both location and history. These are usually used when the characters appear together in combinations. Examples: 読書 (doku-sho = reading), 食事 (shoku-ji = meal), 火星 (ka-sei = Mars), 日本 (ni-hon = Japan). Even though on-yomi is usually reserved for combinations, you can often find it used with single characters also, notably 愛 (ai = love), which uses on-yomi (itoshii, mederu, and mana are the kun-yomi readings).
** Before what we now call "kana" became a thing, the only "true kana", ''magana'', were actually what we now strictly call ''ateji'' (search for this below): they were Chinese characters used phonetically to transcribe Japanese words, names, or grammatical endings that had no Chinese equivalent. The most notable ''magana'' were ''Man'yōgana'', used in a collection of poems titled ''Man'yōshū''; these gradually evolved into hiragana. This phonetic usage was, logically, called on-yomi/ondoku, or "sound reading". E.g.: 那邇妹 (''na-ni-mo'', "sister"), 比売 (''hi-me'', "princess").
* Almost all characters have an on-yomi reading, and most have a kun-yomi reading, but many only have one or the other (for example, 昨 ('saku' = previous) only has on-yomi, while 辻 (tsuji = crossroads) and 込む (ko-mu = to pack in) are Japanese-made Chinese characters (国字 = kokuji), and only have kun-yomi. Note that this is not true of all 国字: 働, meaning 'work', has both the on-yomi 'dou' and the kun-yomi 'hatara-ku', and 腺, meaning 'gland', has only the on-yomi 'sen').
* Most Japanese words use fully one or the other. For example, combined characters are usually all read with either kun-yomi or on-yomi. Example, 流れ星 (naga-re-boshi = shooting star) is read with the kun-yomi for both characters. A good tip is the middle hiragana, which is okurigana for 'naga-re' (to flow), which generally (but not always) indicates that kun-yomi should be used. However, this word can also appear as 流星 (ryuu-sei = shooting star), which use the same characters, both read with on-yomi. Some words, however, use a combination, where one character is read with kun-yomi and another with on-yomi. This is very rare, but you can see it in common words like: 焼肉 (yaki-niku = Grilled meat) uses both kun-yomi (yaku, which would be 'shou' with on-yomi) and on-yomi (niku, which has a rare kun-yomi 'shishi'). These words are called 湯桶読み (yu-tou-yomi) and 重箱読み (juu-bako-yomi) depending on the order (kun-on = former, on-kun = latter).
* People and place names very often use kun-yomi, hence the joke in the page's example (the announcer was trying to use pure kun-yomi), but on-yomi is used often enough to make this a hard rule to follow. For example, 青森 (Aomori) uses kun-yomi (on-yomi would be something like "Sei-shin"), but Japan's two major cities, 東京 (Toukyou = Tokyo), and 京都 (Kyouto = Kyoto) both use on-yomi (not "higashi-miyako" or "miyako-miyako").
* Another pronunciation is known as ''jukujikun'' (熟字訓), where one would just have to memorize a certain reading of a multiple-character word and not derive it from on-yomi or kun-yomi. One cause behind this is that many words were established before the Chinese characters were brought over, and the characters were chosen to match the meanings rather than their sounds. For example, 明日 (meaning tomorrow), would've been 'myou-nichi' in on-yomi, or 'akari-hi' in kun-yomi, but is instead usually 'ashita' (or 'asu' depending on politeness; in fact, the on-yomi 'myounichi' is the politest and least common of the three 'common pronunciations' for this word).
* Yet another one is ''nanori'' (名乗り) where kanjis have irregular readings found in names and ''only'' in names, behaving sometimes like jukujikun. A very common one that you will see throughout this page is the surname ''Takanashi'' (小鳥遊), read normally as ''kotori asobu''.[[labelnote:Reason because]]Kotori asobu means "little birds at play", and implies that no hawks are present. Thus, the phrase taka ga inai (鷹がいない) meaning "no hawks around" gets compressed into Takanashi.[[/labelnote]]
* Website/ThatOtherWiki has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#On.27yomi_.28Sino-Japanese_reading.29 a great explanation here.]]

* ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'':

* Ryuuko of ''LightNovel/GroundControlToPsychoelectricGirl'' had her name (somehow) mis-read as "Ryuushi". It stuck, much to her chagrin.

* In ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'', Orito reads Yuki Yoshida's name as Tomonori. No matter how many times she corrects him, [[AccidentalMisnaming he continues to call her that]].

** The characters from Liyue are all pronounced differently in the Japanese dub, i.e with onyomi. For example, Beidou is "Hokuto", Qiqi is "Nana" and so on. However, "Liyue" itself and Xiangling[[note]]Her name 香菱 is more properly read in Japanese as "Kouryou", but the game's Japanese dub decides not to follow it[[/note]] are still pronounced that way, even in Japanese. Likewise, Inazuma and its residents' names are pronounced in the Chinese way in the Chinese dub and the Japanese way in their dub.

* In ''Anime/QueensBlade'', Tomoe's country of origin, [[{Wutai}} Hinimoto]], is an alternate reading of the kanji for "Japan."

** In ''Moonlight Sonata'', [[spoiler:Seiji Asai [[HarmlessLadyDisguise lived as a female doctor]]]] on the Tsukukage Island for two years and when Conan [[PullTheThread pulled the thread]], [[spoiler:[[UnsettlingGenderReveal locals were surprised about his actual gender.]]]] How could [[spoiler:he]] pull that out? First, [[DudeLooksLikeALady the looks]], and second, [[spoiler:he]] didn't even need to change the papers but merely changed how the name 成実 is pronounced -- [[spoiler: he switched from the masculine ''on-yomi'' reading ''Seiji'' to the feminine ''kun-yomi'' reading ''Narumi''.]]