Translation and Meaning of: 送り仮名 - okurigana

If you are studying Japanese, you have probably come across the word 送り仮名 [おくりがな]. But what does it mean exactly? In this article, we will explore everything from its basic meaning to interesting facts about its use in everyday Japanese. Whether to better understand grammar or to improve your writing, knowing 送り仮名 is essential for any language student.

What does 送り仮名 mean?

Okurigana, read as "okurigana", refers to the kana characters that accompany a kanji to indicate its conjugation or reading. In other words, these are the hiragana parts that appear after an ideogram, helping to define its meaning and usage in a sentence. For example, in the verb 食べる (taberu), the べる is the okurigana that completes the reading of the kanji 食.

This system is essential for the inflection of verbs and adjectives in Japanese. Without okurigana, many words would lose their grammatical function or become ambiguous. Imagine trying to conjugate a verb without these endings – it would be like writing in Portuguese without the final vowels.

Origin and importance of okurigana

The practice of using okurigana dates back to the Heian period (794-1185), when Japanese writing began to diverge from classical Chinese. Since Japanese is an agglutinative language, it was necessary to adapt the kanji borrowed from China to represent inflections and grammatical particles. Okurigana emerged as a solution to this linguistic challenge.

Nowadays, the use of okurigana follows rules established by the Japanese government, but there are still variations depending on the context. Some words can have more than one accepted form, which can confuse beginners. Therefore, consulting a reliable dictionary like Suki Nihongo is always recommended.

How to memorize okurigana correctly

A proven tip for learning okurigana is to study verbs and adjectives in groups with similar patterns. For example, verbs ending in 〜べる like 食べる (to eat) and 調べる (to investigate) follow the same structure. Creating flashcards with the kanji on one side and the okurigana on the other also helps a lot.

Another effective strategy is to pay attention to okurigana when consuming Japanese content, such as music or manga. Often, the brain naturally assimilates these patterns through repeated exposure. Writing down examples in a notebook dedicated solely to okurigana can accelerate your learning.

Vocabulary

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Synonyms and similar words

• 送り仮名 (おくりがな) - Okurigana refers to the kana characters that accompany a kanji to indicate the conjugation or inflection of a word.