Can someone please explain?

Why is 学 alone gaku but 学び is manabi?

3 comments
  1. 学 is very rarely (almost never) used alone. The comparison here is between the word まなぶ, a native Japanese word meaning to learn, and Sino-Japanese words that have 学 as a component / productive suffix such as 科学 (かがく)、文学(ぶんがく), etc. where the suffix is similar to the Greek root -ology in English.

  2. It isn’t. 学 on it’s own can be gaku, manabi, or manabu, and which it is is based on context. writing it 学び just helps to dispel any doubt by making it clear that it’s manabi.

  3. Just about every kanji has two different readings. The onyomi, or Chinese reading, and the kunyomi, or the Japanese reading. An easier way to understand this is knowing that the Chinese reading is used when multiple kanji are together, and the Japanese reading is used when the kanji is alone with kana.

    学生-がくせい- gakusei- student
    学ぶ-まなぶ- manabu-to learn

    It’s difficult to keep track of all the different readings, which is why I like learning different words rather than studying the individual readings of each kanji.

    Hope this helps!

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