Standard Lemma guide

okurigana

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

In the Japanese language, the kana which follow a stem written with kanji, which record how that stem is inflected, and guides recognition of the appropriate kun'yomi reading (word stem associated with the kanji); for example, く (ku) and かべる (kaberu) in 浮(う)く (uk-u, “to float”, intransitive) and 浮(う)かべる (uk-aberu, “to float”, transitive), or む (mu) and きる (kiru) in 生(う)む (umu, “to birth”) and 生(い)きる (ikiru, “to live”). Perhaps analogous to -st, -nd in English 1st (first), 2nd (second).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: communications, journalism, literature, media, orthography, publishing, writing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Japanese 送(おく)り仮名(がな) (okurigana).

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 送假名 (sòngjiǎmíng) — kana written after kanji
  • Japanese: 送り仮名 (okurigana) — kana written after kanji
  • Korean: 오쿠리가나 (okurigana) — kana written after kanji
  • Russian: окурига́на (okurigána) — kana written after kanji