読
JLPT N5
Read
Readings
On’yomi: ドク (doku)
Kun’yomi: よ(む) (yo(mu))
よ(む) – to read
Detailed Explanation
Vocabulary
読む
よむ
read
読書
どくしょ
reading
読みます
よみます
read (polite)
読んだ
よんだ
read (past)
読解
どっかい
reading comprehension
Example Sentences
本を読みます。
ほんを よみます。
I read a book.
新聞を読みました。
しんぶんを よみました。
I read the newspaper.
読書が好きです。
どくしょが すきです。
I like reading.
Cultural Note
📚 読 has deep cultural ties to Japan’s long literary and educational traditions.
1. Reading Culture:
o Japan has one of the world’s highest literacy rates and a strong reading culture.
o Manga, novels, and newspapers are widely read daily — the word 読書 (どくしょ) is part of school vocabulary early on.
2. Value of Reading:
o Reading (読) is associated with learning, refinement, and emotional growth.
o Many Japanese idioms connect reading with wisdom — e.g., 読書百遍義自ずから見る (“Read a book 100 times, and its meaning will reveal itself”).
3. Spiritual aspect:
o In Buddhism, 読経 (どきょう) means “chanting sutras,” literally “reading scriptures aloud,” showing how the act of reading can also be sacred.
1. Reading Culture:
o Japan has one of the world’s highest literacy rates and a strong reading culture.
o Manga, novels, and newspapers are widely read daily — the word 読書 (どくしょ) is part of school vocabulary early on.
2. Value of Reading:
o Reading (読) is associated with learning, refinement, and emotional growth.
o Many Japanese idioms connect reading with wisdom — e.g., 読書百遍義自ずから見る (“Read a book 100 times, and its meaning will reveal itself”).
3. Spiritual aspect:
o In Buddhism, 読経 (どきょう) means “chanting sutras,” literally “reading scriptures aloud,” showing how the act of reading can also be sacred.