Kirigirisu
Konchugakusha
- 28 Jul 2014
- 2
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Hello, I've noticed a couple of words that use kanji which have no phonetic influence on the rest of the word. The kanji are there, they simply are not read! The instances I've found are all life science related and are words normally written in katakana.
Exhibit A;
襟巻蜥蜴 ( えりまきとかげ, erimaki tokage) or frilled lizard. The first two kanji 襟巻 (erimaki) mean "scarf." While the last two kanji both mean lizard. Here's where it gets odd. In this word 蜥 is read as "tokage," while 蜴 is read as absolutely nothing! 蜴 is a kanji with one reading; "eki," however every single word I've seen it used in, it's silent, and has no influence on the other kanji's readings. There are a bunch of other lizard names like this, and in every one of them 蜴 is silent.
For example;
火蜥蜴 (ひとかげ); Salamander
角蜥蜴(つのとかげ); Horny Toad
コモド大蜥蜴(コモドおおとかげ); Komodo Dragon
蜥蜴座(とかげざ); Lacerta the Lizard, which is a constellation.
In every one of these instances 蜥 tokage is combined with 蜴 eki, but is pronounced only as "tokage."
After noticing this weird occurrence, I thought it might just be an anomaly confined to the kanji 蜴 eki, but then I found this...
Exhibit B;
寄居虫 (やどかり, yadokari) meaning hermit crab. In this word, 虫 mushi is present, but doesn't add anything phonetically.
So, I'm perplexed, what do these silent kanji mean? Is it something that occurs normally? Does it mean anything special if a kanji is silent?
Exhibit A;
襟巻蜥蜴 ( えりまきとかげ, erimaki tokage) or frilled lizard. The first two kanji 襟巻 (erimaki) mean "scarf." While the last two kanji both mean lizard. Here's where it gets odd. In this word 蜥 is read as "tokage," while 蜴 is read as absolutely nothing! 蜴 is a kanji with one reading; "eki," however every single word I've seen it used in, it's silent, and has no influence on the other kanji's readings. There are a bunch of other lizard names like this, and in every one of them 蜴 is silent.
For example;
火蜥蜴 (ひとかげ); Salamander
角蜥蜴(つのとかげ); Horny Toad
コモド大蜥蜴(コモドおおとかげ); Komodo Dragon
蜥蜴座(とかげざ); Lacerta the Lizard, which is a constellation.
In every one of these instances 蜥 tokage is combined with 蜴 eki, but is pronounced only as "tokage."
After noticing this weird occurrence, I thought it might just be an anomaly confined to the kanji 蜴 eki, but then I found this...
Exhibit B;
寄居虫 (やどかり, yadokari) meaning hermit crab. In this word, 虫 mushi is present, but doesn't add anything phonetically.
So, I'm perplexed, what do these silent kanji mean? Is it something that occurs normally? Does it mean anything special if a kanji is silent?