Multikanji

Multikanji is a term used in Japanese linguistics and information processing to describe the phenomenon whereby a single kanji character can encode multiple lexical meanings or readings depending on context. This ambiguity stems from kanji being both polysemous (having multiple senses) and polyphonic (having multiple pronunciations), with the appropriate reading and sense determined by surrounding words, grammatical structure, and historical usage.

In linguistic and orthographic terms, multikanji highlights how a single character may contribute different semantic content across compounds and phrases. A kanji may have several on readings (on'yomi) and kun readings (kun'yomi), and its meaning can shift with conjugation, syntactic role, or collocation. For learners, recognizing multikanji involves context cues, furigana annotations, and dictionary lookups that specify multiple senses and pronunciations.

In computing and natural language processing, multikanji presents challenges for word segmentation, part-of-speech tagging, and meaning disambiguation. Morphological analyzers and kanji dictionaries must map character sequences to correct lemmas, often using context, frequency data, or user-specific readings. Input methods may also offer alternatives when a single kanji corresponds to multiple words, requiring user confirmation to select the intended reading.

Examples often cited include kanji such as 生, which can read as sei or shō in compounds (生産 seisan, 生物 seibutsu) or as ikiru/nama in more lexical uses. Such cases illustrate how context governs the intended meaning and pronunciation.

See also: kanji, polysemy, on’yomi, kun’yomi, furigana, disambiguation, ateji.