There are Japanese words that are written in Kana frequently despite having an associated Kanji (i.e. 轢かれる > ひかれる) like how 鰻 is often written as うなぎ when used as signage, is it because the Kanji is too difficult? They also do this in words where partial Kana is used rather than the actual Kanji altogether (i.e. 信憑性 > 信ぴょう性). I’ve also seen this in words such as: 刎頸 (ふんけい), 膀胱癌 (ぼうこうがん), 躊躇 (ちゅうちょ), 兎 (うさぎ), 髑髏 (どくろ), 鰐, (わに), 蝿 (はえ), 癇癪 (かんしゃく), 胆のう (嚢 exists, just use it) and so on…
Short answer is yes, because they are too hard. Typically the set of kanji you would see in regular use are called 常用漢字 (jouyou-kanji). Everything outside that tabls is called 表外 (hyogai) and are used more rarely. Where they are such as in newspapers or technical documents along with names, Chinese terms, and other less frequently used words, pronunciation guide letters (furigana) are used on top of the kanji.
Can literate native Japanese speakers generally recognize and pronounce all (or most) jouyou-kanji on
sitesight without context?Generally yes to about a 90% degree, if they have completed secondary school education.
There are variety shows on TV where Japanese celebrities do a quiz to read uncommon kanji words but within the jouyou set (NepLeague I’m just using as one example). And usually it is passed, but then the harder levels are then to write the more complicated kanji from memory from reading a sentence in simple kana.
One thing that sometimes trips people up with 常用漢字 is that it’s not just a list of kanji, it also includes readings. For example, 人参 are both 常用 but the second character is only listed with readings サン (as in 参加) and まい-る (参る). The ジン in にんじん is not on the list.
i also find the inconsistency irritating.
in addition to the 常用 distinction, signage , for example, has a different set of requirements compared to books, etc, and different audience capabilities. most people know how to read 鰻 but from far away along a sidewalk, it may be too blurry to attract customers. in that context, there is competition between easier to read signs.
also, you may notice some terms for things like reading glasses, various diseases and other elderly-targeted items would also be in kana sometimes. kanji objectively has more detail than kana or romaji at the same don’t sizes, so vision capability is a factor. also visual euphemism effect is a factor as far as embarrassment, ヂ vs 痔.
also it’s standard to write many of the animal and plant species names in katakana. this is partly for standardization in the sense that some of the names come from foreign languages. and even in English, species names are often italicized. furthermore, many of the kanji names of species are 当て字 so their legitimacy vis-à-vis matching the pronunciation is debatable.
there are many inconsistencies more aggravating than this in Japanese. not to tell you to get over it, i also haven’t.
- 気持ちいい➡️キモチい but 気持ち悪い➡️キモい
- 気持ちいい and 気持ち悪い are not opposites
- 杯 is not correct to count おっぱい but will be understood if used anyway
- 一足 いっそく one (counter: shoe pair, sock pair, footwear set)
- 一足 ひとあし one step (ahead [time, sequence])
- 上手 じょうず skilled, proficient
- 上手 かみて stage right (actors’ entrance side of stage)
- 上手 うわて upper hand, advantage
- 見物 けんぶつ spectating
- 見物 みもの something that ought to be seen, a worthwhile sight
- 利益 りえき profit (financial)
- 利益 りやく gifts/blessings from spiritual entities
indeed some of these examples are reasons for some of the unexpected used of kana, as well as other differentiation techniques like use of お/ご prefixes when not required by grammar/etiquette rules.
