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Onyomi (音読み)
is the Japanese approximation of the original Chinese pronunciation of a
Kanji character.
When the Japanese language was infused with the Kanji
character system it also gained many Chinese words for concepts that either
didn't exist or could not be articulated as elegantly as in the Chinese
language.
Along with this character set came the pronunciation for
the characters. Onyomi is characterized by its consonant-vowel-consonant
structure. The word Peking(北京lit:
north capital) is more appropriately spelled Pekin and demonstrates this
structure.
The onyomi reading is usually used when two kanji
characters are placed side by side with the exception of surnames, place
names, and uniquely Japanese concepts.
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