Sorry if this has been answered before, but I couldn't find it.

I understand that when the on'yomi reading is used, this is associated with
words with a more "literary" feeling or with written usage. However, I don't
know if this is a relatively safe way to differentiate which usage is
preferred of if it's just applied in some cases.

Thanks in advance!
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2019-09-12T02:33:53.420
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2022-01-20T19:02:50.303
2019-09-12T17:03:11.030
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question
spoken-language wago-and-kango written-language
How can I differentiate if a word is (either fully or preferentially) used for spoken or written language?
I'm not an expert myself, but I asked a few Japanese people about this, and
the answer I got is that there is no actual rule. You either have to check in
a dictionary or try using the word and watch if people are surprised by what
you said. There seems to be a general trend, that the less hiragana and the
more strokes in a kanji, it's usually not a word for casual conversation,
though keep in mind, it's just a hint, and not a rule.
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2020-01-03T21:09:33.170
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2020-01-03T21:09:33.170
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answer