Hi I am a complete ignoramus as far as Japanese language is concerned. Please
forgive me my silly question: Can you create the word YAMA DO - the way of the
mountain, like the word KARATE DO - the way of karate? Thank you. Tom
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2018-09-03T18:56:07.347
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2018-09-03T20:18:08.197
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question
word-choice
Can one create the word YAMA DO?
Creating words in Japanese, especially [in anime and
manga](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/44719/how-are-made-up-
words-for-anime-manga-formed-reading-and-kanji), is not all that uncommon - so
in the abstract I think this is a reasonable thing to try and do. However,
let's talk about the specific word you want to create here.

The `DO` in your `KARATE DO`
[道](https://jisho.org/search/%E9%81%93%20%23kanji), a kanji which can mean
"way" or "road". It's used in a number of Japanese martial arts, such as
[空手道](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate) ,
[弓道](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%ABd%C5%8D)、or
[剣道](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo) to mean "way". Note that if we are
looking at kanji meanings here, `karatedō` is literally "way of the empty
hand".

The other relevant kanji here is
[山](https://jisho.org/search/%E5%B1%B1%20%23kanji), which just means mountain.

Now, we can just put these two characters together for

> 山道{やまみち}

but there's a problem - [this word already
exists](https://jisho.org/search/%E5%B1%B1%E9%81%93), and it doesn't mean what
you want it to. `山道` is read as `yamamichi` and means "mountain road" in the
very literal sense. *

That said, there is plenty of precedent for words in Japanese that have
multiple readings corresponding to different meanings. See
[大家](https://jisho.org/search/%E5%A4%A7%E5%AE%B6),
[額](https://jisho.org/search/%E9%A1%8D), and
[生物](https://jisho.org/search/%E7%94%9F%E7%89%A9), among many others.

Consequently, I think you _could_ create a word

> 山道{やまどう｝

as long as it was very clear to your readers that you intended for them to
read it `yamadō`, and that it referred to whatever you wanted it to mean, and
not a mountain road. You would likely need to provide furigana, and/or use the
word in some context that made it very obvious what you were talking about.

In short, you can do this, but you would need to do it in such a way that
makes it obvious to readers that you are trying to convey something specific
and not "mountain road". If you just try and use the word in speech, native
speakers will likely either not understand or assume that you are are
incorrectly pronouncing `山道｛やまみち｝` unless you explain your intent.

* If you are wondering why `山道` is `yamamichi` instead of `yamadō`, you can read more about multiple kanji readings [here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/6196/whats-with-this-on-reading-kun-reading-thing-is-it-important-to-learn-both) as well as all over the internet. A full explanation of kanji readings is beyond the scope of this answer.
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answer