88792
There's okurigana at the end but for the kanji 口 used onyomi reading "ku"
instead of "kuchi"
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2021-08-06T09:25:01.600
88791
2021-08-06T10:51:23.420
46797
question
pronunciation
Why is 口説く read as くどく?
大辞泉 dictionary lists this as possibly being ateji.

The verb くどく probably shares its origin with the mimetic word くどくど
(repetitively, at great length, etc.). Both would have existed prior to being
written.

The idea is that the kanji 口 and 説 were then chosen as a way to represent the
existing word, ignoring how one would read them if the idea was to make a word
from 口 and 説 from scratch.

This is not unusual, and represents a source of many exceptional readings.

The dictionary isn't absolute in its assessment though, leaving open the
possibility of some other origin of the orthography.
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2021-08-06T10:51:23.420
88792
2021-08-06T10:51:23.420
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88791
answer