93527
Why is 近道 read/pronounced as ちかみち and not きんどう?

My first assumption is that the word originated before the kanji was
introduced, but I don't have this sort of information on tap.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-23T16:04:39.720
93525
2022-02-24T02:42:47.720
2022-02-24T02:19:26.800
5010
20390
question
words readings wago-and-kango
Understanding the Reading of 近道
Basic old words tend to be in kun-readings, while modern technical words tend
to be in on-readings. Still, it's just a tendency. You ultimately have to
remember the pronunciation of each word individually.

There are many words that end with 道 pronounced as みち:

  * 脇道 (わきみち)
  * 小道 (こみち)
  * 獣道 (けものみち)
  * 坂道 (さかみち)
  * 山道 (やまみち; but see: [What is the difference between 山道【さんどう】 and 山道【やまみち】?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/72177/5010))

You can see these concepts are generally older than on-reading words such as
国道 (こくどう), 隧道 (ずいどう), 自動車道 (じどうしゃどう), 水道 (すいどう), and 赤道 (せきどう). I don't know
if 近道 really existed before the arrival of kanji, but it's hard to imagine the
old people were unfamiliar with the concept of shortcut.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-24T02:37:38.640
93527
2022-02-24T02:42:47.720
2022-02-24T02:42:47.720
5010
5010
93525
answer