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I was told that 日曜朝 was prounced as にちようあさ, but then it seems that something
like 今学期 is pronounced as こんがっき. So now I'm confused, as to whether I should
be using the kun or on reading when multiple kanji words are put together? Is
there some rule to follow?
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2023-04-08T03:21:59.907
99245
2023-04-08T20:44:17.537
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question
readings
How to pronounce different kanji words put together?
In short, you can't. The way Kanji compound are read is never certain, also
one who is well-versed in Japanese could have a basic idea, but one could
never know if two Kanji's when put together, would be read as:

  * on-on like 日{にち}曜{よう} 習{しゅう}慣{かん} 現{げん}在{ざい}
  * kun-kun like 街{まち}角{かど} 片{かた}隅{すみ} 隙{すき}間{ま}
  * on-kun like 大{だい}好{す}き 両{りょう}手{て}
  * kun-on like 湯{ゆ}桶{とう} 片{かた}方{ほう}
  * a special reading for the two kanji's together 今日{きょう} 昨日{きのう} 欠片{かけら}

Sometimes same kanji's, when in different contexts and meaning different
things, will be read differently as well: 人間{にんげん} human and 人間{じんかん} the
human world. So, you just have to know them one by one.

However, there are patterns, and quite a lot of patterns. For example, the
pair 日曜 is always read as にちよう coming from 日曜日, and then 朝 on its own, is
always read as あさ. So intuitively anyone who speak Japanese, even if seeing
this word for the first time, would read にちようあさ. 朝 is rarely read as ちょう,
which is its on-reading.

For 今学期, you have to note first that 今, when read as いま, means now. But when
read as こん, it means "this" or "the current" like 今週{こんしゅう} this week and
今月{こんげつ} this month. 今年 is this year, and it's not こんねん, but read as
ことし.(Yeah, that's why I say you cannot know for sure. Just gotta see enough of
them to know by rote.) 学期 just means school term and is read as がっき, and since
"this current term" makes much more sense than "now-term", 今学期 is read as
こんがっき and not いまがっき.

**TL;DR** A general rule does not exist for reading Kanji compounds. However,
the majority of compounds will be read as on-on, and some Kanji's like 片 are
almost never read in its on-yomi, but kun-yomi. One has to just know them.
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2023-04-08T20:44:17.537
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2023-04-08T20:44:17.537
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answer