Here’s a greatly compressed version what I’ve written about this topic in Exhibit 43 of my forthcoming book, Crazy for Kanji:
The ocean of kanji compounds seems nearly infinite, but one can group them into just a few categories, according to how their parts relate to each other. Experts don’t always agree on categories of compounds. I’ve chosen categories that make most sense to me, with minimal hair-splitting.
This exhibit includes only compounds of two kanji, which is what you’ll see most often. When compounds contain three kanji, the first or last is usually an affix (that is, a prefix or suffix). A four-kanji compound may contain an affix or might be a union of two compounds of two kanji apiece (as in 大学時代, daigakujidai: college days).
The most common compounds fall into Types 2, 3, and 4 below.
Type 1: Duplication of a Single Kanji
e.g., 人 (JIN, hito: person) + 人 (person) =
人々 (hitobito: people)Type 2: Combination of Similar or Related Kanji
e.g., 姉 (SHI, ane: elder sister) + 妹 (MAI, imōto:
younger sister) = 姉妹 (shimai: sisters)Type 3: Combination of Opposite Kanji [Bing bing bing!]
e.g., 多 (TA, ō(i): many) + 少 (SHŌ, suku(nai): few) =
多少 (tashō: more or less)Type 4: The First Kanji Modifies the Second One, a Noun
e.g., 外 (GAI, soto: outside) + 国 (KOKU, kuni: country) =
外国 (gaikoku: foreign countries)Type 5: The First Kanji Is a Verb, the Second One Its Object
e.g., 失 (SHITSU, ushina(u): to lose) + 業 (GYŌ: job) =
失業 (shitsugyō: losing a job, unemployed)Type 6: The First Kanji Is the Subject, the Second One Its Verb or Adjective
e.g., 地 (JI, CHI: ground) + 震 (SHIN, furu(eru): to shake) =
地震 (jishin: earthquake)Type 7: One Kanji Is an Affix
e.g., 予- (YO-: beforehand) + 定 (TEI, sada(meru): to fix,
establish) = 予定 (yotei: plan)Type 8: The Compound Abbreviates a Longer One
e.g., 国際 (kokusai: international) + 連合 (rengō: union)
= 国連 (kokuren: United Nations)
For more on this, see Crazy for Kanji, due out this month! (Subtle sales pitch or what?!)
