If you feel something is off about the okurigana (kana suffixes) while writing your statement of purpose or essay, you should look it up and check!

Last updated: 2026/04/27

This series, [Basics of Writing], introduces the fundamental points of writing that I, Shime-no, an essay and composition instructor, teach during my regular correction and grading sessions.

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(You can see Shime-no's self-introduction here.)

Why I carefully look up "okurigana that feels off"

I have been engaged in correcting compositions and essays for about 30 years, though there have been some gaps. Also, I still look through nearly 3,000 compositions and essays. Perhaps because of that teaching history, I generally have the "notations that junior high and high school students often get wrong" in my head.The parts that you all tend to get wrong when writing by hand are mostly the same. For example, "writing the inside of 'sai' (age) as 'shi' (demonstrative)" or "writing the inside of 'tatsu' (reach) as 'kou' (happiness) (missing one horizontal stroke)" and so on... My "sensor" has become able to react immediately to mistakes I often see.I've become so tense that when I read something like "I improved thanks to doing my best in club activities," I worry about whether they made a mistake with the character "tatsu".

(I have compiled such notations that junior high and high school students often get wrong in compositions and essays into articles, and organized them as a series in the magazine below. Although this series of articles was originally compiled as my own "memo," it has been well-received by fellow essay instructors at prep schools and composition teachers rather than by junior high and high school students (lol))

However, even for me, there are things I am still not quite confident about and occasionally stop to look up during correction guidance to see if they are correct. That is the correctness of "okurigana."Until modern times, there were no unified rules for okurigana. In other words, everyone "added" them as they pleased. However, the Ministry of Education decided to standardize them along with other notations. And now, based on the rules (general principles) announced by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), they are written using the sounds and readings of Joyo Kanji. The "okurigana" taught in Japanese language education in elementary, junior high, and high schools follows this. However, this has been revised (and amended) several times. This is where you need to be careful.

The basic principles for how to add okurigana are Cabinet Notification No. 1 of June 18, 1973. And after that, some revisions were made. The definitive one is the 2010 revision. With the revision of the Joyo Kanji table on November 30, 2010, about 500 word examples were updated to match the new kanji table. Along with this, the way of adding okurigana was newly revised.

(History of revisions and amendments regarding "How to add okurigana")

Therefore, there is a possibility that "the 'okurigana' you learned yourself is incorrect according to the current principles." If I assume that this is correct because I have been adding okurigana this way for many years without any problems, and then provide correction guidance, it is possible that I was the one who was wrong. This is why I am not quite confident about okurigana. Especially, 2010 is 2010. I had long since become a working adult. Naturally, I did not actually learn the okurigana that have been newly taught in elementary, junior high, and high schools since 2010 at school. Therefore, it is possible that what I assume to be correct is wrong when compared to the general rules since 2010.You may teach kanji to your children at home, but if you teach them based on "your own common sense," it may be "different from what is currently taught at school," so parents should also be careful.

How to check for correct okurigana? (How to view the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "How to add okurigana")

If you are a junior high or high school student and want to check whether the okurigana is correct while writing a composition or essay, it is fine to look it up on the internet or in a Japanese dictionary or kanji dictionary, but I also want you to consult the "How to add okurigana" posted on the Agency for Cultural Affairs (MEXT) website. That is because it is more reliable.

(Agency for Cultural Affairs "How to add okurigana")

However, the expression is a bit unique, so I will explain the terms used. In this "How to add okurigana" (general rules), there are "main rules," "exceptions," and "allowances." First, "main rules" are the basic principles. It means that for the majority of cases, okurigana is added according to these "main rules." Next is "exceptions." This means that for certain specific kanji, they are used differently from these "main rules." The kanji that are "exceptions" are summarized here. Finally, there is "allowance," which means "this okurigana is also acceptable." Basically, what is correct is according to the "main rules," but "other okurigana are also recognized." This is indicated in parentheses.

Let me explain with an example.

("How to add okurigana, single words, 1, words with inflections, general rule 1")

According to "How to add okurigana, single words, 1, words with inflections, general rule 1," the "main rule" states, "For words with inflections (excluding words to which general rule 2 applies), add the inflectional ending." There are conditions, but let's put that aside for now, and the point is that "the basic principle for words with inflections is to add the inflectional ending." Next, "exceptions" summarize kanji that do not follow that basic principle. For example, taking one of them, "kawaru" (to relate), it inflects as "<irrealis> kawara-nai <continuative> kawari-masu <terminal> kawaru-. <attributive> kawaru-toki <conditional> kaware-ba <imperative> kaware-." so the inflectional ending (the part that inflects) is from "ru" onwards. Then, if you follow the basic principle (main rule), you would add it as "karu." However, since this kanji falls under an "exception," it is correct to add it as "kawaru." Finally, there is "allowance," and it says here, "The following words can be added from the syllable before the inflectional ending, as shown in ( )." For example, there is "arasu (arawasu)" (to express). This means "arasu" is basically correct, but "arawasu" is also allowed (it's okay). Therefore, "considering 'arawasu' to be a mistake" is "a mistake."

Check the "exceptions" and "allowances" after confirming the "main rules"

To check whether the okurigana for a kanji is correct, it is best to follow the procedure of checking the "general rule" first, and then checking for "exceptions" or "permissible variations."

Let's look at an example here. Suppose we check "異る (kotonaru)" and "行なう (okonau)" using the aforementioned "How to Attach Okurigana: Single Words, 1: Inflected Words, General Rule 1." First, according to the general rule, we should "attach the inflectional ending." Let's check the inflection of "異る (kotonaru)."

From the above, the stem (the part that does not inflect) is "kotona" and the inflectional ending (the part that inflects) is "ru" and onwards. Therefore, according to the "general rule," it should be "異る." However, this is not correct. In the "exceptions" section, under "(3) The following words are written as shown below," we find "異なる." In other words, "異る" is incorrect, and in this case, it is correct to use the exception "異なる" is what we have learned.

Next, let's look at "行なう (okonau)." First, let's inflect it.

From the above, the stem is "okona" and the inflectional ending is "u" and onwards. Therefore, according to the "general rule," "行う" is correct. So, is "行なう" incorrect? Let's look at the "permissible variations." We find "行う (行なう)." Therefore, "行なう" is not incorrect. However, it can be said that "'行う' is the more common notation following the basic principle." Therefore, while it is not a mistake, it can be said that "行う" is more desirable than "行なう."

Summary: Always check okurigana you are unsure about using the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "How to Attach Okurigana"

When writing compositions or essays, you may sometimes wonder, "Wait, how do I write this okurigana?" or "Which okurigana is correct?" At such times, if you have an environment where you can search online, please refer to the "How to Attach Okurigana" on the Agency for Cultural Affairs website. You can confirm what is correct here (of course, you cannot refer to it during an actual essay exam, so please check the "okurigana for frequently used kanji" in advance before the actual exam).

Finally, let's confirm the main points of the general rules. These are the major "basic principles" for attaching okurigana. Although there are many detailed "exceptions" and "permissible variations," if you check these, you should generally be fine.

That said, there are many exceptions to okurigana rules. If you are an examinee and you are not confident about whether the okurigana is correct while writing a composition or essay, one strategy is to avoid it by writing it in kana instead of kanji (compositions and essays are not "kanji tests"). Of course, if it were a "Japanese kanji test," there would be no escaping it (laughs).

(Note: The "Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Official Document Okurigana Usage Examples" below is also useful for searching.)

(I also recommend this book, which was revised for the first time in 12 years following the revision of the Joyo Kanji Table. It might be a bit professional-use, though. It is recommended for those in the so-called "teaching" profession.)

For those worried about "how to write a statement of purpose," I recommend this "Shimeno-style Template Statement of Purpose Creation Method"!