音読（おんどく、ondoku）
- reading aloud

The Japanese word 音読, pronounced おんどく, means "reading aloud" or "oral reading." It refers to the act of reading a written text aloud, focusing on pronunciation, intonation, and comprehension. It's a common practice in language learning and education. The goal of 音読 is to improve fluency, pronunciation, and understanding of the text. It's not just about reciting words; it's about conveying the meaning of the written material through your voice.

⚫︎教科書の文章を音読する。 Translation: I read the textbook aloud. ⚫︎子供に絵本の音読を聞かせる。 Translation: I let my child listen to me reading a picture book aloud. ⚫︎先生は生徒に詩の音読をさせた。 Translation: The teacher had the students read the poem aloud.

You use 音読 when you are talking about the activity of reading something aloud. It can be used in various contexts, such as: ⚫︎In a classroom setting, where students practice pronunciation and comprehension. ⚫︎When practicing a script for a play or a presentation. ⚫︎As a language learning technique to improve fluency. ⚫︎When reading to children or others for enjoyment or educational purposes. You can use it as a verb 音読します (to do oral reading) or as a noun (the act of reading aloud).

音読 is written using the kanji 音 (sound) and 読 (reading). The reading is おんどく in hiragana. There are no other ways to write this word and no variations in the okurigana. The verb form is 音読する, with the suru-verb ending.

There aren't direct, single-word synonyms for 音読, but related terms include: ⚫︎朗読 (ろうどく): This means "recitation" or "reading aloud," and can be used in similar contexts, often with a focus on literary works. ⚫︎読み上げ (よみあげ): "Reading aloud" or "reading out." This is less formal and can be used in various situations, like reading announcements.

There aren't direct antonyms, but you could consider the opposite of the activity of reading aloud to be: ⚫︎黙読 (もくどく): "Silent reading"

毎日、英語のテキストを音読すると、発音が良くなる。 ・Translation: Reading English texts aloud every day improves pronunciation. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the benefit of doing 音読 with English texts to improve pronunciation.

試験前に、文章を何度も音読して、内容を覚えた。 ・Translation: Before the exam, I read the passage aloud many times to memorize the content. ・Explanation: This shows how 音読 is used as a study technique.

The word 音読 is a combination of two kanji: 音 (on), meaning "sound" or "voice," and 読 (doku), meaning "to read." Therefore, the literal meaning of 音読 is "sound reading" which perfectly describes the act of reading a text aloud, thereby producing sound.