Gentle Fist
Master Black Belt
ghp said:Sorry to resurrect a dead thread. The "M" vs. "N" romaji ["English"] spellings are actually the same thing in Japanese; keNpo and keMpo don't mean anything other than "boxing" [implied = Chinese boxing]. When looking at the kanji alone*, fist is pronounced "ken"; when compounded with "po/ho" [laws/methods], the "n" is still there, but it can morph into an "m" sound when spoken ... it's easier to say "kempo" than "kenpo". However, while both renditions are essentially correct, keNpo is "grammatically correct." Why? Well, when using katakana or hiragana to write the word, you only can spell it "ke-n-po-u" (extended "o" sound)
This same morphing sound is found in the Japanese word for newspaper: Shinbun. Often you will see it Romanized as ShiMbun. However, when it is spelled out in the katakana/hirakana syllabaries, it is definitely ShiNbun.
An English equivalent would be how "grand pa" quickly changes to "grampa" after it is repeated or said quickly -- "grampa" is easier on the tongue.
Now, I shall allow the dead to be buried.
Cheers,
Guy Power
*Technicality:
Actually, when this kanji stands alone, it is pronounced "kobushi" (fist), using the "kun" reading [native Japanese word] vice the borrowed Chinese sound ["On" reading]. When Chinese writing was imported into Japan its Chinese sounds were also imported. Similar in how Norman-French entered the Anglo-Saxon language after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 -- the "English" vocabulary was doubled
Great Post!
