音
おと · oto · JLPT N4 · noun
sound
🔔 音 = 立 (stand) + 日 (sun): a sound that stands up at sunrise — oh, toe!
Sound-alike: stub your toe and yell OH, TOE — that yell is an oto, a sound. The kanji stacks 立 (stand) over 日 (sun/day). Its other reading, on, shows up in 音楽 (ongaku, music).
おん · on · JLPT N3 · noun
sound
🎵🔔 音 = 立 stand + 日 sun: stand up at sunrise and make a sound. Turn the sound ON
Its old form was 言 (speech) with an extra stroke in the mouth: a voice held as a tone, not words. It is read おん (on), as in turning the sound on. You hear it in 音楽 (おんがく, music) and 発音 (はつおん, pronunciation).
ね · ne · JLPT N3 · noun
sound
🔔🎵 ne sounds like neigh, the sound a horse makes
Etymology: 音 began as 言 (speech) with an extra stroke inside the mouth, a voice turned into pure sound. The ね reading shows up in compounds such as 音色 (neiro, tone colour) and 本音 (honne, true feelings).