<p>As described in <a href="https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/14309/16022">this answer on the Japanese Language SE</a>, there is a phenomenon known as &quot;ateji&quot; where the kanji and associated ruby* are not 100% aligned, either in reading or in meaning. This particular style is especially used in light novels and manga as a way to provide a double message - the ruby is the actual word spoken, but the kanji gives a clearer understanding of the desired meaning.</p>
<p>*A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_character" rel="noreferrer">Ruby character</a> is any smaller writing placed above the main writing, technically it's only furigana if it actually provides a guide to the reading of the kanji but that's a distinction that is frequently ignored.</p>

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2021-04-19T09:47:22.873Z
Oh, I see. Based on that link, there are two types of ateji. So, in this case, from what I understand, it's the second type of ateji, which would mean that despite the difference in reading, the kanji still means destiny or faith. Is that right?
W. Are
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2021-04-19T22:56:57.500Z
Yes. In this case, you get the meaning from the kanji, although "sadame" (using the same first character) already partially has that meaning too.
ConMan
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2021-04-18T23:40:30.170Z
2021-04-18T23:40:30.170Z
ConMan
<p>I was trying to read a raw copy of the <em>Ore no Kouhai ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai</em> and on the page shown below, there's this kanji, 定命:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/G5Eqm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/G5Eqm.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
As seen, it has the furigana さだめ. However, when I tried looking it up on dictionaries, I only found two possible readings for said kanji: じょうみょう and ていめい. I could not find anything with regards to it being read as さだめ. So, why is the furigana different? Does it convey the same meaning despite this difference in its reading?</p>

<japanese-language><oreimo>
Why does 定命 have the furigana さだめ in the Oreimo: Kuroneko manga?
# Why does 定命 have the furigana さだめ in the Oreimo: Kuroneko manga?
Posted by: username_0 on 2021-04-18
I was trying to read a raw copy of the *Ore no Kouhai ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai* and on the page shown below, there's this kanji, 定命:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/G5Eqm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/G5Eqm.jpg)
As seen, it has the furigana さだめ. However, when I tried looking it up on dictionaries, I only found two possible readings for said kanji: じょうみょう and ていめい. I could not find anything with regards to it being read as さだめ. So, why is the furigana different? Does it convey the same meaning despite this difference in its reading?
**Tags:** japanese-language oreimo
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2021-04-18. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
As described in [this answer on the Japanese Language SE](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/14309/16022), there is a phenomenon known as "ateji" where the kanji and associated ruby\* are not 100% aligned, either in reading or in meaning. This particular style is especially used in light novels and manga as a way to provide a double message - the ruby is the actual word spoken, but the kanji gives a clearer understanding of the desired meaning.

\*A [Ruby character](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_character) is any smaller writing placed above the main writing, technically it's only furigana if it actually provides a guide to the reading of the kanji but that's a distinction that is frequently ignored.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2021-04-19): Oh, I see. Based on that link, there are two types of ateji. So, in this case, from what I understand, it's the second type of ateji, which would mean that despite the difference in reading, the kanji still means destiny or faith. Is that right?  
> **username_1** (2021-04-19): Yes. In this case, you get the meaning from the kanji, although "sadame" (using the same first character) already partially has that meaning too.  
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