Questions about putting furigana that differ from the original standard reading of the parent kanji.
Note that "creative furigana" is not an established technical term.
In novels, manga and lyrics, authors commonly use furigana that do not indicate the standard reading of the parent text. This is a nonstandard technique, and it can be used in any way according to the author's imagination. Here are common purposes of using creative furigana:
To add flavor; to make the word look profound and/or catchy by stacking words with similar meanings
- 未来【あした】
- 希望【ゆめ】
- 本気【マジ】
- 創生【はじまり】
To introduce the meaning and the reading of a keyword at the same time; to introduce the Japanese and loanword versions of the same keyword at the same time
- 夜想曲【ノクターン】
- [天の書]【アカシックレコード】
- 文字世界【レッテラトゥーラ】
To explain the meaning of a difficult kanji word using an easy kana word
- [辛味入汁掛飯]{カレーライス}
- 闘球【ラグビー】
To explain the meaning of a difficult kana word using an easy kanji word
- 愛【アムール】
- 魂【アルマ】
- [十日五割]【トゴ】
To show the superficial meaning and the hidden meaning or a word at the same time; to stack words with completely different meanings and make one explain the other, or make them look like an oxymoron; to give a one-time explanation of a word
- 悪夢【ゆめ】
- 最高【さいあく】
- 泥棒【おまえ】
- 人間界【こっち】と天界【あっち】
- 食堂【いつものところ】
References
- Wikipedia - Furigana#Punning_and_double_meaning
