Prime Minister Taro Aso is notorious for making insensitive off-the-cuff remarks to the media, and on more than one occasion recently, he has also raised eyebrows for mispronouncing kanji in his scripted speeches. Last month, speaking at prestigious Gakushuin University about the earthquake in May in Sichuan, China, Aso tripped over the pronunciation of the third kanji in 未曾有 (mizo-u, unprecedented), morphing it into the nonword "mizō-yū." (YU is a possible reading for 有 in other compound words — but not 未曾有).
未曾有 (literally "not yet formerly existing") is one of a great many Japanese double- or multiple-kanji compounds beginning with a kanji of negation, and it may be helpful to remember a distinct core meaning in English for the most commonly used of these: 未 (MI, not yet), 不 (FU, not), 無 (MU, without), and 非 (HI, is not). These powerful word builders are comparable to the English prefixes non-, un-, and in-. All have Chinese-derived pronunciations (音読み, on-yomi) and are typically paired with other on-yomi, but they may also appear with native Japanese words (e.g., 未払い, not yet/paid; mihara-i; unpaid) or foreign loanwords (e.g., 非ステロイド, is not/steroid; hisuteroido; non-steroid).
未 (MI, not yet), the first kanji in Aso's nemesis, 未曾有, pictures a tree (木) with a short branch at the top, an indication it is still growing (i.e., not yet complete). Kanji following 未 in compounds usually represent an action. Examples are 未来 (not yet/come; mirai; the future), 未定 (not yet/decided; mitei; pending), 未婚 (not yet/married; mikon; single), and 未成年者, not yet/grown/years/person; miseinensha; minor).