Onyomi: ホン · Kunyomi: もと · Meanings: book, counter for long cylindrical things, main, origin, present, real, true
Kanji for book, counter for long cylindrical things, main, origin, present
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The kanji 本 was created from the image of a tree 木 with a line drawn at its base, symbolizing its root or origin. This line means “source,” showing where something begins. Over time, 本 came to mean “origin,” “foundation,” and eventually “book,” since books are sources of knowledge. It’s a kanji of beginnings — reminding us to look back to the roots where all growth starts.
A tree with a mark at its root — 本 means origin, foundation, or book, the source from which everything grows.
Picture a tree whose roots hold hidden wisdom — that’s 本, the root of all knowledge and the origin of every story.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 本 | ほん | book, volume, script | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 元 | もと | origin, source, beginning | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 本棚 | ほんだな | bookshelves, bookshelf, bookcase | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 本当 | ほんとう | truth, reality, actuality, fact | common JLPT-N3 JLPT-N5 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 本能 | ほんのう | instinct | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 本質 | ほんしつ | essence, true nature, substance, reality | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 本物 | ほんもの | genuine article, real thing, real deal | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 本人 | ほんにん | the person in question, the person themselves, said person | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 本来 | ほんらい | originally, primarily | common JLPT-N2 Adverb (fukushi), Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 本部 | ほんぶ | headquarters, head office, main office | common JLPT-N2 Noun |