Jisho

×

11 strokes
Radical:
earth
Parts:
fundamentals, radical (chem), counter for machines, foundation
Kun:
もともとい
On:
Jōyō kanji, taught in grade 5
JLPT level N1
241 of 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Speed

Stroke order

On reading compounds

  • 基 【キ】 group, (free) radical, counter for installed or mounted objects (e.g. stone lanterns, gravestones, satellites)
  • 起因 【キイン】 to be caused by, to result from, to arise from, to stem from, to be due to, cause, origin
  • 塩基 【エンキ】 base
  • 開基 【カイキ】 founding (of a temple or sect), founder, laying the foundation (for something), base (topology), basis

Kun reading compounds

  • 元 【もと】 origin, source, beginning, basis, base, foundation, root, cause, (raw) material, ingredient, base, mix (e.g. for a cake), (soup) stock, (one's) side, capital, principal, cost price, root (of a plant), (tree) trunk, part (of a brush, chopsticks, etc.) one holds (with the hand), first three lines of a waka, counter for plants or trees, counter for falcons (in falconry)
  • 基 【もとい】 basis, foundation, origin, source
  • 失敗は成功のもと 【しっぱいはせいこうのもと】 failure teaches success, failure is a stepping-stone to success
  • 生兵法は大怪我のもと 【なまびょうほうはおおけがのもと】 a little learning is a dangerous thing
  • 基 【もとい】 basis, foundation, origin, source

Readings

Japanese names:
きい、 とも
Mandarin Chinese (pinyin):
ji1
Korean:
gi

Spanish

  • fundamento
  • origen
  • base

Portuguese

  • fundamentais
  • radicais (Quim.)
  • comtador para máquinas
  • fundação

French

  • fondements
  • radical (chimie)
  • compteur de machines
  • fondations
755 A Guide To Reading and Writing Japanese (Florence Sakade)
670 A Guide To Reading and Writing Japanese 3rd edition (Henshall, Seeley and De Groot)
641 A Guide To Remembering Japanese Characters (Kenneth G. Henshall)
382 A New Dictionary of Kanji Usage
1098 Classic Nelson (Andrew Nelson)
688 Essential Kanji (P.G. O’Neill)
435 Japanese Kanji Flashcards (Max Hodges and Tomoko Okazaki)
1493 Japanese Names (P.G. O’Neill)
450 Kanji and Kana (Spahn and Hadamitzky)
457 Kanji and Kana, 2nd Edition (Spahn and Hadamitzky)
691 Kanji in Context (Nishiguchi and Kono)
354 Kodansha Compact Kanji Guide
3312 Kodansha Kanji Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
1716 Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
2330 Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Jack Halpern)
1783 Les Kanjis dans la tete (Yves Maniette)
5197 Morohashi
2673 New Japanese English Character Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
1040 New Nelson (John Haig)
1767 Remembering The Kanji (James Heisig)
1904 Remembering The Kanji, 6th edition (James Heisig)
251 The Kanji Way to Japanese Language Power (Dale Crowley)
726 Tuttle Kanji Cards (Alexander Kask)
1972 2001 Kanji
3b8.12 The Kanji Dictionary
2-6-5 SKIP code
2-8-3 SKIP code
4410.4 Four corner code
1-20-80 JIS X 0208-1997 kuten code
57fa Unicode hex code

4 strokes
Radical:
legs
Parts:
beginning, former time, origin
Kun:
もと
On:
ゲンガン
Jōyō kanji, taught in grade 2
JLPT level N4
192 of 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Speed

Stroke order

On reading compounds

  • 元 【ゲン】 unknown (e.g. in an equation), element (of a set), yuan (monetary unit of China), New Taiwan dollar, Yuan dynasty (of China; 1271-1368), Yüan dynasty, Mongol dynasty
  • 原価 【ゲンカ】 cost price
  • 中元 【チュウゲン】 15th day of the 7th lunar month, (last day of) Bon lantern festival, mid-year gift, summer gift, Bon Festival gifts
  • 抗原 【コウゲン】 antigen
  • 元祖 【ガンソ】 originator, pioneer, inventor, founder, progenitor, primogenitor, founder of a family line
  • 元日 【ガンジツ】 New Year's Day

Kun reading compounds

  • 元 【もと】 origin, source, beginning, basis, base, foundation, root, cause, (raw) material, ingredient, base, mix (e.g. for a cake), (soup) stock, (one's) side, capital, principal, cost price, root (of a plant), (tree) trunk, part (of a brush, chopsticks, etc.) one holds (with the hand), first three lines of a waka, counter for plants or trees, counter for falcons (in falconry)
  • 元 【もと】 former, ex-, past, one-time, earlier times, the past, previous state, formerly, previously, originally, before
  • 家元 【いえもと】 head of a school (of music, dance), head family of a school
  • 胸元 【むなもと】 breast, chest, pit of the stomach, solar plexus, epigastrium

Readings

Japanese names:
ちか、 はじめ、 はる、 ゆき、 よし
Mandarin Chinese (pinyin):
yuan2
Korean:
weon

Spanish

  • comienzo
  • principio
  • origen
  • jefe

Portuguese

  • começo
  • tempo anterior
  • origem

French

  • commencement
  • origine
  • ancien temps
68 A Guide To Reading and Writing Japanese (Florence Sakade)
117 A Guide To Reading and Writing Japanese 3rd edition (Henshall, Seeley and De Groot)
106 A Guide To Remembering Japanese Characters (Kenneth G. Henshall)
328 A New Dictionary of Kanji Usage
275 Classic Nelson (Andrew Nelson)
106 Essential Kanji (P.G. O’Neill)
121 Japanese Kanji Flashcards (Max Hodges and Tomoko Okazaki)
60 Japanese Names (P.G. O’Neill)
2.10 Japanese for Busy People
137 Kanji and Kana (Spahn and Hadamitzky)
137 Kanji and Kana, 2nd Edition (Spahn and Hadamitzky)
245 Kanji in Context (Nishiguchi and Kono)
141 Kodansha Compact Kanji Guide
2428 Kodansha Kanji Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
1226 Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
1690 Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Jack Halpern)
59 Les Kanjis dans la tete (Yves Maniette)
1340 Morohashi
1929 New Japanese English Character Dictionary (Jack Halpern)
343 New Nelson (John Haig)
59 Remembering The Kanji (James Heisig)
63 Remembering The Kanji, 6th edition (James Heisig)
408 The Kanji Way to Japanese Language Power (Dale Crowley)
89 Tuttle Kanji Cards (Alexander Kask)
3057 2001 Kanji
0a4.5 The Kanji Dictionary
2-1-3 SKIP code
1021.1 Four corner code
1-24-21 JIS X 0208-1997 kuten code
5143 Unicode hex code