本 — origin / book

Grade 1ほん, もと

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

本 (readings: ほん, もと; Japanese kanji) means “origin / book”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 本屋 (bookstore).

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What does 本 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	本
Meaning	origin / book
Readings	ほん, もと
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	本屋 (bookstore)

How to read 本

本 is read ほん or もと depending on the word.

Words with 本

日本にほんNhật Bản
本日ほんじつhôm nay
熊本くまもとKumamoto
手本てほんhình mẫu
一本いっぽんmột cái (que, cây)
本番ほんばんngày chính thức
日本人にほんじんngười Nhật
本格的ほんかくてきthực sự
熊本市くまもとしthành phố Kumamoto
根本的こんぽんてきmang tính căn bản

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Updated: 2026-08-09