源 — source / origin

Grade 6げん, みなもと

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

源 (readings: げん, みなもと; Japanese kanji) means “source / origin”. It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 源泉 (fountainhead).

Try it now

What does 源 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	源
Meaning	source / origin
Readings	げん, みなもと
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	源泉 (fountainhead)

How to read 源

源 is read げん or みなもと depending on the word.

Words with 源

資源しげんtài nguyên
水資源みずしげんtài nguyên nước
源泉nguồn nước

Learn 源 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09