本
本 — Book
book, present, main, origin, true, real
On’yomiホン (hon)
Kun’yomiもと (moto)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 本
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 日本人 | にほんじん nihonjin | Japanese person |
| 本社 | ほんしゃ honsha | head office; main office; headquarters |
| 本部 | ほんぶ honbu | headquarters; head office; main office |
| 日本語 | にほんご nihongo | Japanese (language) |
| 本会議 | ほんかいぎ honkaigi | plenary session; regular session |
Study notes
本 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #10 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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