本 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

本: book; origin; main; counter for long objects. JLPT N5; 5 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ホン

Kun readings

もと

Romaji

hon, moto

Study notes

本 means 'book', but also 'origin' and 'main, true'; as a counter it counts long and thin objects.

On readings: ホン in 本 (ほん, book), 日本 (にほん, Japan), 本当 (ほんとう, true), 本日 (ほんじつ, today, formal), 基本 (きほん, base, foundations). As a counter the sound changes according to the number: 一本 (いっぽん), 二本 (にほん), 三本 (さんぼん), 六本 (ろっぽん), 八本 (はっぽん or はちほん), 十本 (じゅっぽん or じっぽん). It is used for pens, bottles, trees and umbrellas, but also for films and phone calls.

Kun reading: もと, 'origin, base', today rarely used alone; it appears in words like 大本 (おおもと, root, source) and in many surnames, such as 山本 (やまもと) and 松本 (まつもと).

Remember: the kanji is obtained from 木 (tree) with a horizontal stroke at the bottom that marks the root; from here the meaning of 'origin'.

Example words

• 本屋 (ほんや) — bookstore
• 本をただす (もとをただす) — trace something back to its source

Example sentences

この本は面白いです。

kono hon wa omoshiroi desu.

This book is interesting.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.