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Kanji Detail for 原 - "plain, origin"

  • Meaning

    原 means "plain, origin." Also associated with to investigate.

    1. Plain - A wide, flat land.

    2. To investigate - To trace back to origins.

    3. Origin - Beginning; source; root.

    4. To pardon - To not hold guilt.

    5. Careful - Sincere; honest; straightforward.

  • Words using

    • 原則 げんそく Listen principle; general rule; as a rule
    • 原因 げんいん Listen cause; origin; source
    • 原子力 げんしりょく Listen atomic energy; nuclear power
    • 原告 げんこく Listen plaintiff; accuser; prosecutor
    • 原油 げんゆ Listen crude oil
    • 原発 げんぱつ Listen nuclear power plant; nuclear power generation; primary (e.g. primary immunodeficiency syndrome)
    • 原理 げんり Listen principle; theory; fundamental truth
    • 原点 げんてん Listen starting point; origin; beginning
  • Tattoo check:

    • Verified meaning: plain, origin
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read げん, はじめ, はら, はらさき)
    • Also carries these associations: to investigate

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of

    Given names (げん)Listen

    Surnames (はじめ)Listen (はら)Listen (はらさき)Listen (はらざき)Listen (ばる)Listen (やなぎむら)Listen (やなぎわら)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    meadow; original; primitive; field; plain; prairie; tundra; wilderness

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    source, origin, beginning

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    source, origin, beginning

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Broad and flat land is called 原. Meaning level ground. Such as 平原 (plain), 高原 (plateau), 低原 (lowland). The central region of the country is also called 中原. | 九原: The burial ground for Jin's ministers and grand masters. Also written as 九京. See (Book of Rites, Tan Gong). Often used when referring to the dead. Such as 九原可作 (if the dead could rise), 九原知感 (the dead would be grateful). | Origin; root. 大原 means great foundation. Colloquially, a former official is called 原任官, meaning the original incumbent. Originally written as 元. At the beginning of Ming, because it was confused with 元 of the Yuan dynasty, it was changed to 原. | To trace origins. To investigate the reason why. Such as 原始要終 (tracing from beginning to end). | Pardoning crimes is called 原, meaning investigating the circumstances to find excusable reasons. Today's 原諒 (forgive), 鑒原 (kindly pardon) have the same meaning.
  • Onyomi

    tip
  • Kunyomi

    tip
  • Strokes

    tip
  • Radical

    tip
  • Related Keywords

Sentences including

  • Money set them against each other.

  • What do you think of the original plan?

  • The accident was due to his carelessness.

  • I have been writing this manuscript for a year.

  • The movie is not so interesting as the original.

  • I agree to the proposal in principle.

  • What's the cause?

  • The police are looking into the cause of the accident.

  • Their mother let them play in the field.

  • You must go to harajuku.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

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