元
beginning, former time, origin

Readings

On'yomi (音読み)

ガンゲン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

もと

Nanori (名乗り)

ちかはじめはるゆきよし

Stroke Order

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Information

Grade:2
Strokes:4
JLPT:4
Frequency:192

Vocabulary

ガン

WordReadingMeaning
元祖ガンソoriginator; pioneer; inventor; founder; progenitor; primogenitor; founder of a family line
元旦ガンタンNew Year's Day; first day of the year; New Year's morning; morning of New Year's Day
元日ガンジツNew Year's Day
元日ガンニチNew Year's Day
元年ガンネンfirst year (of an imperial era); year something (important) first happened or began

ゲン

WordReadingMeaning
一元イチゲンsingle element; unitary; one era; one unknown
一元化イチゲンカunification; centralization; centralisation
還元カンゲンrestoration; return; reduction; resolution; deoxidization; deoxidation
紀元キゲンera; CE (Common Era); AD (Anno Domini)
紀元前キゲンゼンpre-era; BC; BCE

Other

WordReadingMeaning
家元いえもとhead of a school (of music, dance); head family of a school
元もとorigin; source; beginning; basis; base; foundation; root; cause; (raw) material; ingredient; base; mix (e.g. for a cake); (soup) stock; (one's) side; capital; principal; cost price; root (of a plant); (tree) trunk; part (of a brush, chopsticks, etc.) one holds (with the hand); first three lines of a waka; counter for plants or trees; counter for falcons (in falconry)
元よりもとよりfrom the beginning; from the first; all along; originally; of course; not to mention ...; not only ... but also ...; to say nothing of ...
元師げんすい(field) marshal; (fleet) admiral; general of the army
元本がんぽんprincipal; capital; income-producing assets

Visually Similar Kanji

These kanji are easily confused due to similar shapes

井
community, town, well, well crib
Grade 4JLPT 1
夫
husband, man
Grade 4JLPT 3
天
heavens, imperial, sky
Grade 1JLPT 5
先
ahead, before, future, precedence, previous
Grade 1JLPT 5
老
grow old, old age, old man
Grade 4JLPT 3
未
1-3PM, eighth sign of Chinese zodiac, even now, hitherto, not yet, sign of the ram, still, un-
Grade 4JLPT 3
失
disadvantage, error, fault, lose, loss
Grade 4JLPT 3
末
close, end, posterity, powder, tip
Grade 4JLPT 3
札
bid, counter for bonds, paper money, placard, tag
Grade 4JLPT 2
矢
arrow, dart
Grade 2JLPT 1