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How to say 'Book' in Japanese | 本

Wondering how to say 'Book' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Book is 'Hon', written as 本 in Japanese.'Book' in hiragana is ほん.

    word

    Meaning

    Book

    Reading

    ほん

    hon

    Kanji

    Book, Origin

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '本 (ほん)' primarily means 'book'. It refers to a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together. This word is commonly used in everyday conversation and can be found in various contexts, such as in libraries, bookstores, or when discussing literature. For example: I bought a book「本を買いました」(ほんをかいました). This book is interesting「この本は面白い」(このほんはおもしろい). Additionally, '本' can sometimes refer to the main or essential part of something, but this usage is less common and typically context-dependent.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    1

    Frequency

    96

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Book, Origin

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 35 Words contain the Kanji 本 as well.

  • word

    日本

    Meaning

    Japan

  • word

    本当

    Meaning

    Truth

  • word

    本当に

    Meaning

    Really

  • word

    基本

    Meaning

    Basis

  • word

    本屋

    Meaning

    Bookstore

  • word

    資本

    Meaning

    Capital

  • word

    本人

    Meaning

    Person

  • word

    本棚

    Meaning

    Bookshelf

  • word

    本箱

    Meaning

    Bookshelf

  • word

    本質

    Meaning

    Essence

  • word

    本書

    Meaning

    This book

  • word

    本の

    Meaning

    Mere

  • word

    本部

    Meaning

    Headquarters

  • word

    根本

    Meaning

    Root, Basis

  • word

    本物

    Meaning

    Real, Genuine

  • word

    本格

    Meaning

    Genuine

  • word

    資本主義

    Meaning

    Capitalism

  • word

    本社

    Meaning

    Headquarters

  • word

    本能

    Meaning

    Instinct

  • word

    本来

    Meaning

    Originally

  • word

    本年

    Meaning

    This year

  • word

    本日

    Meaning

    Today

  • word

    手本

    Meaning

    Example, Model

  • word

    本気

    Meaning

    Serious

  • word

    見本

    Meaning

    Example, Sample

  • word

    本国

    Meaning

    Home country

  • word

    本店

    Meaning

    Main store

  • word

    古本

    Meaning

    Used book

  • word

    本文

    Meaning

    Main text

  • word

    本音

    Meaning

    True feelings

  • word

    本格的

    Meaning

    Genuine

  • word

    日本酒

    Meaning

    Sake

  • word

    本願

    Meaning

    Vow

  • word

    絵本

    Meaning

    Picture book

  • word

    本体

    Meaning

    Main body

Learn the Word

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What does 'Hon' (本) mean?

'Hon' means 'Book' .

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