How to say "Originally" in Japanese | 元来

If you are wondering what's the Japanese word for "Originally" you've come to the right place!

the Japanese word for "Originally" is "Ganrai", written in japanese as "元来".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

The Japanese adverb '元来 (がんらい)' means 'originally' or 'by nature'. It is used to describe something that is inherently or fundamentally a certain way, often emphasizing the original state or nature of something. This word is commonly used in formal or written contexts. For example: He was originally a kind person「彼は元来優しい人だった」(かれはがんらいやさしいひとだった). This plant is originally from Japan「この植物は元来日本原産です」(このしょくぶつはがんらいにほんげんさんです). The word can also imply a contrast between the original state and the current state, as in '元来彼は静かな人だが、最近は騒がしい (がんらいかれはしずかなひとだが、さいきんはさわがしい)' (Originally, he was a quiet person, but lately he has been noisy).

The Kanji are characters that represent meanings. As you can see, this word is made up of 2 Kanji:

The kanji "元" means "Origin" and can be read as "Gen" and "Moto". And The kanji "来" means "Come" and can be read as "Rai", "Kita" and "Ku".

Now, let's make sure you understand this word the other way around too.

What does "Ganrai" mean in japanese?

"Ganrai" means "Originally" .

To learn more about the kanji in this word, checkout this pages:

To make really sure you learn this word, We've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this word and of the characters that comprise it.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "げ" is read as "ge". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "も" is read as "mo". The hiragana "と" is read as "to". The hiragana "ら" is read as "ra". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "き" is read as "ki". The hiragana "た" is read as "ta". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". And The hiragana "が" is read as "ga".

About kanji, you need to know that most Kanji have two types of readings: Kunyomi, based on native japanese pronunciation. And onyomi, based on chinese pronunciation.