What is the Kanji for "Origin" and "Source"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Origin" and "Source", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Origin" and "Source" is "源".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Minamoto".

Its onyomi reading is "Gen".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "氵" means "Water" . And The kanji "原" means "Meadow" and "Original" and can be read as "Gen" and "Hara".

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

What does the kanji "源" mean in japanese?

"源" means "Origin" and "Source".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Sixth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

資源: "Resource". The Japanese noun '資源 (しげん)' refers to a natural or manmade substance or system that can be used for productive purposes. Resources can include things like minerals, energy sources, water, forests, and even human labor. Resources are often studied and managed to ensure sustainable use. For example: The country's natural resources are being depleted - (その国の資源は枯渇しつつある). We need to conserve our resources - (私たちは資源を節約する必要がある).

源: "Source". The Japanese suffix '源 (げん)' means 'source' or 'origin'. It is commonly used to indicate the source or origin of something, such as a person's last name or the origin of a concept. For example: Tanaka-źen (田中源) - 'Tanaka (as a family name)'; Genkifizz - (源気フィズ) 'origin of energy'

起源: "Origin". The noun '起源 (きげん)' means 'origin'. It refers to the point or place from which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived. It can be used to describe the origin of a concept, idea, practice, or phenomenon. For example: The origin of this custom is unclear - (この習慣の起源は不明). The origin of the word is Greek - (この単語の起源はギリシャ語である).

電源: "Power source". The Japanese noun '電源 (でんげん)' refers to a power source or power supply, such as a battery, generator, or electrical outlet that provides electrical power to a device or system. It is a crucial component in many electronic and electrical devices, enabling them to function. For example: My laptop needs to be plugged into a power source - (私のノートパソコンは電源に接続する必要がある). The device can only run with a power source - (その機器は電源なしでは動作しない).

源泉: "Source". The Japanese noun '源泉 (げんせん)' means 'source'. This word refers to the original or primary source of something, such as the starting point or origin. It can be used to describe the source of water, energy, information, or other resources. For example: The spring is the source of the river - (その泉が川の源泉である). This report cites several credible sources - (このレポートは複数の信頼できる源泉を引用している).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

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 "み" is read as "mi". The hiragana "な" is read as "na". The hiragana "も" is read as "mo". And The hiragana "と" is read as "to".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.