本 — Kanji Reference

本 (book, origin): 5 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ホン. Kun: もと.

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本

Property Value
Meaning book, origin
Strokes 5
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ホン
Kun-reading (訓読み) もと
Radical 木 (Tree, U+6728)

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 本 follows standard calligraphy rules: horizontal strokes before vertical strokes, and top-to-bottom/left-to-right.

  1. Stroke 1: Horizontal line (left to right).
  2. Stroke 2: Vertical line (top to bottom), crossing the center of the first stroke.
  3. Stroke 3: Left diagonal slash (撇).
  4. Stroke 4: Right diagonal slash (捺).
  5. Stroke 5: Horizontal line at the bottom, connecting the base of the vertical line.

Radical Analysis

The radical is 木 (ki - tree). The kanji 本 is an ideogram. It is essentially the character for "tree" (木) with an additional horizontal stroke added at the base. This stroke indicates the "root" or "origin" of the tree. From the concept of "root," the meaning expanded to include "basis," "origin," and eventually "book" (as books are the source of knowledge).

Mnemonic

Imagine a tree (木). Now, draw a line at the very bottom to mark the roots. The roots are the origin (もと) of the tree. If you dig up the roots and bind them together, you get a book (本).

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ホン (Hon)

Word Reading Romaji English
本 ほん hon book
日本 にほん nihon Japan
本棚 ほんだな hondana bookshelf
本屋 ほんや honya bookstore

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

もと (Moto)

Word Reading Romaji English
本 もと moto origin, base, source
山本 やまもと yamamoto Yamamoto (surname)

JLPT N5 Words Using 本

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
本 ほん hon book N5
日本 にほん nihon Japan N5
日本人 にほんじん nihonjin Japanese person N5
本棚 ほんだな hondana bookshelf N5
本日 ほんじつ honjitsu today (formal) N4
本気 ほんき honki seriousness/earnest N4
本来 ほんらい honrai originally N3
本人 ほんにん honnin the person in question N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
本を読みます。 ほんをよみます。 Hon o yomimasu. I read a book.
日本は美しい国です。 にほんはうつくしいくにです。 Nihon wa utsukushii kuni desu. Japan is a beautiful country.
それは本当ですか？ それはほんとうですか？ Sore wa hontou desu ka? Is that true?
彼は本気で言っています。 かれはほんきでいっています。 Kare wa honki de itte imasu. He is saying it seriously.
本棚に本がたくさんあります。 ほんだなにほんがたくさんあります。 Hondana ni hon ga takusan arimasu. There are many books on the bookshelf.
物事の基本を学びます。 ものごとのきほんをまなびます。 Monogoto no kihon o manabimasu. I will learn the basics of things.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
本 ホン Book, Origin Has a horizontal line at the bottom (the root).
木 モク/キ Tree No horizontal line at the bottom; looks like a tree.
末 マツ End, Tip The top horizontal line is shorter than the bottom one.

Usage Frequency Note

本 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears in almost every newspaper, book, and daily conversation. Because it acts as a counter for long, cylindrical objects (like pens, bottles, or movies), learners will encounter it daily. It is essential for basic literacy.