origin, source, fund, first

About this kanji

The kanji 元 primarily means "origin" or "source." It is often used as a noun but can also be found in various compounds. For example, 元気 (げんき) means "health" or "vitality," which is commonly used to ask someone how they are feeling. 元日 (がんじつ) refers to "New Year's Day," an important holiday in Japan. Another interesting compound is 元々 (もともと), meaning "originally," which is used when discussing the initial state of something. A useful note is that 元 can also express the idea of something being the first or former, adding depth to its meaning in conversations.

Built from

Example sentences

• 彼は元気ですか？

  Is he well?

Meanings across languages

English

origin, source, fund, first, former

Tiếng Việt

nguồn gốc, căn nguyên, cựu, nguyên, đầu tiên

日本語

元, 起源, 以前

한국어

원천

中文

源

id

asal

th

ต้นกำเนิด

es

origen

fr

origine

de

Ursprung

pt

origem

Common compounds

• 元気げんきhealth, vigor, energy
• 元日がんじつNew Year's Day
• 冬元とうげんwinter origin, beginning of winter
• 元々もともとoriginally, by nature