JLPT N5 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
本 means book, origin. It is a JLPT N5 kanji written in 5 strokes, read ほん or もと. It is a pictograph: the character began as a picture of the thing itself, so it does not break down into smaller parts. It appears in 日本 (Japan) and 本棚 (bookshelf).
本 is written in 5 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
本 breaks into 1 part.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 本 | ほん | book |
| 日本 | にほん | Japan |
| 本棚 | ほんだな | bookshelf |
These use 木 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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