Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info: 厂 (がんだれ) – cliff

Henshall Mnemonic: originally cliff with funny spring, now a plain

Levels: JLPT N3 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 2
Frequency: #172 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N4 Words

• 原因   [げんいん]
  (n) cause; origin; source   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

• 原   [はら]
  (n) field; plain; prairie; tundra; moor; wilderness   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 原稿   [げんこう]
  (n) manuscript; copy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原産   [げんさん]
  (n) place of origin; habitat   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原始   [げんし]
  (n) origin; primeval   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原理   [げんり]
  (n) principle; theory; fundamental truth   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原料   [げんりょう]
  (n) raw materials   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

• 原型   [げんけい]
  (adj-no,n) prototype; model; pattern; archetypal   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原形   [げんけい]
  (n) original form; base form   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原作   [げんさく]
  (n) original work   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原子   [げんし]
  (n) atom   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 高原   [こうげん]
  (n) tableland; plateau   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原書   [げんしょ]
  (n) original document   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原則   [げんそく]
  (n) principle; general rule   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原点   [げんてん]
  (n) origin (coordinates); starting point   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原爆   [げんばく]
  (n) (abbr) atomic bomb; A-bomb   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原文   [げんぶん]
  (n) the text; original   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原油   [げんゆ]
  (n) crude oil   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原っぱ   [はらっぱ]
  (n) open field; empty lot; plain   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 原価   [げんか]
  (n) cost price   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原画   [げんが]
  (n) original picture   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原義   [げんぎ]
  (n) original meaning   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原稿用紙   [げんこうようし]
  Japanese writing paper   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原告   [げんこく]
  (n) plaintiff; accuser; prosecutor   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原材料   [げんざいりょう]
  (n) raw materials   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原産地   [げんさんち]
  (n) place of origin; home; habitat   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原子核   [げんしかく]
  (n,adj-no) nucleus (atomic)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 野原   [のはら]
  (n) field   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原子力   [げんしりょく]
  (n) atomic energy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原子炉   [げんしろ]
  (n) atomic reactor   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原資   [げんし]
  (n) capital; principal   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原住民   [げんじゅうみん]
  (n) native people; aboriginal   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原色   [げんしょく]
  (n) primary colour   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 萩原   [はぎはら]
  reedy field   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原人   [げんじん]
  (n) primitive man   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原水爆   [げんすいばく]
  (n) atom and hydrogen bomb   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原生   [げんせい]
  (n) spontaneous generation; primeval; primitive   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原潜   [げんせん]
  (n) nuclear submarine   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 桑原   [くわばら]
  (n) mulberry field   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 湿原   [しつげん]
  (n) marshy grassland; wetlands   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 草原   [そうげん]
  (n) grass-covered plain; grasslands; meadows; savannah; prairie; steppe   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原動力   [げんどうりょく]
  (n) motive power   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原発   [げんぱつ]
  (n) nuclear power plant; nuclear power supply   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 原本   [げんぽん]
  (n) the original; original copy; script   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 原 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.