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道Nihongo Path
本

本·book, origin, counter for long objects

On-yomi
ホン
Kun-yomi
もと

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

5 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
本ほんbook
日本にほんJapan
一本いっぽんone (long object)
本当ほんとうtrue, really

Example sentences

  1. 図書館で本を読みます。

    としょかんでほんをよみます。

    I read books at the library.

  2. それは本当ですか。

    それはほんとうですか。

    Is that true?

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 一本 as *いちほん instead of いっぽん

Memory aid

Picture it

A tree 木 with a mark at its root: the origin, and the paper books made from it.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 本 mean?