本 – Vocabulary details

本もと

Meanings

Noun

1. origin; source; beginning

esp. 元

建たて物ものが元もとはどんな形かたちだったのかもわからなくなっていた。It had become impossible to know what shape the building had originally been.

2. basis; base; foundation; root

oft. 基

得えられた情じょう報ほうを元もとに、推すい測そくしてみただけよ。I just made a guess based on the information obtained.

3. cause

also written as 因, 原

4. (raw) material; ingredient; base; mix (e.g. for a cake); (soup) stock

esp. 素

5. root (of a plant); (tree) trunk

6. part (of a brush, chopsticks, etc.) one holds (with the hand)

7. first three lines of a waka

Counter

8. counter for plants or trees

9. counter for falcons (in falconry)

Alt. forms

Kanji used

本

book

Pitch accent

も

と

も

と

Used in: 1246

Used in vocabulary (38 in total)

山やま本もと

foot of a mountain; base of a mountain; mine; colliery; owner of a mountain; operator of a mine

旗はた本もと

headquarters (on the battlefield); direct retainer of a shogun (Edo period); shogunal vassal; hatamoto

根ね本もと

base (of a plant, tree, pillar, etc.); (part near the) root; roots (of one's hair); root (e.g. of a problem); source

35 more...

Examples (8 in total)

分ぶ厚あつい本もとだな。

The book is thick.

彼かれはすっかり本もとに夢む中ちゅうになっていた。

He was completely absorbed in the book.

彼かの女じょは本もとに収しゅう入にゅうの大だい部ぶ分ぶんを費ついやす。

She spends most of her income on books.