Kanji1 / 5
本 kanji
book, present, main, origin, true, real, counter for long cylindrical things
- JLPT level
- N5 (unofficial)
- First appears in
- N5 vocabulary
- Strokes
- 5
- School grade
- Grade 1 (elementary school)
On readings
ホン
Kun readings
もと
Variant forms
夲Words with 本
LevelWord & meaningActions
- —本美之主貝quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria); quahaug; hard clam; hard-shell clam; round clam; littleneck; topneck; cherrystone; chowder clam
- —本音をいうto speak one's mind; to be frank; to tell the truth
- —本の気持ちsmall token of one's sentiments; just slightly; only a bit
- —身体が資本health is wealth; health is your most valuable asset
- —とんでも本sensationalist book; absurd book
- —本腰をいれるto set about in earnest; to make a strenuous effort; to put one's back into (doing)
- —２本立て映画double feature (movie)
- —とびだす絵本pop-up book
- —打っ付け本番performing without rehearsal; doing impromptu
- —一本建て税率single-rate tariff (system)
- —一本とられたtouché; you've got me there
- —本題にはいるto get to the main subject; to move on to the main topic; to get down to business
- —ハウトゥー本how-to (book); self-help book
- —本音と建て前one's true feelings and one's official stance (which may be at odds); one's real motive and one's stated reason
- —５本の指に入るto be among the top five; to be one of the five best
- —敵は本能寺に在りhis true objective lies elsewhere; there are ulterior motives at play; the enemy is at Honnōji
- —指切拳万、嘘ついたら針千本飲ますcross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye; pinky promise pledge: if you're lying, I'll make you drink a thousand needles