Meaning

Primary

Origin

Alternatives

Ex, Former

Word Type

noun, prefix

Explanation

The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well. When it's used as a prefix, it takes on the related meaning of ex- or former.

Reading

もと
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it should use the kun'yomi reading. When learning the kanji, you didn't learn that reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you with this word:

You're trying to trace a person back to their origin so you can learn more about them. You finally get there - it's a castle. The problem is that it's surrounded by a huge moat (もと) and you can't get past it because the drawbridge is up. Feel the frustration of this. Think about your goal and how close you are to getting to it if it wasn't for this lousy moat.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 元にもどる

    to return to the original state

    元にもどせる

    can change something back to the way it was

    元にもどす

    to return something to its original state

Context Sentences

元のポジションは、もっと北でした。

The original position was further north.

元フィットネストレーナーです。

I'm a former fitness trainer.

元のデータに正して下さいね。

Please correct it to the original data.

Kanji Composition