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Words Kanji Guides About

本家本元 (ほんけほんもと) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

本ほん家け本ほん元もと

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Meanings

1

noun

original home; birthplace; originator

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Refers to the original source or birthplace of something, often used for traditions, arts, or products. Can also mean the originator or founder.

この茶さ道どうの流りゅう派はは、京きょう都とが本ほん家け本ほん元もとです。
The original home of this tea ceremony school is Kyoto.

彼かれはその技ぎ術じゅつの本ほん家け本ほん元もととして知しられている。

He is known as the originator of that technique.

Kanji

本book, present, main
家house, home, family
元beginning, former time, origin

Similar words

本ほん家け
本家 refers specifically to the head family or main house, while 本家本元 emphasizes the ultimate origin or source, often with a broader or more emphatic nuance.
元がん祖そ
元祖 means founder or originator, often used for the first person to start a tradition or business. 本家本元 can refer to the place or person as the original source, but is more emphatic and less common in commercial contexts.

Etymology

A yojijukugo combining 本家 (head family, main house) and 本元 (original source). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase emphasizes the ultimate origin or birthplace of something.