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根元 (ねもと) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

根ね元もと

ね

も

と

○

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

base; root; foot

The physical base or root of a plant, tree, pillar, hair, etc. Often used with ～の根元.

木きの根ね元もとに小ちいさな花はなが咲さいていた。
A small flower was blooming at the base of the tree.
髪かみの根

ね

元もと

から

しっかり

染そ

める

。

Dye thoroughly from the roots of the hair.

2

noun

root; source; origin

Figurative use for the root cause or source of a problem, issue, or phenomenon.

問もん題だいの根ね元もとを探さぐることが大たい切せつだ。
It is important to look for the root of the problem.

Written forms

根ね元もとUsage81%
Standard kanji spelling for the physical base or root of something.
根ね本もとUsage10%
Alternate kanji spelling; can also be read こんぽん, which is more abstract.
根ねもとUsage8%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not a standard written spelling.
ネモトUsage<1%

Kanji

根root, radical, head (pimple)
元beginning, former time, origin
本book, present, main

Similar words

根こん本ぽん
根本 (こんぽん) is more abstract and formal, often used for fundamental principles or the root of a matter, while 根元 (ねもと) is more concrete and physical.
根ねっこ
根っこ is a colloquial, slightly childish word for root, often used for plants or the base of something, similar to 根元 but more casual.

Etymology

Compound of 根 (ne, 'root') and 元 (moto, 'origin, base'). The reading ねもと is a straightforward combination of the kun'yomi readings.