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Words Kanji Guides About

起源 (きげん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

起き源げん

き

げ

ん

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

origin; beginning; source

Refers to the starting point, root, or cause of something, often used in historical, scientific, or abstract contexts.

この習しゅう慣かんの起き源げんは古ふるい時じ代だいにさかのぼる。
The origin of this custom goes back to ancient times.
生

せい

命めい

の

起き

源げん

に

つい

て

研けん

究きゅう

し

て

いる

。

I am researching the origin of life.

Written forms

起き源げんUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
起き原げんUsage4%
Less common variant; 原 means 'source/origin' but 起源 is overwhelmingly preferred.

Kanji

起rouse, wake up, get up
源source, origin
原meadow, original, primitive

Similar words

由ゆ来らい
由来 is more about the history or derivation of something, often used for words or names, while 起源 is broader and more formal for the ultimate beginning.
原げん因いん
原因 means 'cause' and focuses on what directly leads to an event, whereas 起源 is about the original starting point or source.

Etymology

Compound of 起 (ki, 'to rise, start') and 源 (gen, 'source, origin'). The variant 起原 uses 原 (gen, 'original, source') with a similar meaning.