根本

Japanese

Kanji in this term
根	本

Noun

根本 (hiragana こんぽん, romaji konpon)

1. foundation, basis
2. root, origin

Proper noun

根本 (hiragana ねもと, romaji Nemoto)

1. A surname.

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Mandarin

simpl. and trad.
根本

Pronunciation

• Audio

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Adjective

根本 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin gēnběn)

1. fundamental; basic; essential

   對我來說，我們國家的根本問題是我們的教學系統。 (trad.)

   对我来说，我们国家的根本问题是我们的教学系统。 (simp.)

   The way I see it, our country's basic problem is our education system.

Adverb

根本 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin gēnběn)

1. simply; absolutely; at all

   他根本不知道從哪裡入手找工作。 (trad.)

   他根本不知道从哪里入手找工作。 (simp.)

   He has absolutely no idea how to start looking for work.

2. radically; thoroughly

   我想從根本解決問題。 (trad.)

   我想从根本解决问题。 (simp.)

   I'd like to settle this problem once and for all.

Usage notes

• The adverb in Sense #1 is almost always followed by a negative expression.

Noun

根本 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin gēnběn)

1. root; foundation; base; basis

   我們應該把握問題的根本。 (trad.)

   我们应该把握问题的根本。 (simp.)

   We should get to the root of the problem.

Derived terms

• 根本法