元
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Translingual[edit]
Stroke order | |||
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Han character[edit]
元 (radical 10, 儿+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一一山 (MMU), four-corner 10211, composition ⿱一兀 or ⿱二儿)
Derived characters[edit]
- 㐾 𠰂 坃 妧 岏 忨 抏 沅 远 阮 朊 杬 玩 䏓 盶 𦨞 蚖 𠒑 䛃 貦 䡇 酛 鈨 䬧 䯈 魭 翫
- 刓 𠠺 㝴 邧 㪴 㒬 兘 㒮 頑(顽) 䲮
- 坖 䲶 黿(鼋)
- 完 芫 笎 䦎 䨌 髨
- 园 衏
- 㓂 冦 宼 寇 窛 𢒎 𠖈 𠖝 𠖤 𠖨
References[edit]
- KangXi: page 123, character 6
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1340
- Dae Jaweon: page 258, character 3
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 264, character 6
- Unihan data for U+5143
Further reading[edit]
Chinese[edit]
simp. and trad. |
元 |
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Glyph origin[edit]
Historical forms of the character 元 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References:
Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
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Old Chinese | |
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冠 | *kŋoːn, *kŋoːns |
莞 | *kŋoːn, *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋroːnʔ |
脘 | *ŋkoːnʔ |
筦 | *ŋkoːnʔ |
梡 | *ŋ̊ʰoːnʔ, *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːnʔ |
岏 | *ŋoːn |
刓 | *ŋoːn |
园 | *ŋoːn |
忨 | *ŋoːn, *ŋoːns |
蚖 | *ŋoːn, *ŋon |
黿 | *ŋoːn, *ŋon |
抏 | *ŋoːn |
玩 | *ŋoːns |
貦 | *ŋoːns |
翫 | *ŋoːns |
妧 | *ŋoːns |
完 | *ɦŋoːn |
捖 | *ɦŋoːn |
垸 | *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːns |
綄 | *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːnʔ |
院 | *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋons |
皖 | *ɦŋoːnʔ, *ɦŋroːnʔ |
晥 | *ɦŋoːnʔ |
浣 | *ɦŋoːnʔ |
頑 | *ŋroːn, *ŋroːn |
睆 | *ɦŋroːnʔ |
鯇 | *ɦŋroːnʔ |
元 | *ŋon |
沅 | *ŋon |
芫 | *ŋon |
杬 | *ŋon |
邧 | *ŋon, *ŋonʔ |
阮 | *ŋon, *ŋonʔ |
俒 | *ɦŋuːn, *ɦŋuːns |
Pictogram (象形) – a figure with two lines 二 for a head (one connected to body, one above it), emphasizing the head.
Etymology 1[edit]
Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s-gaw (“head”), with a noun-forming suffix *-n (Schuessler, 2003; STEDT). If so, cognate with 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, “ruler; lord; queen”), Tibetan མགོ (mgo, “head; summit; beginning”), མགོན (mgon, “protector; master; lord”), Garo sko (“skull”), Northern Tujia kho⁵⁵ pa⁵⁵ (“head”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). 原 (OC *ŋʷan, “source; origin; basic; primary”) and 黿 (OC *ŋoːn, *ŋon, “large turtle”) may be the same word (Schuessler, 2007). It may also be related to 君 (OC *klun, “lord; prince; ruler”), 尹 (OC *ɢʷlinʔ, “magistrate; governor”), 侯 (OC *ɡoː, “marquis”) (Mei, 1985).
The name of the dynasty comes from the I Ching:
- 大哉乾元,萬物資始,乃統天。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: I Ching, 3rd – 2nd millennia BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Dà zāi qián yuán, wànwù zī shǐ, nǎi tǒng tiān. [Pinyin]
- Vast is the ‘great and originating (power)’ indicated by Qian! All things owe to it their beginning: - it contains all the meaning belonging to (the name) heaven.
大哉干元,万物资始,乃统天。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation[edit]
Definitions[edit]
元
- † head
- first; primary; head; chief
- basic; fundamental
- origin; source
- meta-
- Classifier for yuan or dollars.
- (mathematics) variable; unknown; element
- (~朝) Yuan Dynasty
- A surname.
Synonyms[edit]
See also[edit]
Compounds[edit]
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Descendants[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
For pronunciation and definitions of 元 – see 圓 (“circle; circular; round; etc.”). (This character, 元, is the second-round simplified form of 圓.) |
Notes:
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References[edit]
- “元”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
Japanese[edit]
Kanji[edit]
Readings[edit]
- Go-on: ごん (gon)
- Kan-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)←げん (gen, historical)←ぐゑん (gwen, ancient)
- Tō-on: がん (gan, Jōyō)←ぐわん (gwan, historical)
- Kun: もと (moto, 元, Jōyō); こうべ (kōbe, 元)
- Nanori: はじめ (hajime)
Compounds[edit]
- 元気 (genki)
- 元凶 (genkyō)
- 元金 (gankin)
- 元号 (gengō)
- 元日 (ganjitsu)
- 元首 (genshu), 元首 (motokubi)
- 元帥 (gensui)
- 元祖 (ganso)
- 元素 (genso)
- 元旦 (gantan)
- 元朝 (ganchō), 元朝 (genchō)
- 元服 (genpuku)
- 元本 (ganpon)
- 元来 (ganrai)
- 元悪 (gen'aku)
- 元価 (genka)
- 元兇 (genkyō)
- 元勲 (genkun)
- 元軍 (gengun)
- 元元 (motomoto), 元々 (motomoto)
- 元高 (motodaka)
- 元三 (Motomi)
- 元始 (genshi)
- 元手 (motode)
- 元鞘 (motosaya)
- 元職 (genshoku)
- 元栓 (motosen)
- 元値 (motone)
- 元帳 (motochō)
- 元締 (motoji)
- 元入金 (motonyūkin)
- 元年 (gannen)
- 元標 (genpyō)
- 元方 (motokata)
- 元利 (ganri)
- 元老 (genrō)
- 元禄 (genroku)
- 元寇 (genkō)
- お手元 (otemoto), 御手元 (otemoto)
Etymology 1[edit]
Kanji in this term |
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元 |
もと Grade: 2 |
kun’yomi |
Alternative spellings |
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本 原 基 素 |
⟨mo2to2⟩ → /moto/
From Old Japanese. Cited to the Kojiki of 712 C.E..[1] From Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with Okinawan 元 (mutu).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
- cause, origin
- basis, foundation
- cost
- 元がとれる
- moto ga toreru
- to be able to cover the cost
- 元がとれる
- (finance) capital
- principal
Derived terms[edit]
Prefix[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
From 始め (hajime, “beginning”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Proper noun[edit]
- A male given name
References[edit]
Korean[edit]
Hanja[edit]
Okinawan[edit]
Kanji[edit]
Readings[edit]
Compounds[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Kanji in this term |
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元 |
むとぅ Grade: 2 |
kun’yomi |
Kanji in this term |
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元 |
むーとぅ Grade: 2 |
kun’yomi |
From Proto-Ryukyuan *moto, from Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with mainland Japanese 元 (moto).
Noun[edit]
元 (hiragana むとぅ, rōmaji mutu, alternative reading むーとぅ, rōmaji mūtu)
References[edit]
- “ムトゥ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary.
- “ムートゥ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary.
Vietnamese[edit]
Han character[edit]
元: Hán Nôm readings: nguyên, nguyễn
- source, origin, base
- a family name
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- Japanese kanji with historical kan'on reading げん
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