本

běn
HSK 1
#92 most
frequent character
roots or stems of plants, origin
noun
Measure Word

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

本 shows 木 tree with 一 marking the root. That gave the first meaning 'root of a tree'. From there came 'root, origin', 'primary', 'this, present', and then 'scroll' and 'bound volume'.

Drawn as: tree; line at root

本 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
体
sound3 characters
笨钵苯

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Example Sentences

这是一本书。
zhè shì yīběnshū 。
This is a book.
他从本书中学到了很多知识。
tā cóng běn shū zhōngxué dàole hěnduō zhīshí 。
He learned a lot of knowledge from this book.
这棵树的根本很深。
zhè kē shù de gēnběn hěn shēn 。
The roots of this tree are very deep.

Grammar Points

HSK 6
Expressing "your side" with "ben"

Words with similar meanings

根gēn
root
More general term referring to the base part of a plant.
来源láiyuán
source
Refers to the origin or source of something, more abstract.

Words Starting With 本

本来běn lái
original; originally; at first; it goes without saying; of course
本科běn kē
undergraduate course; undergraduate (adjective)
本质běn zhì
essence; nature; innate character; intrinsic quality
本领běn lǐng
"skill; ability; capability
本事běn shi
ability; skill; source material; original story

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Public Lists with 本

HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Plants
Trees, flowers, crops, herbs, and other plant-related terms.
Measure Words
Commonly used measure words (个, 张, 本, etc.) across various contexts.