本

本 U+672C, 本 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-672C ← 末 [U+672B] CJK Unified Ideographs 札 → [U+672D]

Stroke order

本 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 木一 (DM), four-corner 5023₀, composition ⿻木一)

• 体, 呠, 㤓, 泍, 㶱, 砵, 絊, 缽, 躰, 鉢(钵), 䬱, 骵, 䱁(𫚏), 翉, 苯, 笨, 㡷, 㮺

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 509, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14421
• Dae Jaweon: page 891, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1151, character 1
• Unihan data for U+672C

• 本 on Wikidata.Wikidata

simp. and trad.		本
alternative forms		夲

Ideogram (指事): a tree (木 (mù)) with its bottom highlighted with an extra stroke, accentuating the roots; contrast 末, 朱.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(b/p)ul (“root; stump; tree”) (STEDT). Cognate with Mizo bul (“cause; beginning; root; stump”), Jingpho phun (“tree; bush; stalk; wood”), Garo bol (“tree”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Schuessler 2007

本

1. (of plants) root; stem

   • 為君子擇蔥薤，則絕其本末。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     为君子择葱薤，则绝其本末。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Wèi jūnzǐ zé cōng xiè, zé jué qí běnmò. [Pinyin]

     In selecting an onion or scallion for a gentleman, they cut off both the root and top.

   • 枝大於本，脛大於股，不折必披。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     枝大于本，胫大于股，不折必披。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zhī dà yú běn, jìng dà yú gǔ, bù zhé bì pī. [Pinyin]

     When the branch is larger than the stem, or the shin is larger than the thigh, if it does not fall off, it will surely crack.

2. source; origin; root

   努力工作是成功之本。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Nǔlì gōngzuò shì chénggōng zhī běn. [Pinyin]

   Hard work is the ultimate source of success.

3. foundation; basis

   謙遜是美德之本。 [MSC, trad.]
   谦逊是美德之本。 [MSC, simp.]

   Qiānxùn shì měidé zhī běn. [Pinyin]

   Humility is the foundation of all virtue.

   • 君子務本，本立而道生。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     君子务本，本立而道生。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Jūnzǐ wù běn, běn lì ér dào shēng. [Pinyin]

     The noble man strives for the foundational; once the foundations are established, the Way is born.

4. edition; version; copy

   標點本／标点本  ―  biāodiǎn běn  ―  punctuated edition

   宋本  ―  sòng běn  ―  Song-era edition

5. originally; initially

   • 我本天上鳥，常留五彩雲。今宵風雨惡，誤落野鳥群。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: 《與訪客詰拒》 by Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), 1800s

     A bon cheonsang jo, sang ryu osaeg un. Geumso pung'u ak, orak yajo gun. [Sino-Korean]

     I am originally a bird of the heavens, always staying amid the five-hued clouds. Tonight the rain and gusts were harsh, and I slipped and fell into this flock of wild birds.

6. current; present

   本年  ―  běnnián  ―  current year

   本財政年度的全部投資預算已用完。 [MSC, trad.]
   本财政年度的全部投资预算已用完。 [MSC, simp.]

   Běn cáizhèng nián dù de quánbù tóuzī yùsuàn yǐ yòngwán. [Pinyin]

   We have already used up our total investment budget for the current fiscal year.

7. this; here; this very

   本人  ―  běnrén  ―  I [lit. this person]

   戲精本精／戏精本精  ―  xìjīng běn jīng  ―  drama queen him/herself

   本函下面所示系Y先生的簽名。 [MSC, trad.]
   本函下面所示系Y先生的签名。 [MSC, simp.]

   Běn hán xiàmiàn suǒ shì xì Y xiānshēng de qiānmíng. [Pinyin]

   You will find the signature of Mr. Y. at the foot hereof.

8. capital (money used in investment)
9. Classifier for books, periodicals, files. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

   一本書／一本书  ―  yī běn shū  ―  a book

   一本雜誌／一本杂志  ―  yī běn zázhì  ―  a magazine

   一本冊／一本册 [Hokkien]  ―  chi̍t pún chheh [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  a book

10. volume
11. (Korean Classical Chinese) ancestral seat of a descent group

• (classifier):

• 末

Others:

• → Thai: พื้น (pʉ́ʉn, “foundation, floor”)
• → Vietnamese: vốn

• “本”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: ほん (hon, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: ほん (hon, Jōyō)
• Kun: もと (moto, 本, Jōyō)
• Nanori: なり (nari)、はじめ (hajime)、もと (moto)

Kanji in this term
本
もと Grade: 1
kun'yomi

• (Tokyo) もと [móꜜtò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [mo̞to̞]

本(もと) • (-moto) 

1. blades of grass and tree trunks
2. falcons

本(もと) • (moto)  (counter 個)

1. alternative form of 元

Kanji in this term
本
ほん Grade: 1
on'yomi

• (Tokyo) ほん [hóꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [hõ̞ɴ]

本(ほん) • (-hon) 

1. long cylindrical things such as glasses of drink, pairs of jeans, pens or trains and buses
2. films or TV shows
3. home runs or goals
4. rounds of a match in boxing, wrestling or judo

本(ほん) • (hon)  (counter 冊)

1. a book

   本(ほん)を読(よ)む

   hon o yomu

   to read a book

2. a script; a scenario
3. source; origin; root

本(ほん) • (hon-) 

1. current, this, the matter in question

   本(ほん)大(たい)会(かい) ― hontaikai ― this event; today’s competition

2. original, actual, base

   本(ほん)山葵(わさび) ― honwasabi ― real wasabi (as opposed to horseradish or other substitutes)

   本(ほん)大(だい)臣(じん) ― hondaijin ― the cabinet member (on whose behalf a proxy speaks)

From Middle Chinese 本 (MC pwonX). Recorded as Middle Korean 본 (pwon) (Yale: pwon) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Wikisource

本 (eumhun 근본 본 (geunbon bon))

1. hanja form^? of 본 (“root; basis; foundation; stem”)
2. hanja form^? of 본 (“source; origin”)
3. hanja form^? of 본 (“main; primary; principal”)
4. hanja form^? of 본 (“mind; nature; essence; true self”)
5. hanja form^? of 본 (“ancestor; fatherland; hometown”)
6. hanja form^? of 본 (“counter for books; book; publication”)
7. hanja form^? of 본 (“model; version”)
8. hanja form^? of 본 (“this; this very”)
9. hanja form^? of 본 (“(finance) principal”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [1]

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): ふん (fun)
• Kun: むとぅ (mutu, 本)、むーとぅ (mūtu, 本)

Kanji in this term
本
むとぅ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

本(むとぅ) (mutu)  (counter 個)

1. alternative form of 元

Kanji in this term
本
ふん Grade: 1
on'yomi

本(ふん) (-fun) 

1. long cylindrical things such as glasses of drink, pairs of jeans, pens or trains and buses

   くぬ二(に)本(ふの)ぉ芯(しん)ぬ折(をぅー)りやっさん。

   Kunu nifunō shin-nu wūriyassan.

   The lead in these 2 is easy to break.

2. films or TV shows
3. home runs or goals
4. rounds of a match in boxing, wrestling or judo

From Middle Chinese 本 (MC pwonX).

本 (po₁)

1. Denotes phonographic syllable po₁.
   • 711–712, Kojiki:

     本那迦迩多知弖

     po₁-naka ni tat-i-t-e

     ...stands in the middle of the fire...

• Miyake (2003) p. 254

本 (bản)

1. Nôm form of bản (“village”).

   𱐍略本押伴略𫶾

   Dú lược bản, cáp bạn lược cần

   If you want to live, choose a place; if you want to make friends, choose people

   本眉官栈眉棟

   Bản mì quan, chàn mì toỏng

   Every village has a leader, every floor has pillars

• Dương Nhật Thanh, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[2] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]

本: Hán Việt readings: bổn (布(bố)忖(thỗn)切(thiết))^[1][2][3][4], bản^[1][5]
本: Nôm readings: vốn^{[1][2][5][6][3][4][7]}, bộn^{[1][5][6][3][4][7]}, bổn^[2][5][3][7], bủn^[6][3][4][7], bốn^[1][2][5], vỏn^[5][6][3], bỏn^[5][4][7], bản^[1][2], vón^[1], bọn^[4]

1. chữ Hán form of bản (“basis; origin”)
2. chữ Hán form of bổn (“basis; origin”)
3. chữ Nôm form of bốn (“four”)
4. chữ Nôm form of vón (“to clot”)
5. chữ Nôm form of vốn (“capital; bond; fund”)