原 means “plain, field, origin”

はら · hara

Also: meadow, original, primitive

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): はら
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ゲン

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 2 · 10 strokes

The story

A cliff (厂) with a spring (泉) below: where water meets open land, life begins. 原 means both a grassy plain and an origin point. The vast 原野 (genya) grasslands of Hokkaido and Aso stretch to the horizon, and 原始 (genshi, primitive) takes us back to earth's beginnings.

Used in 原因 (genin, cause/origin), 草原 (sougen, grassland), and 高原 (kougen, plateau/highlands)

原 means “plain, field, origin”

The story

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