源 means “source, origin”

げん · gen

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

みなもと

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ゲン

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 6 · 13 strokes

The story

Water (氵) beside 原, a spring (泉, squeezed) under a cliff (厂): the source of a river. 資源 is resources, 電源 a power supply, 起源 an origin, and read みなもと it is the Minamoto, the clan of Yoritomo, founder of the first shogunate.

Used in 資源 (shigen, resources), 電源 (dengen, power supply), and 起源 (kigen, origin)

More from Roots & Foundations

• 拠 basis
• 盤 board
• 礎 cornerstone
• 軸 axis
• 概 outline
• 枢 pivot
• 芯 core
• 基 foundation
• 幹 trunk

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.