本
běn
- Pinyin
- běn
- Pinyin (Plain)
- ben
- Tone
- 3
- Strokes
- 5
- Radical
- 木
- Readings
- běnbenTone: 3(bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc); (bound form) original; (bound form) inherent; originally; initially; capital; principal; classifier for books, periodicals, files etcOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 525 577 Q 589 589 780 608 Q 792 605 803 621 Q 804 634 778 648 Q 736 672 653 650 Q 541 629 526 623 L 477 614 Q 468 614 218 586 Q 184 582 210 561 Q 249 531 275 534 Q 293 543 452 566 L 525 577 Z", "M 524 548 Q 524 563 525 577 L 526 623 Q 529 699 545 755 Q 555 771 551 786 Q 544 796 484 833 Q 459 851 437 834 Q 431 828 438 812 Q 474 760 475 708 Q 476 663 477 614 L 478 496 Q 474 280 473 209 L 468 165 Q 462 114 448 64 Q 438 22 465 -45 Q 472 -64 481 -67 Q 488 -74 495 -65 Q 504 -61 515 -38 Q 525 -11 524 22 Q 523 47 523 172 L 523 218 Q 523 330 524 502 L 524 548 Z", "M 452 566 Q 359 353 75 124 Q 62 111 72 109 Q 82 105 94 111 Q 256 181 402 383 Q 421 413 446 447 Q 465 477 478 496 C 536 582 467 599 452 566 Z", "M 524 502 Q 624 358 753 207 Q 775 182 814 181 Q 944 182 986 188 Q 998 191 1001 197 Q 1001 204 983 212 Q 803 279 749 326 Q 646 417 524 548 C 504 570 507 527 524 502 Z", "M 473 209 Q 427 202 386 198 Q 352 197 313 192 Q 285 191 306 172 Q 327 151 372 151 Q 415 160 468 165 L 523 172 Q 538 175 640 183 Q 650 182 660 194 Q 661 206 639 217 Q 609 239 531 220 Q 527 220 523 218 L 473 209 Z"]
- Meaning
- “本” originally means “root” or “origin,” so it often expresses the idea of a source, basis, or fundamental (e.g., 根本 “fundamental”). It is also commonly used before nouns or pronouns to mean “this” or “one’s own” (e.g., 本书 “this book,” 本公司 “our company”).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 2:37:26 PM
Usage
“本” is very common in modern Chinese and learners meet it early. Its core meaning is “root, origin, basis,” which you can see in words like 本来 (originally), 根本 (fundamental), and 本质 (essence). It also appears in set phrases about “one’s own” or “this” institution, like 本国 (one’s own country), 本校 (this school), 本公司 (this company). In grammar, 本 can work like “this/our” in front of nouns connected with the speaker’s side, especially in written or formal contexts. Another major use is as a measure word for books and bound volumes, similar to saying “three copies of a book”: 一本书 (one book), 两本词典 (two dictionaries), 几本杂志 (several magazines). This is often one of the first measure words students learn. The character also appears in words related to “books” or “copies” more broadly, such as 版本 (edition), 原本 (original copy), and 副本 (duplicate copy), all of which still carry the idea of an “original” or “base” text.
Handwriting Notes
本 is visually quite compact and balanced: a short horizontal line near the top, a vertical line running down through the center, a longer horizontal line across the middle, and two short diagonal “legs” at the bottom. In normal handwriting it tends to look a bit narrower and more flowing than in printed typefaces; the central vertical stroke may curve slightly, and the top horizontal is often written shorter and lighter than the middle one, which visually anchors the character. The diagonal strokes at the bottom can be more or less angled, and their length and spread differ from person to person, but they still read as a pair of small supports under the main vertical. Despite these stylistic differences—round vs. angular corners, tighter vs. looser proportions—the overall structure (a 十 with an extra short line at the top and two diagonals at the bottom) remains clear. Modern AI-based handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle this range of handwritten styles, so they can reliably recognize 本 across many different personal handwriting habits.
Description
本 is a common Chinese character meaning “root,” “origin,” or “basis,” and it is also used in words meaning “this” or “one’s own” (e.g. 本人 “oneself,” 本校 “this school”). It is pronounced běn in Mandarin and is often used as a measure word for books (一本书 “one book”).