Chinese symbol for “fundamental”
根本
gēn běn
fundamental; basic; root; simply
The closest CC-CEDICT match for fundamental is 根本 (gēn běn), defined as: fundamental; basic; root; simply; absolutely (not); (not) at all.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “fundamental”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 基本 | jī běn | basic; fundamental |
| 元 | yuán | currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan); (bound form) first; original; primary |
| 基波 | jī bō | fundamental (wave) |
| 基础 (基礎) | jī chǔ | base; foundation; basis; basic; fundamental |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 根本.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 根据 (根據) | gēn jù | according to; based on |
| 根据地 (根據地) | gēn jù dì | base of operations |
| 根源 | gēn yuán | origin; root (cause) |
| 草根 | cǎo gēn | grass roots (lit. and fig.) |
| 根基 | gēn jī | foundation |
| 基本 | jī běn | basic; fundamental |
| 版本 | bǎn běn | version; edition |
| 资本 (資本) | zī běn | capital (economics) |
See also: Japanese symbol for “fundamental”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.