Japanese symbol for “fundamental”
原
げん
Romaji: gen
original; primitive; primary; fundamental
In Japanese, fundamental is 原, read げん (gen).
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.
Meanings
- pref original; primitive; primary; fundamental; proto-
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “fundamental”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 基本的 | きほんてき kihonteki | fundamental; basic |
| 根本的 | こんぽんてき konponteki | fundamental; basic |
| 基礎的 | きそてき kisoteki | fundamental; basic |
| 第一義的 | だいいちぎてき daiichigiteki | fundamental; primary; most important |
| 原理的 | げんりてき genriteki | fundamental; theoretical |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原因 | げんいん gen'in | cause; origin; source |
| 原作 | げんさく gensaku | original work |
| 原則 | げんそく gensoku | principle; general rule |
| 原子力 | げんしりょく genshiryoku | atomic energy; nuclear power |
| 原理 | げんり genri | principle; theory; fundamental truth |
| 原稿 | げんこう genkou | manuscript; copy; draft |
See also: Chinese symbol for “fundamental”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.