元

元 U+5143, 元 ← 兂[U+5142] CJK Unified Ideographs 兄 →[U+5144] Stroke order

元 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿+2, 4 strokes, Cangjie input 一一山 (MMU), four-corner 10211, composition ⿱一兀 or ⿱二儿)

• 远, 㝴, 㒬, 兘, 㒮, 刓, 邧, 㪴, 頑 (顽), 䲮, 坖, 䲶, 黿, 鼋
• 完, 芫, 笎, 䨌, 髨, 䦎 (𰿨), 园, 衏, 冠, 㓂, 冦, 宼, 寇, 窛
• 㐾, 坃, 妧, 岏, 忨, 抏, 沅, 阮, 朊, 杬, 玩, 䏓, 盶, 蚖, 䛃, 貦 (𰷡), 䡇 (𰹷), 酛, 鈨, 䬧 (𫗟), 䯈, 魭 (𱇐), 翫

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 123, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1340
• Dae Jaweon: page 258, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 264, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5143

• 元 on Wikidata.Wikidata

simp. and trad. 元

Pictogram (象形) – a figure with two lines 上 (shàng) for a head (one connected to body, one above it), emphasizing the head.

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s-gaw (“head”), with a noun-forming suffix *-n (Schuessler, 2003; STEDT). If so, cognate with 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, “ruler; lord; queen”), Tibetan མགོ (mgo, “head; summit; beginning”), མགོན (mgon, “protector; master; lord”), Garo sko (“skull”), Northern Tujia kho⁵⁵ pa⁵⁵ (“head”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). 原 (OC *ŋʷan, “source; origin; basic; primary”) and 黿 (OC *ŋoːn, *ŋon, “large turtle”) may be the same word (Schuessler, 2007). It may also be related to 君 (OC *klun, “lord; prince; ruler”), 尹 (OC *ɢʷlinʔ, “magistrate; governor”), 侯 (OC *ɡoː, “marquis”) (Mei, 1985). Possibly related to 圓 (OC *ɢon, “round, sky”).

The name of the dynasty comes from the I Ching:

Part of the people with this surname are Xianbei descendants. It was changed from 拓跋 (Tuòbá) as ordered by Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.

元

1. first; initial; primary; beginning 元年 ― yuánnián ― first year of an imperial reign
2. chief; principal; leading 元惡／元恶 ― yuán‘è ― chief criminal
3. basic; fundamental 元素 ― yuánsù ― (chemical) element
4. (～朝) Yuan Dynasty 元曲 ― yuánqū ― Yuan dynasty theater
5. meta- 元語言／元语言 ― yuányǔyán ― metalanguage
6. unit; component; part 單元／单元 ― dānyuán ― unit
7. essential factor; (key) element 多元 ― duōyuán ― multielement
8. (mathematics) variable; argument; unknown; element 消元法 ― xiāoyuánfǎ ― method of elimination (literally, “method of eliminating matrix elements”) 立天元一 [Classical Chinese] ― lì tiānyuán yī [Pinyin] ― Let x be the unknown variable in the equation. 主元 ― zhǔyuán ― pivot 線元／线元 ― xiànyuán ― line element
9. (alt. form 圓／圆) coin of fixed value and weight 銀元／银元 ― yínyuán ― silver dollar
10. (alt. form 圓／圆) Classifier for yuan or dollars. 一元人民幣／一元人民币 ― yī yuán rénmínbì ― one Chinese yuan
11. (alt. form 圓／圆) a surname 元好問／元好问 ― Yuán Hàowèn ― Yuan Haowen (Jin dynasty poet)
12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) head
    • 狄人歸元，三軍悽愴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]狄人归元，三军凄怆。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: c. 578, Yu Xin, The Lament for the South (《哀江南賦》)Dí rén guī yuán, sānjūn qīchuàng. [Pinyin]The barbaric enemy returned his severed head, and every soldier grieved in deep sorrow.
13. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) large; big
14. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) good; virtuous; kind
15. (Hong Kong) short for 元朗 (Yuánlǎng, “Yuen Long”)
16. (Taiwan, geology) eon (geochronologic unit)
17. (～日) (telegraphy) the thirteenth day of a month
18. (Taoism) kalpa; a cosmic or supreme cycle of 129,000 years 一元12會，共十二萬九千年，周而復始，不斷循環，值致地球毀滅。 [MSC, trad.]一元12会，共十二万九千年，周而复始，不断循环，值致地球毁灭。 [MSC, simp.]Yī yuán 12 huì, gòng shí’èr wàn jiǔ qiān nián, zhōu’érfùshǐ, bù duàn xúnhuán, zhí zhì dìqiú huǐmiè. [Pinyin]Each kalpa has 12 epochs and lasts 129,000 years, repeating endlessly, each kalpa ending with the destruction of the world.
19. alternative form of 原 (yuán, “origin; source”)
20. alternative form of 玄 (xuán) (contained in the name of 玄燁)

• (the Yuan dynasty):

• (eon): (Mainland China) 宙 (zhòu)

Dynasties (朝代) in Chinese history Name Time period Divisions Xia夏 (～朝, ～代) 2070 – 1600 BCE Shang商 (～朝, ～代)殷 (～朝, ～代) 1600 – 1046 BCE Zhou周 (～朝, ～代) 1046 – 256 BCE Western Zhou西周 Eastern Zhou東周 / 东周 Spring and Autumn period春秋 Warring States period戰國 / 战国 Qin秦 (～朝, ～代) 221 – 206 BCE Han漢 / 汉 (～朝, ～代) 206 BCE – 220 CE Western Han西漢 / 西汉 Xin新 (～朝) Eastern Han東漢 / 东汉 Three Kingdoms三國 / 三国 220 – 280 CE Wei魏 Shu Han蜀漢 / 蜀汉 Wu吳 / 吴 Jin晉 / 晋 (～朝, ～代) 265 – 420 CE Western Jin西晉 / 西晋 Eastern Jin東晉 / 东晋 Southern and Northern dynasties南北朝 420 – 589 CE Northern dynasties北朝 Northern Wei北魏 Western Wei西魏 Eastern Wei東魏 / 东魏 Northern Zhou北周 Northern Qi北齊 / 北齐 Southern dynasties南朝 Liu Song劉宋 / 刘宋 Southern Qi南齊 / 南齐 Liang梁 (～朝, ～代) Chen陳 / 陈 (～朝, ～代) Sui隋 (～朝, ～代) 581 – 618 CE Tang唐 (～朝, ～代) 618 – 907 CE Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms五代十國 / 五代十国 907 – 960 CE Liao遼 / 辽 (～朝, ～代) 907 – 1125 CE Song宋 (～朝, ～代) 960 – 1279 CE Northern Song北宋 Southern Song南宋 Western Xia西夏 1038 – 1227 CE Jin金 (～朝, ～代) 1115 – 1234 CE Western Liao西遼 / 西辽 1124 – 1218 CE Yuan元 (～朝, ～代) 1271 – 1368 CE Ming明 (～朝, ～代) 1368 – 1644 CE Qing清 (～朝, ～代) 1636 – 1912 CE Republic of China中華民國 / 中华民国 1912 CE – present Note: In Chinese contexts People’s Republic of China中華人民共和國 / 中华人民共和国 1949 CE – present Note: In Chinese contexts

Others:

• → English: yuan

For pronunciation and definitions of 元 – see 圓 (“circle; sphere; circular; round; spherical; etc.”).(This character is the draft (1955) first-round simplified and second-round simplified form of 圓).Notes:

• Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
• Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

• “元”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: ごん (gon)
• Kan-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)←げん (gen, historical)←ぐゑん (gwen, ancient)
• Tō-on: がん (gan, Jōyō)←ぐわん (gwan, historical)
• Kun: もと (moto, 元, Jōyō)、こうべ (kōbe, 元)
• Nanori: はじめ (hajime)

Kanji in this term 元 もとGrade: 2 kun’yomi Alternative spellings 本原基素

⟨mo2to2⟩ → /moto/

From Old Japanese. Cited to the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1] From Proto-Japonic *mətə. Doublet of 下(もと) (moto, “base, basis”).[2][3] Cognate with Okinawan 元 (mutu).

• (Tokyo) もと [mòtóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[2]
• (Tokyo) もと [mòtó] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA(key): [mo̞to̞]

元(もと) • (moto)

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost 元(もと)がとれる ― moto ga toreru ― to be able to cover the cost
4. (finance) capital 2000円(にせんえん)の元(もと)を取(と)るnisen-en no moto o toruto get one’s 2000 yen’s worth(literally, “to take the 2000 yen principal”)
5. principal

元(もと) • (moto-)

1. former, erstwhile, ex- 元(もと)カレ、元(もと)カノ ― motokare, motokano ― ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend プロジェクトの元(もと)・担(たん)当(とう)者(しゃ)の田(た)中(なか)氏(し)purojekuto no moto tantōsha no Tanaka-shiformer project manager Tanaka

Kanji in this term 元 げんGrade: 2 kan’on

From Middle Chinese 元 (MC ngjwon)

元(げん) • (Gen)

1. the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

元(げん) • (gen)

1. yuan (currency) Synonym: ユアン

From 始(はじ)め (hajime, “beginning”).

• IPA(key): [ha̠ʑime̞]

元(はじめ) • (Hajime)

1. a male given name

• “元”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026

元 (eumhun 으뜸 원 (eutteum won))

1. Hanja form? of 원 (“chief”).

• 本, 原, 基, 素

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): ぐゎん (gwan)、じん (jin)
• Kun: むとぅ (mutu, 元)、むーとぅ (mūtu, 元)

Kanji in this term 元 むとぅGrade: 2 kun’yomi Kanji in this term 元 むーとぅGrade: 2 kun’yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *moto, from Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with mainland Japanese 元 (moto).

元(むとぅ) or 元(むーとぅ) (mutu or mūtu)

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost
4. origin
5. (finance) capital
6. principal

元: Hán Nôm readings: nguyên, nguyễn

1. source, origin, base
2. a family name