# 源 — source; wellspring

源 means “source; wellspring”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 13 strokes. On'yomi: ゲン (gen). Kun'yomi: みなもと (minamoto). You'll see it in words such as 源 (minamoto, “source; fountainhead”).

- Meaning: source; wellspring
- On'yomi: ゲン (gen)
- Kun'yomi: みなもと (minamoto)
- Strokes: 13
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Water & the sea 1

## How to remember 源

Sounds like 原: both read ゲン.

Parts: 氵 water · 原 meadow

## Words with 源

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 源 | みなもと (minamoto) | source; fountainhead |

## Don't confuse it with

[原](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/meadow/)

## More in the “Water & the sea 1” set

[沢](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/marsh/) · [井](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/water-well/) · [浜](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/beach/) · [江](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/inlet/) · [源](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/source/) · [浦](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/shoreline-bay/) · [津](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/haven/) · [瀬](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/rapids/) · [潮](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/tide/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/source/. Last updated 2026-11-01.