Translation and Meaning of: 本 - hon

The Japanese word 「本」 (hon) is a multifaceted expression that carries different meanings depending on the context, although it is generally known as "book" in the Japanese language. The reading "hon" applies when the character is used to describe objects such as books, or to measure cylindrical and long things, like bottles or pencils. The versatility of the word makes it an essential component in both the everyday and cultural aspects of the Japanese language.

Etymologically, 「本」 is composed of two main components in Kanji. The upper part, which resembles a cross, traditionally represents the idea of division or a certain point. The lower part, which looks like a horizontal line, denotes base or essence. Thus, the combination of these elements suggests the essence or origin of something. Historically, this connects to the notion of "book" as a foundation of knowledge or information.

The use of 「本」 is not limited to reading materials. In Japanese, the word extends to the act of counting, as in "ippon" (一本), which means "one long object." This illustrates how the concept of essence or base applies in various contexts in Japanese culture, showing the importance and flexibility of 「本」 in the language. Furthermore, the same word is found in expressions like "nihon" (日本), indicating "Japan," once again highlighting how this kanji permeates the language with a profound meaning of foundation and origin.

Vocabulary

Expand your vocabulary with related words:

Synonyms and similar words

• 書籍 (shoseki) - Books, publications
• 書物 (shomotsu) - Books, literary works
• 本文 (honbun) - Main text, content
• 本書 (honsho) - This book, this work
• 本著 (honcho) - This work, this job
• 本作 (honsaku) - This work, this (job) created
• 本格 (honkaku) - Authentic, genuine, complete
• 本日 (honjitsu) - Today, the current day
• 本年 (honnnen) - This year, the current year
• 本屋 (honya) - Bookstore, book shop
• 本棚 (hondana) - Bookshelf
• 本体 (hontai) - Body (of an object), real part
• 本質 (honshitsu) - Essence, true nature
• 本題 (hondai) - Main subject, central topic
• 本場 (honba) - Local original, authentic local
• 本店 (honten) - Main store, original branch
• 本社 (honsha) - Headquarters, parent company
• 本部 (honbu) - Main department, central section
• 本格的 (honkakuteki) - Authentic, in full style
• 本格派 (honkakuhai) - Authentic style, traditional format

本

Romaji: hon
Kana: ほん
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n5

Translation / Meaning: book; main; boss; This one; our; counter for long cylindrical things

Meaning in English: book;main;head;this;our;counter for long cylindrical things

Definition: A collection of printed material on paper or papers. Used for reading and research.

Example Sentences - (本) hon

See below some example sentences:

私は日本語の級を受けたいです。

Watashi wa Nihongo no kyuu wo uketai desu

I want to take a Japanese course.

I want to receive a Japanese class.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - Particle indicating the topic of the sentence
• 日本語 (nihongo) - noun meaning "Japanese" or "Japanese language"
• の (no) - particle that indicates possession or relationship between nouns
• 級 (kyuu) - noun that means "level" or "class"
• を (wo) - Particle indicating the direct object of the sentence
• 受けたい (uketai) - verb in the desiderative form that means "to want to do" or "to wish to receive"
• です (desu) - auxiliary verb that indicates the polite form of the sentence

私は日本の郡に住んでいます。

Watashi wa Nihon no gun ni sunde imasu

I live in a county in Japan.

I live in a Japanese county.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - Particle indicating the topic of the sentence
• 日本 (nihon) - proper name meaning "Japan"
• の (no) - particle that indicates possession or relationship between two things
• 郡 (gun) - noun that means "county"
• に (ni) - particle that indicates the action of being in a place
• 住んでいます (sundeimasu) - verb that means "to live"

私は日本語を話すことができます。

Watashi wa nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu

I can speak Japanese.

I can speak Japanese.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - Particle indicating the topic of the sentence
• 日本語 (nihongo) - noun meaning "Japanese" or "Japanese language"
• を (wo) - Particle indicating the direct object of the sentence
• 話す (hanasu) - verb meaning "to talk" or "to converse"
• こと (koto) - noun indicating an abstract action or event
• が (ga) - particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
• できます (dekimasu) - verb meaning "to be able to" or "to be able to"

私は片言の日本語しか話せません。

Watashi wa katagoto no nihongo shika hanasemasen

I can only speak a single Japanese word.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - Particle indicating the topic of the sentence
• 片言 (katanaga) - noun that means "limited speech"
• の (no) - particle that indicates possession or relationship between words
• 日本語 (nihongo) - noun meaning "Japanese"
• しか (shika) - particle that indicates exclusion or limitation
• 話せません (hanasemasen) - verb that means "I can't speak"

私は大学で日本語を勉強しています。

Watashi wa daigaku de nihongo wo benkyou shiteimasu

I'm studying Japanese at the university.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - particle that marks the topic of the sentence, indicating that the subject is "I"
• 大学 (daigaku) - noun meaning "university"
• で (de) - particle that indicates the location where the action takes place, in this case, "at the university"
• 日本語 (nihongo) - noun meaning "Japanese"
• を (wo) - particle that marks the direct object of the sentence, indicating that "japanese" is the object of the action
• 勉強しています (benkyou shiteimasu) - verb meaning "to study" conjugated in the present continuous, indicating that the action is ongoing

私はしょっちゅう日本語を勉強しています。

Watashi wa shocchuu nihongo wo benkyou shiteimasu

I'm always studying Japanese.

I often study Japanese.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - particle that marks the topic of the sentence
• しょっちゅう (shocchuu) - adverb meaning "always"
• 日本語 (nihongo) - noun meaning "Japanese" (language)
• を (wo) - Particle that marks the direct object of the sentence
• 勉強しています (benkyou shiteimasu) - compound verb meaning "I am studying"

私は本を机に置きました。

Watashi wa hon o tsukue ni okimashita

I put the book on the table.

I put the book on my table.

• 私 (watashi) - signifies "I" in Japanese
• は (wa) - topic particle in Japanese, used to indicate the subject of the sentence
• 本 (hon) - means "book" in Japanese
• を (wo) - object particle in Japanese, used to indicate the direct object of the sentence
• 机 (tsukue) - means "table" in Japanese
• に (ni) - location particle in Japanese, used to indicate the place where something happened
• 置きました (okimashita) - Past form of the verb "okiru", meaning "to put" in Japanese.

私は書店で本を買いました。

Watashi wa shoten de hon o kaimashita

I bought a book at the bookstore.

I bought a book at a bookstore.

• 私 - Japanese personal pronoun that means "I"
• は - topic particle that indicates the subject of the sentence
• 書店 - Japanese noun meaning "bookstore"
• で - particle indicating the place where the action took place
• 本 - Japanese noun meaning "book"
• を - Particle indicating the direct object of the action.
• 買いました - Japanese verb meaning "bought" (past tense)

私は本棚を揃える必要がある。

Watashi wa hondana o sorae ru hitsuyō ga aru

I need to organize the bookcase.

I need to prepare book shelves.

• 私 - The personal pronoun that means "I" in Japanese.
• は - topic particle that indicates the subject of the sentence, equivalent to "is" in Portuguese
• 本棚 - noun meaning "bookshelf" in Japanese
• を - object particle that indicates the direct object of the action, equivalent to "o" in Portuguese
• 揃える - verb that means "to tidy up" or "to organize" in Japanese
• 必要 - adjective that means "necessary" in Japanese
• が - subject particle that indicates the subject of the sentence, equivalent to "que" in Portuguese
• ある - verb that means "to exist" in Japanese, used to indicate the existence of something

私は短大で日本語を勉強しました。

Watashi wa tandaide nihongo o benkyō shimashita

I studied Japanese in technical college.

I studied Japanese at a junior college.

• 私 - The personal pronoun that means "I" in Japanese.
• は - topic particle that indicates the subject of the sentence, in this case "I"
• 短大 - abbreviation of "短期大学", which means "short-term college" in Japanese.
• で - particle that indicates the place where an action occurs, in this case "at the university"
• 日本語 - noun that means "Japanese" in Japanese
• を - particle that indicates the direct object of the sentence, in this case "studying Japanese"
• 勉強 - verb that means "to study" in Japanese
• しました - past form of the verb "する", which means "to do" in Japanese, indicating that the action of studying Japanese was completed in the past