原
Mnemonic
From atop a cliff, you spot a white mist slowly clearing to reveal little wildflowers carpeting an endless meadow below. The untouched grassland stretches in every direction, pure and original as nature intended.
Additional thoughts
Picture the cliff as your vantage point (厂 frames the top), the white mist parting like a curtain (白 sits in the center), and tiny flowers dotting the ground (小 at the bottom) — matching the kanji's vertical structure exactly.Quick recall
A cliff overlooks white mist parting to reveal little flowers across a vast meadow.Details
The keyword for 原 is meadow. This kanji refers to a broad, open expanse of flat land, such as a prairie, plain, or grassy field. It conveys the idea of a wide, unobstructed natural landscape stretching out before one's eyes. By extension, it can also carry the meaning of "original" or "fundamental," suggesting something in its natural, unaltered state, much like an untouched meadow.
- On'yomi
- げん
- Kun'yomi
- はら