Japanese kanji 本: books, Japan and counting

The idea

本 has 5 strokes; follow their order in the linked diagram. Read 本（ほん） and 一本（いっぽん） as complete words, because a character’s pronunciation depends on the word.

Examples

• この本ほんはとても面白おもしろいです。This book is very interesting.
• これは日本語にほんごの本ほんです。This is a book in Japanese.
• ペンを一本いっぽん買かいます。I buy one pen.
• 本屋ほんやで絵本えほんを買かいます。I buy a picture book at the bookshop.
• この本ほんを開ひらいてください。Please open this book.
• この本ほんは九百円きゅうひゃくえんです。This book costs nine hundred yen.

Watch out

本（ほん） means book, but 一本（いっぽん） counts one long object. With 三本 the counter is pronounced さんぼん. Compare the shape of 本 with 木.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 本 in hiragana. 「この本はとても面白おもしろいです。」

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   ほん

   本 is read ほん. In the example: This book is very interesting. Here it means “book”.

2. Write the reading of 一本 in hiragana. 「ペンを一本買かいます。」

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   いっぽん

   一本 is read いっぽん. In the example: I buy one pen. Here it means “one long object”.

3. Write the missing kanji: ＿［本／木］（ほん）.

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   本

   本 completes 本, read ほん. In the example: This book is very interesting. Here it means “book”.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 本 from memory and read 本 and 一本 aloud. Then check the readings against the examples.