Emaki · all 1,500 words

元

もと

former, ex-

Mnemonic

Stick it on the front of a job and it means that is where they started, and stopped. An ex-motor もと racer, thirty years off the track: もと.

Worth knowing

Same sound as 下 もと, 'under the supervision of'. This one goes in front of a role: 元選手, a former player.

Built from

origin, base
Two strokes over 儿 legs, a person at their starting point.

Also read もと

under (the supervision of)

Words sharing these kanji

energetic, healthy originally, by nature step, under foot

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Emaki is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Kaishi 1.5k or its authors. The word, reading and meaning come from the Kaishi 1.5k deck, used with their permission. The mnemonic, the note and the kanji breakdown are original work, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.