本（ほん）
JLPT N5 · noun
Pitch accent: atamadaka (head-high) — first mora high, then falls
Meaning: book
Example sentences
- 毎晩、寝る前に本を読む。 — Every night I read a book before going to bed.
- 図書館で面白い本を借りた。 — I borrowed an interesting book from the library.
Idioms & proverbs containing “本”
- 体が資本 (からだがしほん) — health is wealth; health is your most valuable asset
- 生酔い本性違わず (なまよいほんしょうたがわず) — in wine there is truth; being under the influence doesn't change our true character
- 木の実は本へ落つ (きのみはもとへおつ) — all returns to dust; the fruit of the tree falls to the roots
- 本木にまさる末木なし (もときにまさるうらきなし) — of soup and love, the first is the best; one's first spouse tends to be better than any subsequent spouse
- 一本調子 (いっぽんぢょうし) — monotone; monotonous; dull; lacking variety
- 興味本位 (きょうみほんい) — (just) out of curiosity; (just) in order to satisfy one's curiosity; aimed chiefly at amusing; sensational (e.g. magazine)
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “本” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)