Dictionary › 原

原

yuán

HSK 4 Character

What 原 means

1. former
2. original
3. primary
4. raw
5. level
6. cause
7. source

Other readings

原 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Yuánsurname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara

Example sentences

• 原因呢？
  And what was the reason?
• 请原谅！
  Forgive me!
• 原谅她。
  Forgive her.
• 请原谅我。
  Please forgive me.
• 请您原谅。
  Please forgive me.
• 原来如此！
  So that's how it is!

Words starting with 原

• 原来yuán láioriginal; former; originally; formerly; at first; so, actually, as it turns out
• 原因yuán yīncause; origin; root cause
• 原谅yuán liàngto excuse; to forgive; to pardon
• 原则yuán zéprinciple; doctrine
• 原料yuán liàoraw material
• 原始yuán shǐfirst; original; primitive
• 原先yuán xiānoriginally; original; former
• 原理yuán lǐprinciple; theory
• 原告yuán gàocomplainant; plaintiff
• 原创yuán chuàngto create (an original work); (of a work) original; original creation; original work
• 原本yuán běnoriginally; the original; original copy; original version
• 原文yuán wénoriginal text
• 原有yuán yǒuoriginal; former
• 原地yuán dì(in) the original place; the place where one currently is; place of origin
• 原子弹yuán zǐ dànatomic bomb; A-bomb
• 原名yuán míngoriginal name
• 原价yuán jiàoriginal price
• 原材料yuán cái liàoraw and semifinished materials
• 原件yuán jiànthe original; original document; master copy
• 原则上yuán zé shangin principle; generally
• 原型yuán xíngmodel; prototype; archetype
• 原作yuán zuòoriginal works; original text; original author
• 原定yuán dìngoriginally planned; originally determined
• 原子yuán zǐatom; atomic

Words containing 原

• 平原píng yuánfield; plain
• 还原huán yuánto restore to the original state; to reconstruct (an event); reduction (chemistry)
• 高原gāo yuánplateau
• 草原cǎo yuángrassland; prairie
• 中原Zhōng yuánCentral Plain, the middle and lower regions of the Yellow river, including Henan, western…
• 复原fù yuánto restore (sth) to (its) former condition; to recover from illness; recovery
• 屈原Qū YuánQu Yuan (340-278 BC), famous Warring States statesman and poet, author of Sorrow at…
• 荒原huāng yuánwasteland
• 太原市Tài yuán ShìTaiyuan, prefecture-level city and capital of Shanxi Province 山西省
• 雪原xuě yuánsnowfield
• 黄土高原Huáng tǔ Gāo yuánLoess Plateau of northwest China
• 情有可原qíng yǒu kě yuánpardonable (of interruption, misunderstanding etc)
• 燎原liáo yuánto start a prairie fire
• 四项基本原则Sì xiàng Jī běn Yuán zéthe Four Cardinal Principles enunciated by Deng Xiaoping 邓小平
• 中原区Zhōng yuán QūZhongyuan, a district of Zhengzhou City 郑州市
• 亚原子yà yuán zǐsubatomic
• 支原体zhī yuán tǐMycoplasma (parasitic bacteria without cell wall)
• 无原则wú yuán zéunprincipled
• 还原号huán yuán hào(music notation) natural sign, ♮
• 开原市Kāi yuán ShìKaiyuan, a county-level city in Tieling City 铁岭市
• 水原Shuǐ yuánSuweon City, capital of Gyeonggi province 京畿道
• 中原大学Zhōng yuán Dà xuéChung Yuan Christian University, in Taiwan
• 基本原则jī běn yuán zéfundamental doctrine; guiding principle; raison d'être
• 基本原理jī běn yuán lǐfundamental principle

Characters that look like 原

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 展zhǎnto spread out; to open up; to exhibit
• 痕hénscar; traces
• 屎shǐfeces; excrement; a stool; (bound form) secretion (of the ear, eye etc)
• 凰huángused in 凤凰
• 屌diǎopenis; (slang) cool or extraordinary; (Cantonese) to fuck
• 庶shù(bound form) ordinary; numerous; (bound form) pertaining to a concubine (contrasted with 嫡

Sounds the same

Read yuán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 元currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan); (bound form) first; original; primary…
• 员(bound form) person engaged in a certain field of activity; (bound form) member…
• 园land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation…
• 圆circle; round; circular
• 源root; source; origin
• 援to help; to assist; to aid
• 缘cause; reason; karma
• 辕shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen…
• 袁long robe (old)
• 猿ape
• 媛used in 婵媛
• 垣wall