元 (もと): meaning and examples

Key takeaways

元 (もと) means origin / source / former.

See example sentences below.

元 at a glance

元

もとmoto

N3adj

origin / source / former

元もとmotoN3Japanese vocabulary

Core meaning

origin / source / former

Example 1

この木のもとは何ですか？

Translation

What is the origin of this tree?

Example 2

もと会社の同僚に会いました。

Translation

I met a former colleague from my old company.