原 (yuán) is a Chinese character meaning “original”. It is written from 厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 泉 (spring (water source); in 原 written as 白 over 小), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “original; source”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
厂 + 泉
Enclosing structure
- 厂 factory; cliff radical · chǎng meaning
- 泉 spring (water source); in 原 written as 白 over 小 · quán meaning
Structure from: 说文解字（厵，水泉本也；原，篆文从泉）；现代字形 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-9 泉（今写作 白+小）
Memory aid
A spring (泉) bubbling out from under a cliff (厂) — the place where a river starts: the original source.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 原因yuán yīnreason; cause原 = yuán
- 原来yuán láioriginally; so it turns out原 = yuán
- 原谅yuán liàngto forgive; to excuse原 = yuán
Go deeper
All readings
original
original; primary; former; raw, unprocessed; open plain
最初的，本来的；没有加工的。也指宽广平坦的地方。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 原因yuán yīnreason; cause原 = yuán
- 原来yuán láioriginally; so it turns out原 = yuán
- 原谅yuán liàngto forgive; to excuse原 = yuán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 原 mean?
原 (yuán) means original; primary; former; raw, unprocessed; open plain.
How do you pronounce 原?
It is pronounced yuán.
What parts is 原 made of?
厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 泉 (spring (water source); in 原 written as 白 over 小), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（厵，水泉本也；原，篆文从泉）；现代字形 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-9 泉（今写作 白+小）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 原 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 原?
厂. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 原?
Common ones are 原因 and 原来. The reading of 原 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.