根|ねne[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounroot (of a plant)
2. nounroot (of a tooth, hair, etc.); center (of a pimple, etc.)
3. nounroot (of all evil, etc.); source; origin; cause; basis
4. nounone's true nature
   彼かれらは皆みな、根ねは善良ぜんりょうな男おとこたちなのだ。↗

   They are all good men at heart.
5. noun(fishing) reef

• Synonym根っこねっこCasualColloquial for a plant's root or a stump, also figuratively the root of a problem or a person's nature; 「根」 is more neutral, fine in speech or writing.
• Synonym根本こんぽんNeutral「根本」 is another way to write 「根元」; read ねもと it likewise means the part near the root, but read こんぽん it is a different word for the essence of things.
• Synonym根源こんげんWrittenA word of written/formal prose for the source or origin of something, often an abstract cause, as in 「諸悪の根源」; 「根」 is literally a plant's root but also figurative.
• Synonym土台どだいNeutralA house's foundation or the basis of something; as an adverb it means fundamentally, from the outset. 「根」 points to origins, not a building's base.
• Synonym根元ねもとNeutralRefers to the part near the root — the base of a trunk, pillar, or hair, as in 「木の根元」; 「根」 is the root itself, sunk into the ground.
• Related基礎きそNeutralA building's foundation or the basis of study or work, stressing what supports it; 「根」 leans toward origin and roots, not a base like 「基礎」.
• Related元もとNeutralA very broad word covering origin, cause, raw material, and basis; 「根」 is more vivid, stressing a root sunk deep.

Use 「根」 for a plant's root or the figurative root of a problem; colloquially say 「根っこ」. For the part near the root use 「根元」. For origins and sources pick 「根源」 or 「元」, and for a supporting foundation 「基礎」 or 「土台」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （ね）植物しょくぶつの一部分いちぶぶんで、地中ちちゅうで養分ようぶんや水分すいぶんを吸収きゅうしゅうする部分ぶぶん。
2. （ね）ものごとの始はじまり、源みなもと。
3. 植物しょくぶつの一部分いちぶぶんで、地中ちちゅうで養分ようぶんや水分すいぶんを吸収きゅうしゅうする部分ぶぶん。
4. ものごとの始はじまり、源みなもと。
5. 拠り所よりどころ。
6. 余あまさず。悉ことごとく。根本こんぽんから。