| 元 | もと | origin; source; beginning; basis | n2 |
| 元気 | げんき | lively; full of spirit; energetic; vigorous | n5 |
| 元氣 | げんき | lively; full of spirit; energetic; vigorous | n5 |
| 元来 | がんらい | originally; essentially; naturally; by nature | n1 |
| 元年 | がんねん | first year (of an imperial era); year something (important) first happened or began | |
| 枕元 | まくらもと | bedside; near one's pillow | |
| 元々 | もともと | originally; from the start; from the beginning; from the outset | n3 |
| 根元 | こんげん | root; source; origin; cause | n2 |
| 足元 | あしもと | at one's feet; underfoot; one's step (as in "watch your step"); gait | n2 |
| 還元 | かんげん | restoration; return; reduction; resolution | n1 |
| 口元 | くちもと | mouth; lips; shape of the mouth; near an entrance | |
| 手元 | てもと | at hand; on hand; nearby; close at hand | n2 |
| 元禄 | げんろく | Genroku era (1688.9.30-1704.3.13) | |
| 元日 | がんじつ | New Year's Day | |
| 元素 | げんそ | element; chemical element; (classical) element (e.g. earth, water, air, fire); origin | |
| 地元 | じもと | home area; home town; local | n2 |
| 元祖 | がんそ | originator; pioneer; inventor; founder | n1 |
| 襟元 | えりもと | (around the) neck; nape; collar (at the front of a coat, kimono, etc.); collar area | |
| 元旦 | がんたん | New Year's Day; first day of the year; New Year's morning; morning of New Year's Day | |
| 耳元 | みみもと | close to the ear | |
| 紀元前 | きげんぜん | pre-era; BC; BCE | n1 |
| 身元 | みもと | (one's) identity; background; upbringing; birth (and parentage) | |
| 紀元 | きげん | era; CE (Common Era); AD (Anno Domini) | n1 |
| 腰元 | こしもと | chamber maid; female servant; area around the hips; waist area | |
| 家元 | いえもと | head of a school (of music, dance); head family of a school | |
| 元服 | げんぷく | male coming-of-age-ceremony; shaving one's eyebrows, blackening one's teeth, and wearing one's hair in the marumage style (of a newly married woman; Edo period) | |
| 清元 | きよもと | type of jōruri narrative performance | |
| 元手 | もとで | capital; funds; seed money; asset | n1 |
| 国元 | くにもと | one's home; hometown; native place; birthplace | |
| 膝元 | ひざもと | near one's knee; (by) one's side; (at) one's hand; place under the protection (of one's parents, etc.) | |
| 改元 | かいげん | change of era | |
| 元号 | げんごう | name of an imperial era (e.g. Heisei, Shōwa); Japanese era name | |
| 胸元 | むなもと | breast; chest; pit of the stomach; solar plexus | |
| 元通り | もとどおり | as before; as ever; as it was originally | |
| 親元 | おやもと | one's parents' home | n1 |
| 元老 | げんろう | elder statesman; doyen; old-timer; authority | |
| 勝手元 | かってもと | in and about a kitchen; family circumstances | |
| 元結 | もとゆい | (paper) cord for tying the hair | |
| 元和 | げんな | Genna era (1615.7.13-1624.2.30); Genwa era | |
| 元気づける | げんきづける | to pep up; to cheer up | |
| 喉元 | のどもと | throat; important part; vital area | |
| 開発元 | かいはつもと | developer (of software, video games, etc.) | |
| 元帥 | げんすい | (field) marshal; (fleet) admiral; general of the army | n2 |
| 目元 | めもと | the eyes; expression of the eyes; area around the eyes | |
| 一元 | いちげん | single element; unitary; one era; one unknown | |
| 本元 | ほんもと | origin; main branch of family | |
| 火元 | ひもと | origin of a fire | |
| 流し元 | ながしもと | sink | |
| 次元 | じげん | dimension; perspective; point of reference; level (of something) | n1 |
| 元金 | がんきん | principal; capital; seed money | |
| 中元 | ちゅうげん | 15th day of the 7th lunar month; (last day of) Bon lantern festival; mid-year gift; summer gift | |
| 元治 | げんじ | Genji era (1864.2.20-1865.4.7) | |
| 二元 | にげん | duality; binary (system) | |
| 元締 | もとじめ | manager; controller; administrator; chief treasurer | |
| 販売元 | はんばいもと | seller; selling agency; sales agent | |
| 復元 | ふくげん | restoration (to the original state or location); reconstruction; restitution | n1 |
| 元彼 | もとかれ | former boyfriend; ex-boyfriend | |
| お中元 | おちゅうげん | mid-year gift; summer gift | |
| 湯元 | ゆもと | source of a hot spring | |
| 版元 | はんもと | publisher | |
| 元朝 | がんちょう | New Year's morning | |
| 紀元節 | きげんせつ | Empire Day (February 11th; national holiday held from 1872 to 1948) | |
| 元弘 | げんこう | Genkō era (1331.8.9-1334.1.29) | n2 |
| 天元 | てんげん | tengen; central black dot on a go board; center of the board; Tengen era (978.11.29-983.4.15) | |
| 二元論 | にげんろん | dualism | |
| 元首 | げんしゅ | sovereign; ruler; head of state | n2 |
| 太夫元 | たゆうもと | manager (theatrical company) | |
| 隠元 | いんげん | common bean; green bean | |
| 元兇 | げんきょう | ringleader; main culprit; main cause; source | n1 |
| 元勲 | げんくん | elder statesman | |
| 元本 | がんぽん | principal; capital; income-producing assets | |
| 一元論 | いちげんろん | monism | |
| 元利 | がんり | principal and interest | |
| 地元民 | じもとみん | locals; local inhabitants | |
| 発売元 | はつばいもと | seller; sales agency | |
| 座元 | ざもと | theater proprietor; theatre proprietor; producer | |
| 元始 | げんし | origin | n1 |
| 元ネタ | もとネタ | original (that was parodied or acted as an inspiration for something else, etc.); source | |
| 隠元豆 | いんげんまめ | common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris); kidney bean; navy bean; wax bean | |
| 元い | もとい | as you were; return to your original position!; er, rather | |
| 網元 | あみもと | traditional fishing master (provided equipment and sometimes lodging in exchange for labor); fishermen's boss; center part of a fishing net | |
| 製造元 | せいぞうもと | manufacturer; maker | |
| 一元化 | いちげんか | unification; centralization; centralisation | |
| 元は | もとは | originally | |
| 安元 | あんげん | Angen era (1175.7.28-1177.8.4) | |
| 単元 | たんげん | teaching unit; module | |
| 勧進元 | かんじんもと | backer; promoter | |
| 大元 | おおもと | root; origin; source; cause | |
| 蔵元 | くらもと | brewery (sake, soy); brewer; warehouse overseer | |
| 元締め | もとじめ | manager; controller; administrator; chief treasurer | |
| 空元気 | からげんき | putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage | |
| 元値 | もとね | cost | |
| 貸元 | かしもと | financier; lender; financial backer; gambling boss | |
| 引用元 | いんようもと | quotation source; citation source; reference source | |
| 火の元 | ひのもと | place where fire is likely to break out; possible cause of a fire | |
| 元正 | がんしょう | New Year's Day | |
| 元本割れ | がんぽんわれ | falling below par (value); loss of principal | |
| ポイント還元 | ポイントかんげん | cashback rewards; point rewards; point rebate | |
| 貞元 | じょうげん | Jōgen era (976.7.13-978.11.29); Teigen era | n1 |
| 元凶 | げんきょう | ringleader; main culprit; main cause; source | n1 |