How to Write 原 (yuán) — Meaning “original; source; plain”

Imagine a cliff (厂) with a spring of water (泉) flowing out from its base — this is the 'original source' of the water. To remember the meaning 'plain', picture the spring forming a flat grassland (草原) below the cliff.

Write the radical 厂 first with a short horizontal line and a long left-falling stroke. Then write the bottom component 泉, making sure the 白 part is narrow and the 水 part (the lower strokes) is balanced — a common mistake is making the whole character too wide.

原 contains 泉 (spring) and means source or plain, while 厓 (yá) has 圭 (jade) inside and means cliff. 厕 (cè) has 则 (rule) inside and means toilet. Visually, 原's bottom is symmetrical with a water-like structure, unlike the others.

原 appears in common words like 原来 (originally), 原因 (reason), and 草原 (grassland). Culturally, 原 appears in philosophy as 'original nature' (本原) and in place names like 中原 (Central Plains), a historic region of China.

Common words containing 原 include: 原来 (yuán lái) — originally; as it turns out; 原因 (yuán yīn) — reason; cause; 草原 (cǎo yuán) — grassland / prairie.