The kanji 源 means "source," "origin," or "fountainhead." It refers to the beginning or the place where something comes from. It implies a place of origin, a starting point, or the root of something. It can relate to the source of a river, the origin of a concept, or the beginning of a lineage.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゲン (gen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): みなもと (minamoto)

⚫︎水源（すいげん） Translation: Source of water, water source. ⚫︎源氏（げんじ） Translation: Minamoto clan; specifically refers to the Genji clan in Japanese history and literature, particularly from the Tale of Genji. ⚫︎起源（きげん） Translation: Origin; source.

The kanji 源 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a water radical 氵 (also written as 水), indicating something related to water. The right side is the phonetic component 原 (げん, gen), which suggests the sound and meaning. 原 itself means "field" or "plain," suggesting the wide-open area where a river starts or the origin of something vast. The combination thus depicts a water source emerging from a plain, representing the beginning or origin.