Writing
根本 (gēn běn) — how to say "fundamental" in Chinese
根本
Fundamental; root; at all (with negation)
noun · adjective · modal adverb
How to use it
Goes before the verb and shows the speaker's attitude.
我根本不知道。
wǒ gēn běn bù zhī dào
I have no idea at all.
Character composition
根
root
本
basis, book
Radicals / Keys
木
Tree
#75 · mù · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
根本问题
gēnběn wèntí
fundamental issue
根本原因
gēnběn yuányīn
root cause
根本利益
gēnběn lìyì
fundamental interests
Examples
我根本不知道这件事情，所以没看法。
I didn't know about this matter at all, so I have no opinion.
根本问题。
Fundamental problem.
Frequently asked questions
Fundamental in Chinese meaning
"fundamental" in Chinese is 根本 (gēn běn).
根本 meaning in English
根本 (gēn běn) means "Fundamental; root; at all (with negation)".
How is 根本 pronounced?
It is pronounced gēn běn (written as gen ben, genben). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "fundamental" in Chinese characters?
It is written 根本: 根 has 10 strokes, 本 has 5 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 根本?
根本 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
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