• 元もと

  origin, source, beginning

• 元日がんじつ

  New Year's Day

• 元金がんきん

  capital, principal

• 元禄げんろく

  Genroku era (1688.9.30-1704.3.13)

• 元本がんぽん

  principal (invest.), capital

• 元首げんしゅ

  sovereign, ruler, head of state

• 元旦がんたん

  New Year's Day, first day of the year

• 元凶げんきょう

  ringleader, main culprit

• 元帥げんすい

  (field) marshal, (fleet) admiral, general of the army

• 元号げんごう

  name of an imperial era (e.g. Heisei, Shōwa), Japanese era name

• 元素げんそ

  element, chemical element

• 元祖がんそ

  originator, pioneer, inventor, founder

• 元年がんねん

  first year (of an imperial era)

• 元気げんき

  lively, full of spirit, energetic, vigorous, vital, spirited

• 元来がんらい

  originally, essentially, naturally, by nature, really, actually

• 元々もともと

  originally, from the start, from the beginning, from the outset, by nature

• 元老げんろう

  elder statesman, doyen, old-timer, authority

• 足元あしもと

  at one's feet, underfoot, one's step (as in "watch your step")

• 紀元きげん

  era

• 手元てもと

  at hand, on hand, nearby, close at hand

• 還元かんげん

  restoration, return

• 次元じげん

  dimension

• 復元ふくげん

  restoration (to the original state or location), reconstruction, restitution

• 窯元かまもと

  pottery (i.e. the place)

• 耳元みみもと

  close to the ear

• 地元じもと

  home area, home town

• 一元いちげん

  unitary

• 襟元えりもと

  (around the) neck, nape

• 身元みもと

  (one's) identity, background, upbringing, birth (and parentage)

• 家元いえもと

  head of a school (of music, dance), head family of a school

• 中元ちゅうげん

  15th day of the 7th lunar month, (last day of) Bon lantern festival

• 元よりもとより

  from the beginning, from the first, all along, originally

• お中元おちゅうげん

  mid-year gift, summer gift

• 一元化いちげんか

  unification, centralization, centralisation

• ３次元さんじげん

  three dimensions, 3D, 3-D

• 多元的たげんてき

  pluralistic, plural

• 開発元かいはつもと

  developer (of software, video games, etc.)

• 紀元前きげんぜん

  pre-era, BC, BCE

• 元ユアン

  yuan (monetary unit of China)

• 元もと

  former, ex-, past, one-time

• 元げん

  unknown (e.g. in an equation)

• 元値もとね

  cost

• 元期げんき

  epoch

• 元始げんし

  origin

• 元型げんけい

  archetype

• 元帳もとちょう

  ledger

• 元はもとは

  originally

• 元悪げんあく

  head gangster

• 元歌もとうた

  original song

• 元勲げんくん

  elder statesman