起源

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 起源(きげん) refers to the origin or source from which something began.
• Basic usage: It is used when tracing where and how a festival or word originated.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Origin and cause
  • 原因(げんいん) focuses on why a particular result occurred. 起源 focuses on the starting point at which something, such as an object or custom, first arose.
• Tracing back
  • 起源をたどる means to trace an origin, looking back from the present form toward its beginning.