Is 大元【おおもと】the right word here? Or should it be 大本【おおもと】?


Is 大元 a mistake in this quotation, or is it acceptable?

本音【ほんね】を言【い】えないことは、多【おお】くの人【ひと】の悩【なや】みの大元【おおもと】にある

_The inability to express one's true feelings is at the root of many people's
problems._

<https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ5564JNQ4SPTIL009.html?iref=comtop_Topnews2_03>




I see them as the same word, just written different ways. This is in contrast
to homonyms like 雲/蜘蛛 for くも. Both kanji forms 大本 and 大元 are valid. Hiragana
(おおもと) is not too unreasonable, too.

大本 is also the name of a Shinto sect started one century ago. That may be why
some people avoid writing that way when they mean the more general term.




I see them as the same word, just written different ways. This is in contrast
to homonyms like 雲/蜘蛛 for くも. Both kanji forms 大本 and 大元 are valid. Hiragana
(おおもと) is not too unreasonable, too.

大本 is also the name of a Shinto sect started one century ago. That may be why
some people avoid writing that way when they mean the more general term.

