Save Type Surname (from location) Usage Japanese Scripts 木本, 樹元(Japanese Kanji) きもと (Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. KEE-MO-TO, /kʲi.mo̞.to̞/ [key·simplify] Meaning & History Derived from the Japanese kanji 木 (ki) or 樹 (ki) both meaning "tree, wood, plant" combined with 本 (moto) or 元 (moto) both meaning "base, root, origin".Other kanji combinations are also possibile.