元々
もともと · motomoto · JLPT N2 · adverb
originally
🌱 元 (origin) + 々 (repeat mark) = origin upon origin: the very beginning
The 々 mark repeats the kanji before it, so 元々 literally doubles 元, meaning origin. Use it for what something has been from its root, or what it was before any change.
元 — 二 (two) + 兒 variant 儿 (legs/person)
元 originally depicted a person with the head emphasized on top, meaning 'head' or 'origin'. From this came the extended senses of 'first', 'beginning', and 'primary'. It was later borrowed as the name of the Yuan dynasty and the modern Chinese currency unit.