本棚
ほんだな · hondana · JLPT N5 · noun
bookshelf
📚 本棚 = book (hon) + shelf (tana, voiced to dana)
本 (hon) means book and 棚 (tana) means shelf. When the two join, the t softens to d, a sound change called rendaku, giving hon-dana. Same pattern as 戸棚 (todana, cupboard): any -dana word is a kind of shelf.
本 — tree 木 + mark at base
本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with a stroke at its base, marking the roots. From this 'root' meaning it extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'foundation.' In modern usage it also serves as a measure word for bound objects like books.