The Meaning of konomi [好み] In Japanese

好み
このみ
Romaji: konomi N5

What does 好み mean?

Translation and Meaning

taste, liking, preference

Definition

好み means personal taste or preference; it describes what someone likes or tends to choose, spanning foods, clothing, or hobbies, and reflects an individual inclination rather than objective quality.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • taste, liking: one’s preferred types of things such as food, books, or fashion
  • personal inclination or style: a characteristic preference that guides choices in daily life
  • variation in taste: acknowledges that people have different likes, leading to diverse opinions

Etymology

好 meaning to like and the nominalizing suffix み; together they form the native noun read konomi.

Composition

  • 好 = to like; favorable feeling
  • み = nominalizing suffix that marks the noun form of a tendency or preference
好み = one’s liking or preference; the compound expresses personal taste.

Usage

Used to express personal taste or preference in both casual and formal contexts; common constructions include 私の好みです and あなたの好みは何ですか; 好みが分かれる expresses that tastes differ among people.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think of 好 as a heart and み as me — this is my taste; remember it as ‘like me’ to recall personal preference.

Variations

  • 趣味 (shumi) — taste or liking; often used for hobbies or things you enjoy
  • 嗜好 (shikou) — formal or stronger sense of preference or appetite
  • センス (senso) — sense of style or aesthetic
  • 好みではない (konomi de wa nai) — not to one’s liking

Example Phrases

  • 彼女の好みはコーヒーより紅茶の方だ。
    Kanojo no konomi wa kōhī yori kōcha no hō da.
    Her preference is tea rather than coffee.
    Lista:
    • 彼女 (kanojo) – she
    • の (no) – of
    • 好み (konomi) – preference
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • コーヒー (kōhī) – coffee
    • より (yori) – than
    • 紅茶 (kōcha) – tea
    • の (no) – of
    • 方 (hō) – side / way
    • だ (da) – is
    In this sentence, 「好み」 means taste/preference; the XよりYの方だ pattern marks Y as the preferred item.
好み