The Meaning of mono [物] In Japanese

物
もの
Romaji: mono N5

What does 物 mean?

Translation and Meaning

thing, object, matter

Definition

物 means “thing” or “object” in Japanese. It functions as a broad, general noun used to refer to tangible items, possessions, phenomena, events or categories of items and can cover both concrete objects and abstract matters depending on context.

Type

noun (名詞, meishi)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Goods or merchandise, referring to items for sale or trade rather than a single object.
  • An affair, matter, or situation when used to talk about issues or abstract topics.
  • Organisms or living creatures when combined in compound words that denote beings.
  • As a suffix (‑もの) it marks a person characterized by a trait or habit rather than a physical object.
  • In some contexts it conveys emotional emphasis or a subjective evaluation of an item or situation.

Etymology

The character 物 was borrowed from Chinese; its Sino-Japanese on readings reflect historical Chinese pronunciations while the native kun reading (mono) is an Old Japanese lexical item that was paired with the character for its semantic match rather than derived from the Chinese sound.

Origin

The concept and the native word (mono) appear in early Japanese texts and court literature; the kanji 物 arrived with Chinese writing and was used from classical periods to record both material culture and abstract notions, becoming integrated into both everyday speech and written registers.

Composition

The kanji 物 pairs a semantic component (left) derived from 牜/牛 (cattle/animal) with the phonetic component on the right 勿; the left suggests a link to tangible goods or animals while the right originally supplies sound information, together forming the written sign associated with items and material matters.

Usage

Used broadly in everyday and written Japanese to name objects, possessions, and matters; appears as a standalone noun in casual and formal speech, as a suffix to form nouns describing people or things, and with on readings in technical or compound terms; register varies by compound and collocation rather than by the character itself.
💡 Tips
Visualize an ox (left part of the kanji) carrying random objects on its back to remember that (mono) refers to items or things.

Variations

  • こと (koto) – intangible thing, matter
  • 品 (しな, shina) – article, goods, item
  • 物品 (ぶっぴん, buppin) – articles, merchandise
  • 者 (もの, mono) – person (in some usages where 物 appears as a suffix indicating a person)

Example Phrases

  • 落下 に 注意して 棚 の 上の 物 を 移動した。
    rakka ni chuui shite tana no ue no mono o idou shita.
    I paid attention to falling objects and moved the items on the shelf.
    Lista:
    • 落下 (rakka) – falling
    • に (ni) – to
    • 注意して (chuui shite) – paying attention
    • 棚 (tana) – shelf
    • の (no) – of
    • 上の (ue no) – on top
    • 物 (mono) – things
    • を (o) – direct object marker
    • 移動した (idou shita) – moved
    落下 is a noun meaning 「falling」; in this sentence it combines with に to indicate what to be careful about: 「落下に注意して」.
  • 友達の前で失敗を見せ物にしないで。
    Tomodachi no mae de shippai o misemono ni shinaide.
    Don’t turn your mistakes into a spectacle in front of your friends.
    Lista:
    • 友達 (tomodachi) – friend
    • の (no) – of
    • 前 (mae) – front
    • で (de) – in/at
    • 失敗 (shippai) – failure
    • を (wo) – (object marker)
    • 見せ物 (misemono) – spectacle
    • に (ni) – to/into
    • しないで (shinaide) – don’t
    Use the set phrase 「見せ物にする」 to mean turning something into a spectacle for others; in this sentence, 「見せ物」 is the noun used in that phrasal form.
  • スーパーで 果物の 種類を 見比べて 買う。
    Sūpā de kudamono no shurui o mihikabete kau.
    I compare fruit types at the supermarket and buy.
    Lista:
    • スーパー (Sūpā) – direct translation in en
    • で (de) – direct translation in en
    • 果物 (kudamono) – direct translation in en
    • の (no) – direct translation in en
    • 種類 (shurui) – direct translation in en
    • を (o) – direct translation in en
    • 見比べて (mihikabete) – direct translation in en
    • 買う (kau) – direct translation in en
    『種類』 means ‘types/varieties’; in this sentence 果物の「種類」を見比べる, の marks the category, i.e., ‘types of fruit’.
  • 改札を出たとき 荷物を 忘れた かもしれない が すぐ 戻った。
    kaisatsu o deta toki nimotsu o wasureta kamoshirenai ga sugu modotta.
    I might have forgotten my luggage when I exited the gate, and I went back immediately.
    Lista:
    • 改札 (kaisatsu) – gate
    • 出たとき (deta toki) – when exiting
    • 荷物 (nimotsu) – luggage
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 忘れた (wasureta) – forgot
    • かもしれない (kamoshirenai) – might
    • が (ga) – but
    • すぐ (sugu) – immediately
    • 戻った (modotta) – returned
    In this sentence, 「荷物」 is the direct object of 忘れた; 荷物を忘れた means ‘forgot my luggage’.
  • 大道芸を見物してから、家に帰る途中で友達と話した。
    Daidougei o kenbutsu shite kara, ie ni kaeru tochuu de tomodachi to hanashita.
    I talked with a friend on the way home after watching a street performance.
    Lista:
    • 大道芸 (daidougei) – street performance
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 見物 (kenbutsu) – sightseeing
    • してから (shite kara) – after doing
    • 家に (ie ni) – to home
    • 帰る途中で (kaeru tochuu de) – on the way home
    • 友達と話した (tomodachi to hanashita) – talked with a friend
    「見物」は観察者として物事を眺める行為を表す名詞。ここでは「見物してから」で動作の順序を示す。
物