The Meaning of koumoku [項目] In Japanese

項目
こうもく
Romaji: koumoku N4

What does 項目 mean?

Translation and Meaning

item, entry, field

Definition

What does 項目 mean? It denotes a discrete unit within a larger collection, such as an entry in a table or database, or a specific field in a form or specification.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • An item in a list or catalog.
  • A field or parameter in a form, table, database, or specification.
  • A point of discussion or element within an outline or plan.

Etymology

koumoku is formed from the on’yomi readings of 項 and 目; the compound shows no notable phonetic shift in modern usage and functions as a standard noun.

Origin

Meiji period onward; adoption in administrative and technical language; widely used in forms, databases, and documentation.

Composition

  • 項: item, section; contributes the idea of a discrete unit within a sequence
  • 目: item, point; reinforces the notion of a thing to be noted or listed

Usage

Used in formal and technical writing, UI labels, and data schemas; in everyday contexts it appears in instructions or forms referring to a specific item to fill or check. Examples: この項目を入力してください, 以下の項目を確認してください。
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a checklist where each item is a joint (項) that an eye (目) on the page must review before moving on to the next entry.

Variations

  • 品目 hinmoku: item, goods line in a catalog
  • 事項 jikō: matter, item in a list
  • 欄 ran: column or field in a form or table
  • エントリ entori: entry in a dataset

Example Phrases

  • 今日 の 打ち合わせ で 項目 を 確認 しました
    kyou no uchiawase de koumoku o kakunin shimashita
    We checked the items in today’s meeting.
    Lista:
    • 今日 (kyou) – today
    • の (no) – of
    • 打ち合わせ (uchiawase) – meeting
    • で (de) – at
    • 項目 (koumoku) – item
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 確認 (kakunin) – check
    • しました (shimashita) – did
    The word 「項目」 is a noun meaning ‘item’; here it is the object of 確認, marked by を.
項目