Translation and Meaning of: 物 - mono

The Japanese word 「物」 (mono) is a rather versatile term and has various applications in the Japanese language. Etymologically, 「物」 is a kanji that can be broken down into two components: the radical 「牛」 which represents a cow or bull, and the radical 「勿」 which suggests the idea of "not." Historically, the combination of these two elements implies something tangible or concrete, distinct from the spiritual or intangible world. The word is used in various contexts, always maintaining the foundation of designating something physical or a tangible object.

In everyday use, 「物」 refers to "thing" or "object," encompassing everything from specific items, such as furniture or tools, to more abstract concepts within a context, such as responsibility or emotion. For example, when someone mentions "食べ物" (tabemono), the meaning is "food," while "動物" (doubutsu) means "animal." Both terms share the central idea of representing physical or defined entities.

The versatility of 「物」 is also highlighted in compound word expressions, illustrating the capacity for adaptation and modification of the word within the Japanese language. Terms like "植物" (shokubutsu) for "plants" and "荷物" (nimotsu) for "luggage" are other examples of the broad use of 「物」. This adaptive character reflects the dynamic nature of the Japanese language, where a single kanji can serve as the foundation for a wide range of meanings that adjust according to the context in which it is used.

In addition to Japanese, many languages have an equivalent term for what 「物」 represents, highlighting the universal need to denote the physical world around us. The ability of 「物」 to mean so much in Japanese exemplifies how words can carry cultural and linguistic weight, transcending barriers by adapting to new situations and communicative needs. This richness of meanings is one of the reasons why 「物」 holds a unique and important position in the Japanese language.

Vocabulary

Expand your vocabulary with related words:

Synonyms and similar words

• もの (mono) - Coisa, objeto, item
• 物品 (buppin) - Article, item physical, goods
• 物体 (buttai) - Body, physical object, mass
• 物質 (busshitsu) - Substance, material, element
• 物事 (monogoto) - Things, events, general matters

物

Romaji: mono
Kana: もの
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n5

Translation / Meaning: thing; object

Meaning in English: thing;object

Definition: something that exists.

Example Sentences - (物) mono

See below some example sentences:

住宅は私たちの人生の中で最も大きな買い物の一つです。

Jūtaku wa watashitachi no jinsei no naka de mottomo ōkina kaimono no hitotsu desu

A house is one of the biggest purchases in our lives.

Housing is one of the biggest purchases in our lives.

• 住宅 (juutaku) - house, residence
• は (wa) - Topic particle
• 私たち (watashitachi) - we, our
• の (no) - Possession particle
• 人生 (jinsei) - life
• の中で (no naka de) - Inside of
• 最も (mottomo) - the most, the most important
• 大きな (ookina) - large
• 買い物 (kaimono) - purchase, purchase of goods
• の (no) - Possession particle
• 一つ (hitotsu) - one of the
• です (desu) - verb to be, to stay

人類は地球上で最も進化した生物の一つです。

Jinrui wa chikyūjō de mottomo shinka shita seibutsu no hitotsu desu

Humanity is one of the most evolved creatures on earth.

Humanity is one of the most evolved creatures on earth.

• 人類 (jinrui) - Human race
• は (wa) - Topic particle
• 地球上 (chikyuu jou) - in the land
• で (de) - Location particle
• 最も (mottomo) - the most
• 進化した (shinka shita) - evolved
• 生物 (seibutsu) - Living being
• の (no) - Possession particle
• 一つ (hitotsu) - I'm sorry, but I need the text you would like me to translate. Please provide the content for translation.
• です (desu) - Verb "to be"

乳は健康に良い食べ物です。

Nyuu wa kenkou ni yoi tabemono desu

Milk is a healthy food.

Milk is a good health food.

• 乳 (nyuu) - milk
• は (wa) - Topic particle
• 健康 (kenkou) - health
• に (ni) - target particle
• 良い (yoi) - good
• 食べ物 (tabemono) - food
• です (desu) - verb to be"

亜科の生物は非常に興味深いです。

Akabutsu no seibutsu wa hijō ni kyōmibukai desu

The organisms of the Akabutsu subfamily are very interesting.

Sarquic creatures are very interesting.

• 亜科 - Subfamily
• の - Possessive particle
• 生物 - Living being
• は - Topic particle
• 非常に - Very
• 興味深い - Interesting
• です - Verb "to be" in the present

デザートは私の一番好きな食べ物です。

Dēzāto wa watashi no ichiban suki na tabemono desu

Dessert is my favorite food.

Dessert is my favorite food.

• デザート - デザート (dezāto)
• は - particle in Japanese that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "dessert."
• 私の - possessive pronoun in Japanese that means "my/mine".
• 一番 - expression in Japanese that means "the most," in this case, "my favorite dessert."
• 好きな - adjective in Japanese that means "favorite".
• 食べ物 - word in Japanese that means "food".
• です - verb in Japanese that means "to be/being", used to indicate the affirmation of the sentence.

この荷物の目方はどのくらいですか？

Kono nimotsu no mihodo wa dono kurai desu ka?

How's that luggage eye?

How's that luggage eye?

• この荷物 - "this package"
• の - Possessive particle
• 目方 - "weight"
• は - Topic particle
• どのくらい - "how much"
• ですか - interrogative particle

この廃棄物は適切に処理する必要があります。

Kono haiki butsu wa tekisetsu ni shori suru hitsuyō ga arimasu

This residue must be processed correctly.

This residue must be processed correctly.

• この - demonstrative pronoun that means "this"
• 廃棄物 - Noun that means "residue" or "garbage"
• は - topic particle that indicates the topic of the sentence
• 適切に - adverb that means "adequately" or "correctly"
• 処理する - verb that means "to process" or "to treat"
• 必要があります - Expression that means "it is necessary" or "must be done".

この物差しで長さを測ってください。

Kono monosashi de nagasa wo hakatte kudasai

Please measure the length with this ruler.

Measure the length with this ruler.

• この - demonstrative pronoun that means "this"
• 物差し - noun meaning "ruler"
• で - particle that indicates the means or tool used to carry out the action
• 長さ - noun meaning "length"
• を - Particle indicating the direct object of the action.
• 測って - verb "測る" in the affirmative imperative, which means "to measure"
• ください - verb "くださる" in the affirmative imperative, which means "please"

この物質の密度は非常に高いです。

Kono busshitsu no mitsudo wa hijō ni takai desu

The density of this substance is very high.

The density of this substance is very high.

• この - demonstrative pronoun that means "this"
• 物質 - noun meaning "substance"
• の - Particle indicating possession or relationship
• 密度 - noun meaning "density"
• は - particle that indicates the topic of the sentence
• 非常に - adverb meaning "very"
• 高い - adjective meaning "tall"
• です - Verb "to be" in the present tense

この荷物は軽いです。

Kono nimotsu wa karui desu

This luggage is light.

This luggage is light.

• この - indicates proximity, in this case, "this"
• 荷物 - means "luggage"
• は - particle that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "about"
• 軽い - adjective meaning "light"
• です - Verb "to be" in polite form