名詞(めいし)

名詞(めいし) is the grammatical term for "noun" — a word that names a person, thing, place, or concept. Essential vocabulary for studying Japanese grammar.

Related words

The other parts of speech (品詞(ひんし)):

• 動詞(どうし): verb
• 形容詞(けいようし): adjective (i-adjective)
• 形容動詞(けいようどうし): na-adjective
• 副詞(ふくし): adverb
• 助詞(じょし): particle
• 助動詞(じょどうし): auxiliary verb
• 接続詞(せつぞくし): conjunction

Watch out

名刺(めいし) (business card) has the same reading but different kanji.

Usage

In Japanese grammar, 名詞(めいし) does not inflect — there is no plural form or grammatical gender, unlike many European languages.