面子(めんつ)

めんつ
noun
face; dignity; honor; reputation
1. face; dignity; honor; reputation
One's social face, dignity, or reputation, especially in the context of losing or saving face in social situations. Borrowed from Chinese, this concept is important in East Asian social interactions.
面子(めんつ)を保(たも)つ。
Save face.
人前(ひとまえ)で叱(しか)られて、面子(めんつ)が丸(まる)つぶれだ。
Being scolded in public completely destroyed my dignity.
上司(じょうし)の面子(めんつ)を立(た)てるために、会議(かいぎ)では反対(はんたい)意見(いけん)を控(ひか)えた。
I held back my opposing views at the meeting to preserve my boss's dignity.

Usage

面子(めんつ) (also written メンツ) is a loanword from Chinese referring to social face and reputation. It is widely used in Japanese, especially in business and social hierarchy contexts.

Common collocations

  • 面子(めんつ)を立(た)てる (to save someone's face; to show respect)
  • 面子(めんつ)を保(たも)つ (to maintain face)
  • 面子(めんつ)を潰(つぶ)す (to cause someone to lose face)
  • 面子(めんつ)が丸(まる)つぶれ (complete loss of face)
  • 面子(めんつ)にかかわる (to be a matter of face/pride)

Similar words

Related Words

Synonym: 面目(めんぼく) (face, honor (literary))
Compare: 体面(たいめん) (reputation, appearances)
Compare: プライド (pride (personal self-respect)
general
Added 2026.3.2 17:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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