源氏(げんじ)

げんじ
noun
Genji; Minamoto clan
historyart
1. Minamoto clan
One of the most powerful clans in Japanese history, prominent during the Heian and Kamakura periods. Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate.
源氏(げんじ)は武家(ぶけ)の名門(めいもん)だ。
The Genji are a distinguished warrior family.
源氏(げんじ)と平氏(へいし)の争(あらそ)いは有名(ゆうめい)だ。
The conflict between the Genji and the Heishi is famous.
源氏(げんじ)は鎌倉幕府(かまくらばくふ)を開(ひら)いた一族(いちぞく)として知(し)られている。
The Genji are known as the clan that established the Kamakura shogunate.
2. The Tale of Genji
Short for 源氏物語(げんじものがたり), the classic work of Japanese literature written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, widely considered the world's first novel.
源氏(げんじ)を読(よ)んだことがある。
I have read the Tale of Genji.
源氏(げんじ)は世界最古(せかいさいこ)の長編小説(ちょうへんしょうせつ)と言(い)われている。
The Tale of Genji is said to be the world's oldest full-length novel.
高校(こうこう)の古典(こてん)の授業(じゅぎょう)で源氏(げんじ)の一部(いちぶ)を学(まな)んだ。
I studied part of the Tale of Genji in high school classics class.

Usage

When used alone, 源氏(げんじ) can refer to either the Minamoto clan or the Tale of Genji depending on context. In historical contexts, it refers to the clan; in literary contexts, it is short for 源氏物語(げんじものがたり).

Common collocations

  • 源氏物語(げんじものがたり) (The Tale of Genji)
  • 源平(げんぺい) (Genji and Heishi — the Minamoto and Taira clans)
  • 源平合戦(げんぺいがっせん) (the Genpei War)

Similar words

Related Words

Related: 平氏(へいし) (Taira clan (rival))
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Added 2026.3.14 11:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
16500/16644_genji