人民(じんみん)

A formal, political term for "the people" as a collective body of citizens. Commonly encountered in political discourse, historical texts, and names of countries and institutions.

Common collocations

• 人民(じんみん)裁判(さいばん): people's trial
• 人民(じんみん)解放(かいほう)軍(ぐん): People's Liberation Army
• 人民元(じんみんげん): Chinese yuan (renminbi)
• 中華(ちゅうか)人民(じんみん)共和国(きょうわこく): People's Republic of China

Similar words

• 国民(こくみん): nationals, citizens — emphasizes membership in a specific nation-state
• 市民(しみん): citizens — emphasizes civic participation and rights in a community
• 民衆(みんしゅう): the masses — emphasizes the common people as opposed to the ruling class
• 住民(じゅうみん): residents — emphasizes living in a particular area

Usage

In modern Japanese, 人民(じんみん) has a somewhat formal or political tone and is associated with socialist or revolutionary terminology. In everyday contexts, 国民(こくみん) or 市民(しみん) are more commonly used.