Mono (thing) - mono (English spelling) thing

Japanese: もの(物) - もの（英語表記）thing

In the narrow sense, it refers to objects in the outside world that can be perceived by the senses, but in the broad sense, it generally refers to some kind of existence, whether it is a fact that exists in reality or an object of thought. In Japanese usage, it is sometimes used to avoid directly naming things like souls, demons, and monsters, and is sometimes referred to as "mono" or "mononoke," and is also used metaphorically to refer to humans, such as "omono" (big thing) or "komono" (small thing). Here, I would like to consider only the narrow sense of "mono." Even in the West, the concept of "mono" is extremely ambiguous, and there are many different ways of interpreting it.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

狭義には外界にあって感覚的に知覚されうる物体を指すが，広義には現実に存在する事実であれ思考対象であれ一般に何らかの存在を指す言葉。また，日本語の用法では，魂，鬼，妖怪のようなものを直接名指すのを避け，〈もの〉〈物の怪（け）〉などと呼ぶこともあるし，〈大物〉〈小物〉など比喩的には人間に関しても用いることがある。ここでは狭義の物に限って考えてみたい。　西洋においても〈物〉という概念はきわめて多義的であり，そのとらえ方も多様である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Things - things

>>: Things - things