名物
Meaning in Englishfamous product, special product, speciality
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
名物 means a local specialty or famous product associated with a place; items such as foods or crafts that a city or region is renowned for, often used to attract visitors or customers.
Main meanings
- Regional specialty or famous product of a place, especially foods or crafts.
- Used in marketing and tourism to highlight what a place is best known for.
- Often appears in fixed phrases such as 名物料理 or 名物として紹介される to indicate a signature item.
How to use it
Used in both formal and informal contexts to refer to a place's standout products; commonly appears in menus as 名物料理, in travel writing and brochures, and in shop signage, often with a place name to denote provenance.
Variants and close terms
- 名産 (めいさん) meisan — regional product or produce; emphasizes local origin
- 特産 (とくさん) tokusan — regional specialty; highlights uniqueness
- 名物料理 (めいぶつりょうり) meibutsu-ryouri — signature dish
Composition
- 名: fame, name; 物: thing; combined they mean a thing known for its fame
Etymology
名 (mei) + 物 (butsu), together read meibutsu; the pronunciation uses on'yomi for both kanji, forming a stable compound in modern Japanese.
Origin
The concept likely emerged in the Edo period as a label for notable regional products and dishes, later spreading across Japan to refer to any place's celebrated items. It is now a common term in marketing, tourism, and everyday speech.
Word class
Noun (名物)