見物
Meaning in Englishsightseeing, viewing
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
見物 means the act of viewing something for pleasure or interest, and also a person who watches an event or scene; used for going to see places or happenings and for onlookers.
Main meanings
- Sightseeing or visiting places of interest for pleasure
- A spectator or onlooker at a public event
- The act of observing something with interest, often in a casual context
How to use it
Used as a noun for viewing or visiting places of interest. In practice it appears with verbs like 見物に行く (kenbutsu ni iku) to go sightseeing or 見物する (kenbutsu suru) to observe. It also forms compounds such as 見物客 (kenbutsukyaku) for spectators and 見物席 (kenbutsuseki) for spectator seating.
Variants and close terms
- 観光 (かんこう, kankou) — sightseeing, tourism
- 見学 (けんがく, kengaku) — inspection, field study
- 見物客 (けんぶつきゃく, kenbutsukyaku) — spectators
- 観覧 (かんらん, kanran) — viewing, attendance (at events)
Composition
- 見: to see, look, observe
- 物: thing, object; together they convey the idea of a thing that is to be seen, yielding the sense of viewing or sightseeing
Etymology
From the kanji 見 (to see) and 物 (thing); the noun derives from the idea of the thing to be seen, with the reading kenbutsu using the on-reading of the characters.
Origin
Origin: appears in classical Japanese and became common in Edo-period usage to describe people who go to watch events or places, as well as the act of viewing.
Word class
noun (名詞)