物 — Thing, Object, Matter

Meaning

物 means thing, object, matter, or substance. It turns up constantly in Japanese — food names, nature terms, shopping vocabulary, abstract concepts. Whether you're describing something you can hold or an intangible affair, 物 covers it.

The character is built from two parts: the radical 牛 (ushi, cow) on the left, and 勿 on the right. In ancient China, cattle were the standard measure of wealth — all goods were valued against them. From livestock and property, the meaning stretched over centuries to cover all things in existence.

物 has 8 strokes, entering the Japanese school curriculum in Grade 3 at around age 8–9. It stays central to daily Japanese well into N4 and beyond. The radical 牛 (cow) is a useful anchor for remembering its roots in material goods and trade.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

物 has two on'yomi: ブツ (BUTSU) and モツ (MOTSU). Both appear in Chinese-derived compounds (熟語, jukugo). ブツ is far more common in everyday Japanese.

ブツ (BUTSU) appears across a wide range of everyday and formal compounds:

物質ぶっしつ (busshitsu) — matter, substance, material
物価ぶっか (bukka) — prices, cost of living
動物どうぶつ (dōbutsu) — animal (literally "moving thing")
植物しょくぶつ (shokubutsu) — plant (literally "growing thing")
鉱物こうぶつ (kōbutsu) — mineral

モツ (MOTSU) is less common, appearing mainly in older or cargo-related vocabulary:

荷物にもつ (nimotsu) — luggage, baggage, cargo
貨物かもつ (kamotsu) — freight, cargo

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The kun'yomi are もの (mono) and the casual spoken contraction もん (mon). Use these when 物 stands alone or combines with native Japanese words.

もの (mono) covers both physical objects and abstract matters. At N4 you'll also meet it in grammar patterns — 〜ものだ expresses general truths or wistful recollection, while 〜ものではない sets social expectations. Same kanji, very different nuance.

物語ものがたり (monogatari) — story, tale, narrative
物音ものおと (monooto) — sound, noise (from something)
物事ものごと (monogoto) — things in general, matters, affairs
食べ物たべもの (tabemono) — food (thing to eat)
飲み物のみもの (nomimono) — drink, beverage

もん (mon) is a casual contraction used heavily in spoken Japanese to express reason, emotion, or mild complaint:

そんな物そんなもん (sonna mon) — that's how it is, such is life

Common Words & Compounds

物 forms compounds across every area of daily life. Key words by category:

Food & Daily Life

食べ物たべもの (tabemono) — food
飲み物のみもの (nomimono) — drink, beverage
買い物かいもの (kaimono) — shopping (thing to buy)
建物たてもの (tatemono) — building, structure
荷物にもつ (nimotsu) — luggage, baggage

Nature & Science

動物どうぶつ (dōbutsu) — animal
植物しょくぶつ (shokubutsu) — plant
生物せいぶつ (seibutsu) — living thing, organism
鉱物こうぶつ (kōbutsu) — mineral
物質ぶっしつ (busshitsu) — matter, substance

Abstract & Conceptual

物事ものごと (monogoto) — things in general, affairs
物語ものがたり (monogatari) — story, tale
物価ぶっか (bukka) — prices, price level
見物けんぶつ (kenbutsu) — sightseeing, watching
本物ほんもの (honmono) — the real thing, genuine article
偽物にせもの (nisemono) — fake, imitation, counterfeit

Transportation & Commerce

貨物かもつ (kamotsu) — cargo, freight
名物めいぶつ (meibutsu) — famous product, local specialty
物件ぶっけん (bukken) — property, real estate item

Example Sentences

食べ物たべものを大切たいせつにしてください。

Tabemono wo taisetsu ni shite kudasai.

Please don't waste food.

駅えきの近くちかくに大きな建物たてものがあります。

Eki no chikaku ni ōkina tatemono ga arimasu.

There is a large building near the station.

動物園どうぶつえんで珍しい動物めずらしいどうぶつを見みました。

Dōbutsuen de mezurashii dōbutsu wo mimashita.

I saw rare animals at the zoo.

荷物にもつが重おもくて運はこべません。

Nimotsu ga omokute hakobemasen.

The luggage is too heavy to carry.

これは本物ほんもののダイヤモンドですか。

Kore wa honmono no daiyamondo desu ka.

Is this a real diamond?

物価ぶっかが上あがって生活せいかつが大変たいへんになりました。

Bukka ga agatte seikatsu ga taihen ni narimashita.

Prices have gone up and life has gotten harder.

週末しゅうまつは家族かぞくと買い物かいものに行いきます。

Shūmatsu wa kazoku to kaimono ni ikimasu.

On weekends I go shopping with my family.

子供こどもの頃ころ、祖母そぼの物語ものがたりを聞きくのが好すきでした。

Kodomo no koro, sobo no monogatari wo kiku no ga suki deshita.

As a child, I loved listening to my grandmother's stories.

物事ものごとをよく考かんがえてから決きめてください。

Monogoto wo yoku kangaete kara kimete kudasai.

Think things through carefully before you decide.

Related Kanji

Memory Tip

Picture a cow (牛) at market, stamped with a tag (勿) to mark it as a specific object for sale. Cattle were the ultimate thing of value in ancient trade — the yardstick for all goods, from food to cloth to tools. 物 = a tagged cow = a thing.

Vietnamese speakers: VẬT maps directly — vật chất (matter), động vật (animal), thực vật (plant). All the same kanji, all meaning things that exist.