Translation guide
How to express 'remnants' in Japanese, covering physical leftovers, traces, ruins, and abstract vestiges.
Referring to leftover parts of something physical, such as food, materials, or objects.
General term for leftovers or remains of something. Commonly used for food, time, or quantity.
I ate yesterday's leftovers.
Please put the leftovers in the fridge.
Refers to wreckage, debris, or ruins, often after destruction. More dramatic than 残り.
The remnants of the accident were scattered on the road.
Often used for surplus or excess, but can mean remnants in the sense of what is left over.
I made small items with the remnants of the cloth.
Referring to abstract or intangible remains, such as customs, feelings, or evidence of something that existed.
Traces or lingering signs of something that is gone, often with a nostalgic nuance. Common in phrases like 名残惜しい (reluctant to part).
There are remnants of the old townscape.
Marks, traces, or evidence left behind. Often used in formal or investigative contexts.
Relics or artifacts from the past, often archaeological or historical.
Referring to the physical remains of buildings or constructions.
Referring to the rest or remainder of something, often in a numerical or collective sense.
残り is for concrete leftovers (food, time, objects), while 名残 is for abstract traces or lingering feelings of something past. Use 残り for 'leftover pizza' and 名残 for 'remnants of a bygone era'.
I ate the leftover pizza.
A café that retains remnants of the Showa era.
Direct translations like 残り物 (leftover items) can sound awkward in some contexts. Choose the word that matches the nuance: physical leftovers, traces, ruins, etc.
There was a trace of anger in his words.
犯人の痕跡は見つからなかった。
No traces of the culprit were found.
These relics are remnants of an ancient civilization.
The Roman ruins evoke remnants of ancient times.
The remnants of the budget will be carried over to next month.