こと

こ

と

○

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 100

Meanings

noun

thing; matter; the fact that; doing

usually written using kana alone

Very common abstract noun and formal noun. It refers to a matter, topic, fact, or action rather than a concrete object; after a verb or adjective phrase, it nominalizes the phrase as an abstract thing.

そのことは、あとでゆっくり話はなしましょう。
Let's talk about that matter later.

日本にほん語ごを勉べん強きょうすることが好すきです。

I like studying Japanese.

noun

incident; event; trouble; crisis

usually written using kana alone

Used for something that happens, especially when it is serious, troublesome, or potentially bad. Common in phrases such as 大変なこと and もしものこと.

大たい変へんなことが起おきた。
Something serious happened.
もしものことがあったら、この番ばん号ごうに電でん話わしてください。
If anything happens, call this number.

noun

circumstances; situation; state of affairs

usually written using kana alone

Refers to how matters stand or how a situation has developed. Often appears in set expressions such as ことの次第.

ことの次し第だいを説せつ明めいしてください。
Please explain the circumstances.

noun

affairs; business; work

usually written using kana alone

Used for someone's duties, household matters, company affairs, or other practical business to be handled.

家いえのことは兄あにが全ぜん部ぶやっている。
My older brother handles all the household affairs.
会かい社しゃのことは彼かれに任まかせてあります。
Company affairs have been left to him.

noun, used as a suffix

make-believe; pretending to

usually written using kana alone

Limited suffix use, mostly encountered in fixed compounds where こと is voiced to ごと, such as ままごと. It is not a freely productive modern standalone use.

Written forms

ことUsage95%
It is usually written in kana; this is the normal spelling for grammatical and many everyday uses.
事ことUsage5%
Attested kanji spelling, often seen in more lexical, formal, or written uses. Many grammatical patterns are normally written こと.
コトUsage<1%
縡こと
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji spelling marked as such; useful mainly for old texts or lookup.

Kanji

事matter, thing, fact
縡breath, life

Similar words

物もの
物 usually means a concrete thing or object, while こと usually refers to an abstract matter, event, fact, or action.
の
の can also nominalize a clause and often feels more immediate or concrete; こと is more abstract and is required in many fixed grammatical patterns.
事じ件けん
事件 is a specific incident or case, often criminal or newsworthy; こと is much broader and can refer to any happening or matter.
事じ情じょう
事情 focuses on background circumstances or reasons; こと is more general and can refer to the matter itself or the situation as a whole.

Etymology

A native Japanese word conventionally written with 事 for matters, affairs, and events. The historical derivation is uncertain here; 縡 is an outdated written variant.