民みん衆しゅう

み

ん

しゅ

う

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

the people; the masses; the general public

Refers to ordinary people as a collective, often in contrast to elites, rulers, or specialists. Common in news, political, and historical contexts.

政せい治じ家かは民みん衆しゅうの声こえに耳みみを傾かたむけるべきだ。
Politicians should listen to the voice of the people.
その革かく命めいは民みん衆しゅうの支し持じを得えて成せい功こうした。
The revolution succeeded with the support of the masses.

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Usage patterns

民みん衆しゅうの声こえを聞きくto listen to the voice of the people
政せい治じ家かは民みん衆しゅうの声こえを聞きくべきだ。
Politicians should listen to the voice of the people.
民みん衆しゅうの支し持じを得えるto gain the support of the people
新あたらしい指し導どう者しゃは民みん衆しゅうの支し持じを得えた。
The new leader gained the support of the people.
民みん衆しゅうを統とう治ちするto govern the people
王おうは長なが年ねんにわたり民みん衆しゅうを統とう治ちしてきた。
The king has governed the people for many years.
民みん衆しゅうに訴うったえるto appeal to the people
彼かれは演えん説ぜつで民みん衆しゅうに訴うったえた。
He appealed to the people in his speech.

Kanji

民people, nation, subjects
衆masses, great numbers, multitude

Related words· 8

国こく民みんN3
国民 stresses people as citizens of a specific nation-state, while 民衆 is a broader term for ordinary people regardless of nationality.
大たい衆しゅうN1
大衆 often refers to the general public in commercial or cultural contexts (e.g. 大衆文化), whereas 民衆 leans political or historical.
庶しょ民みんN2
庶民 focuses on ordinary, non-elite individuals in daily life, while 民衆 views people as a collective political or social force.
人じん民みんN1
人民 is a more ideologically charged term (used in socialist/communist rhetoric) for the people, while 民衆 is neutral and descriptive.

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平へい民みん
民衆 emphasizes the masses as a political or social collective, whereas 平民 focuses on individual status as a non-noble.
公こう衆しゅうN2
民衆 highlights ordinary citizens as opposed to rulers or authorities, carrying a political tone, while 公衆 is neutral and used for civic/administrative contexts.
ピープル
民衆 refers to “the masses” with a social or political nuance, while ピープル is simply an English-style katakana rendering of “people” without that connotation.
民たみ
民衆 emphasizes the people as a collective mass, often in social or political movements, while 民 is a more archaic, single-character term.

Opposites

権けん力りょく者しゃ
権力者 refers to those who hold power, standing in direct contrast to 民衆, the ordinary people they rule over.

Don't confuse with

民みん主しゅN1
民主 (as in 民主主義) means 'democracy' or 'democratic', while 民衆 means 'the people/masses' as a noun; the words sound alike but differ in meaning.

Word family· 9

全ぜん民みん衆しゅう
all the peoples; all nations
民みん衆しゅう化か
popularization
民みん衆しゅう的てき
popular; of the common people
民みん衆しゅう駅えき
publicly supported railway station
民みん衆しゅう扇せん動どう
demagoguery; demagogy

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民みん衆しゅう文ぶん化か
popular culture
民みん衆しゅう文も字じ
demotic (ancient Egyptian script)
民みん衆しゅう殺さつ戮りく
democide; mass killing of civilians
民みん衆しゅう蜂ほう起き
popular uprising; mass uprising

Etymology

Compound of 民 (people) and 衆 (multitude). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in political and social discourse since at least the Meiji period.