noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Refers to an inscription carved on a stone monument, tombstone, or memorial. Often used in formal or historical contexts.
An old inscription is carved on that stone monument.
I tried to read the epitaph on the gravestone, but it was weathered and illegible.
Compound of 碑 (stone monument) and 銘 (inscription). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for formal terms.