noun, noun, used as a suffix, na-adjective
expert; connoisseur; person in the know
Used for someone deeply knowledgeable about a field, hobby, place, or inside situation. Often follows a noun as a suffix, as in ワイン通 or 事情通.
彼はワイン通として知られている。
He is known as a wine connoisseur.
あの記者は政界通だ。
That reporter is well informed about the political world.
counter
counter for messages and documents
A counter for letters, emails, notices, applications, certificates, and similar written communications or documents.
メールが一通届いた。
One email arrived.
申請書を二通提出してください。
Please submit two copies of the application form.
noun, na-adjective
worldly understanding; tact; insight
Somewhat old-fashioned or literary use for social insight or tact, especially an understanding of delicate relations between men and women.
古い小説では、男女の機微をよく心得た人を「通」と呼ぶことがある。
In older novels, someone who understands the subtleties between men and women may be called a tsū.
noun
supernatural powers; magical powers
Rare as an independent modern noun; mainly recognizable in compounds or religious-style terms referring to extraordinary or supernatural powers.
「神通力」の通は、超自然的な力を表す古い用法を残している。
The tsū in 神通力 preserves an older use referring to supernatural power.
A more formal word for a specialist or professional expert; 通 often suggests connoisseurship, insider knowledge, or cultivated taste rather than an official profession.
Means an enthusiast or lover of something; a 通 is not merely fond of it but is especially knowledgeable or discerning.
A common compound using 通 for someone well informed about circumstances or inside information in a particular area.
Overlaps with 通 in older or refined social nuance, but 粋 emphasizes stylishness and sophistication more than knowledge or expertise.
The spelling uses 通, a kanji broadly associated with passing through, communicating, and being versed in something. The expert sense relates to being well acquainted with a domain, while the counter sense is used for transmitted or written communications and documents; the exact historical development is not specified.