モットー

も

っ

と

ー

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

A short phrase expressing a guiding principle or personal creed, used in the same way as the English word.

My motto is 'perseverance is power'.

〈事こと〉をモットーにするto make something one's motto
彼かれは「努ど力りょくは必かならず報むくわれる」をモットーにしている。
He lives by the motto "Effort always pays off."
〈人ひと〉のモットーは〈事こと〉だX's motto is Y
私わたしのモットーは「一いち日にち一いち善ぜん」だ。
My motto is "One good deed a day."

座ざ右ゆうの銘めい
座右の銘 is a more traditional, often literary phrase for a personal motto kept close at hand, while モットー is the casual loanword equivalent.
標ひょう語ごN1
標語 is a public slogan or catchphrase used by groups or campaigns, whereas モットー usually refers to a personal or organizational guiding principle.
信しん条じょう
信条 emphasizes a deeply held belief or conviction, while モットー is the short phrase that expresses such a principle.
スローガン
モットー refers to a personal or organizational guiding principle one lives by, whereas スローガン is a public catchphrase meant to rally others.
合あい言こと葉ば
モットー refers to a personal or organizational motto one lives by, while 合言葉 is typically a phrase a group repeats together as a shared goal.

Loanword from English 'motto'.