こと

こ

と

Meanings

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.

Related words

物ものN5sense 1
物 refers to a concrete, tangible thing, while こと refers to an abstract matter, fact, or event.
事じ件けんN3sense 2
事件 names a specific, often serious or criminal incident, while こと can describe any kind of happening, big or small.
事じ情じょうN3sense 3
事情 focuses on the background reasons or circumstances behind a situation, while こと can refer more broadly to the situation or matter itself.
事こと柄がらN1sense 1
事柄 is a slightly more formal word for a matter or topic, whereas こと is the everyday, all-purpose term for the same idea.
件けんN2
事 is a broad, everyday word for 'thing/matter', while 件 is narrower and typically used for a specific case, incident, or item in formal or business contexts.

Don't confuse with

の sense 1
の can also nominalize a clause and feels more casual and immediate, while こと is more abstract and is required in many fixed grammatical patterns like ことができる.
事ごと
事 read as こと means a matter or thing, but the same kanji read as ごと is a suffix attached to verbs or nouns to form words like 出来事, so they look identical but function differently.
言げん
言 (read こと in classical or poetic compounds like 言の葉) and 事 (こと, 'matter' or 'thing') share the same reading but differ completely in meaning, so context is needed to tell them apart.

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Outdated kanji spelling marked as such; useful mainly for old texts or lookup.

こと

Meanings

Usage patterns· 8

Expressions· 88