Neutral term for a tangible item, product, or article, often used in commercial or descriptive contexts.
この店は変わった代物をたくさん扱っている。
This shop carries a lot of unusual goods.
This is quite a troublesome thing to deal with.
新しく開発された代物は、従来のものより軽い。
The newly developed product is lighter than conventional ones.
Often used to appraise something, especially with irony, sarcasm, or mild disdain. Can refer to objects, situations, or people.
彼が持ってきたのは、とんでもない代物だった。
What he brought was an outrageous thing.
あの代物は一体何を考えているんだ。
What on earth is that fellow thinking?
Archaic euphemism for a prostitute, now obsolete.
江戸時代の文献では、代物が遊女を指すことがある。
In Edo-period documents, 代物 sometimes refers to a courtesan.
Archaic usage for price or cost; no longer used in modern Japanese.
古文書では、代物が代金の意味で使われる例がある。
In old documents, 代物 is sometimes used to mean payment.
「魔法の薬」という代物を売っていた。
He was selling something called a 'magic potion.'
This isn't something a beginner can easily handle.
物 is the plain, general word for a thing, while 代物 usually singles out an item as notably good, bad, or strange.
曲者 stresses that a person or thing is tricky or hard to handle, close to the ironic, wary tone 代物 can have when describing something troublesome.
Standard kanji spelling.
Kana spelling is common in casual writing.
Katakana spelling is used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Compound of 代 (しろ, 'substitute, price') + 物 (もの, 'thing'). Originally referred to something of value or a substitute, later broadening to mean an article or thing, often with an evaluative nuance.