名義
Meanings
name on a document; formal name; registered name
The name under which something is registered, owned, signed, contracted, or published. Common in legal and administrative contexts such as 口座の名義, 契約者名義, and 会社名義.
This account is in my wife's name.
We changed the name on the contract from the company to an individual.
moral duty; duty attached to one's position
Rare use close to 名分, referring to a moral or social obligation implied by one's name, status, or role. Modern Japanese usually uses 名分 or more specific wording instead.
See also: 名分
In older contexts, 名義 may refer to a moral duty, as in phrases like “the duties between lord and retainer.”
justification; pretext; nominal reason
Formal or somewhat old-fashioned use for the stated label, reason, or justification under which something is done; it can imply a pretext. 名目 is often the more common modern word for this nuance.
They went on a business trip to the hot-spring area under the pretext of an inspection.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉名義の〈物〉something registered under someone's name
This car is registered under my father's name.
- 〈物〉は〈人〉名義になっているsomething is registered in someone's name
This house is registered in my mother's name.
- 名義を〈人〉に貸すto lend one's name (registration) to someone
I lent my name to a friend and it caused trouble.
- 〈事〉という名義でunder the pretext or justification of something
They billed the expense under the justification of training.
Expressions
- 名義でin someone else's name; under another person's name