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文句 (もんく, monku) Japanese meaning: complaint | Kotomora
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句く
を
言い
う
。
He always complains about the food.
I have no objection to this plan.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 文もん 句く を 言い う to complain to someone
I complained to my neighbor that the noise was too loud.
〈 物もの 〉 の 文もん 句く を 覚おぼ える to memorize the wording/lyrics of something
I quickly memorized the lyrics of that song.
〈 人ひと 〉 は 文もん 句く が 多おお い someone complains a lot
My boss really complains about everything.
Kanji 文 sentence, literature, style 句 phrase, clause, sentence Related words· 11 苦情 is a formal, often official complaint (e.g., to a company), while 文句 is a casual, everyday gripe.
言い回し means a turn of phrase or manner of expression, while 文句 in this sense means the actual set wording used.
クレーム is specifically a complaint made to a business about a product or service, whereas 文句 covers any casual grumble.
フレーズ is a borrowed, more neutral term for a phrase (e.g., in music or language), while 文句 often implies a fixed or notable set of words.
Show 7 more 不満 names the feeling of dissatisfaction itself, while 文句 refers to the spoken words of complaint.
文句 is the broad, everyday word for a complaint or objection, while 小言 specifically suggests nagging fault-finding, often from a superior to a subordinate.
文句 is a direct complaint or objection, often stronger and more confrontational, while 愚痴 is more like idle grumbling or venting.
Word family· 9 catchphrase; slogan; promotional line
intimidating language; threatening words
witty remark; well-worded saying; epigram; aphorism
sales pitch; catchphrase
Written forms 文もん 句く Usage 99%
Standard kanji spelling for both complaint and phrase senses.
もんく Usage 1%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the complaint sense.
Etymology 文 (writing, sentence) + 句 (phrase, clause). Originally referred to a phrase or wording, later extended to mean a complaint (finding fault with words).
言い い 分ぶん
N1
文句 is a blunt gripe or complaint, often about trivial things, while 言い分 as a complaint still carries the sense of a personal, arguably legitimate grievance.
文句 is the common, everyday word for a complaint used in both positive and negative sentences, while 申し分 appears almost only in negative forms like 申し分ない to mean 'flawless'.
文句 often implies a complaint or set phrase with a negative tone, whereas セリフ in its 'stock phrase' sense (お決まりのセリフ) is more neutral or ironic, referring to a predictable line.
文句 is a blunt, often confrontational complaint, whereas 不平 sounds slightly more formal and can describe an inner feeling as well as spoken words.
sales message; sales copy; advertising slogan
Show 4 more undisputedly; perfectly; without complaint
undisputed; perfect; flawless
threatening words; intimidating language
set phrase; stock phrase; cliché
