武士もののふ

も

の

ふ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

poetical term

Poetic or literary term for a warrior, often evoking classical Japanese imagery. In modern contexts, 武士 (ぶし) or 侍 (さむらい) are more common.

もののふの魂たましいが今いまもこの地ちに宿やどっている。
The spirit of the warriors still dwells in this land.
彼かれは古ふるき良よきもののふの心こころを持もっている。
He has the heart of a warrior of old.

noun

Nara-period court official

historical term

Historical term for a government official who served the imperial court during the Nara period (710–794). Not used in modern Japanese outside historical discussions.

奈な良ら時じ代だいのもののふは、朝ちょう廷ていに仕つかえる官かん人じんであった。
During the Nara period, the mononofu were officials serving the imperial court.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

武warrior, military, chivalry
士gentleman, scholar, samurai
物thing, object, matter
部section, bureau, dept

Related words

武ぶ士し
The common modern reading for 武士, referring to the warrior class in general. もののふ is a poetic or archaic reading of the same kanji.
侍さむらい
The standard word for samurai. もののふ carries a more classical, literary tone and is less specific to the Edo-period warrior class.

Written forms

武士もののふ
Standard kanji spelling for the poetic/historical reading もののふ. This kanji form is also read ぶし with a different nuance.
もののふUsage100%
Kana spelling is acceptable, especially in poetic or explanatory contexts where the kanji reading might be ambiguous.
物部もののふ
Alternate historical spelling; less common than 武士.

Etymology

The reading もののふ is of native Japanese origin. The kanji 武士 are a later assignment to represent the meaning 'warrior'. The exact derivation of もののふ is uncertain, but it may be related to もの (person) and ふ (a suffix denoting a group or profession).