Japanese Conversation · Level 24
90 words
Japanese word
人々
Pronunciation
Romajihitobito
Meaning
- nounpeople
Example
その町には人々が住んでいます。so no machi ni wa hito bito ga su n de i ma su
People live in that town.
More examples
町にはたくさんの人々が住んでいます。machi ni wa ta ku sa n no hito bito ga su n de i ma su
Many people live in the town.
祭りでは、人々が笑顔で踊りました。matsu ri de wa hito bito ga e gao de odo ri ma shi ta
At the festival, people danced happily.
Core concept
Describes human beings viewed together as a group rather than as separate individuals.
Common phrases
人々の暮らしhito bito no ku ra shi
people's lives
Similar words
人たちhitotachi: People spoken of as a group in an informal style.
Definition in Japanese
二人以上の人をひとまとまりとして指す語。futa ri i jō no hito o hi to ma to ma ri to shi te sa su go
Word origin
The noun 人々 (hitobito) combines two instances of 人 (hito, "person"), with rendaku changing the second instance to bito.
Usage tips
- 人々 (hitobito) is common in writing and formal speech, while 人たち (hitotachi) is more typical of casual conversation when referring to a group of people.