Japanese word

偽物

Pronunciation

Romajinisemono

Meaning

  • nounfake

Example

その時計は偽物です。so no tokei wa nise mono de su

That watch is a fake.

Illustration for 偽物 (fake)

More examples

買う前に、そのバッグが偽物ではないか確認しました。ka u mae ni so no ba ggu ga nise mono de wa na i ka kaku nin shi ma shi ta

Before buying it, I checked whether the bag was a fake.

Core concept

Covers something made or presented to imitate a genuine object without being the genuine object itself.

Common phrases

  • 偽物をつかまされるnise mono o tsu ka ma sa re ru

    be sold a fake

  • 偽物と本物nise mono to hon mono

    a fake and the real thing

Similar words

偽造品gizōhin: An item illegally made or altered to pass as a genuine one.
まがい物magaimono: An imitation presented as genuine, often with an inferior quality or status.
偽作gisaku: A work made to appear to have been created by another person.

Definition in Japanese

本物らしく作られているが、実際には本物でない物。hon mono ra shi ku tsuku ra re te i ru ga jis sai ni wa hon mono de na i mono

Word origin

偽物 (nisemono) is a native Japanese compound of 偽 (nise, "false") and 物 (mono, "thing"), so its form describes a false thing.

Usage tips

  • English speakers use fake for many kinds of false objects, whereas forgery usually refers to a false document, signature, or work of art.

Other meanings

  • counterfeitnoun
  • forgerynoun
  • imitationnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word