How to Say ‘Thing (an abstract thing) / matter’ in Japanese
こと
koto
[koh-toh]
💬 Usage Tip: [こと] nominalizes actions: [学ぶこと] "learning". It’s great for describing skills and habits in a professional way.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese interview speech often prefers abstract, organized phrasing using [こと], which can sound more "business-like" than casual wording.
Phrase Breakdown
こと
koto
[koh-toh]
thing; matter; act of ~ing
Nominalizer used to talk about actions/abstract matters: 「新しいこと」 = "new things" / 「学ぶこと」 = "learning."
新しいことを学ぶことが好きです。
I like learning new things.
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