隣人

• 読み: りんじん
• ローマ字: rinjin
• 漢字の分解: 隣 (rin/tonari) — neighbouring, adjacent; 人 (jin) — person
• 発音: /ɾiɴ.dʑiɴ/

意味

Neighbour; a person who lives nearby. Also used figuratively for people in the broader community.

A noun with a slightly literary or formal tone compared to the everyday お隣さん (otonari-san, neighbour). 隣人 is commonly found in written texts, news, and proverbs. The well-known expression 遠くの親類より近くの隣人 (a nearby neighbour is better than a distant relative) illustrates its cultural weight. Also used in religious and ethical contexts to mean 'fellow human' or 'one's neighbour' in a moral sense.

例文

1. 隣人との良い関係を築くことが大切だ。
2. 引っ越してきたばかりなので、隣人にあいさつをした。
3. 災害時には隣人同士の助け合いが命を救うこともある。

使い方ガイド

場面: community, daily life, ethics

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 隣 (rin, neighbour/adjacent) + 人 (jin, person). The kanji 隣 depicts a settlement (阝) beside a granary, suggesting the house next door.

文化的背景

時代: Historical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal