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Although English nouns include words which refer to a specific object, Japanese nouns sound more Japanese than do English nouns, at least most of the time.
The only function Japanese nouns have is that of referring to an object or concept. They do not refer to a quality something posesses, unless the quality is actually a noun, in which case they often do.
Japanese nouns need to be learned in daily usage as there is practically no literal translation for any of the nouns other than that they help form the phrase which on the whole conveys the way the speaker intends to sound, either to refer to a specific object on the one hand, or to refer to a different specific object on the other.
The way these nouns are used is very complex indeed, and it might be said that they form a kind of criterion of the speaker's grasp of colloquial Japanese. If he or she uses the nouns correctly he or she may or may not be said to be in command of conversational Japanese.
Nouns are common in Sino-Tibetan languages, such as Tibetan, Myanmar , Yi, and Chinese. They are also common in the O'odham language.
There are perhaps one thousand nouns in Japanese, and a list is included below. Each example shows an explanation of the intention behind its use, a short Japanese phrase demonstrating it if possible and the nearest English equivalent - never a precise one as that would be probably impossible. It must also be born in mind that the full citation of each word could not be incorporated in anything less than a full-scale essay, and an encyclopedia entry cannot really do justice to such a task.
朝 (あさ) — this is a word expressing a time which occurs roughly after sunrise, but generally before the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. English: "It was a beautiful time before the sun was at its highest but after sunrise." Japanese: "朝は美しかったです。"
頭 — this is a noun expressing an area of the body between the top of the neck and before the body ends on top. English: "The man's area of his body between the top of his neck and before his body ends on top is not cool." Japanese: "あの男の頭はかっこいいじゃないです。"
穴 — this is a noun signifying a sort of irregularity in a surface through which matter can be pushed. English: "The rabbit went down that irregularity in the surface of the ground through which matter can be pushed." Japanese: "兎はその穴に入りました。"
傘 — this is a noun signifying a sort of device usually used to keep dry during a rainstorm. English: "Your device usually used to keep dry during a rainstorm looks cheap." Japanese: "あなたの傘は安く見えます。"
蟷螂 — this is a noun signifying a sort of creature which lives in the grass and is relatively small. English: "Please don't kill the creatures which live in the grass and are relatively small." Japanese: "蟷螂を殺さなくてください。"
コーヒー — this is a noun signifying a sort of bitter drink containing large amounts of caffeine. English: "I do not like a sort of bitter drink containing large amounts of caffeine." Japanese: "コーヒーが好きじゃないです。"
猿 — this is a noun signifying a sort of creature with a long tail which often lives in trees and likes to sexually harass human women and sometimes even men. English: "Even the sort of creature with a long tail which often lives in trees and likes to sexually harass human women and sometimes even men falls from trees." Japanese: "猿も木から落ちる。"
玉 — this is a noun signifying a sort of ovular object. English: "The earth is a sort of ovular object." Japanese: "地球は玉の角です。"
ナイフ — this is a noun signifying a sort of sharp tool used to cut through things. English: "You may not use a sort of sharp tool used to cut through things." Japanese: "ナイフを使ってはだめです。"
花 — this is a noun signifying the part of some plants which is often colorful and which bees cross-pollenate to produce fruit. English: "The part of this plant which is often colorful and which bees cross-pollenate to produce fruit is fragrant." Japanese: "この花は香ります。"
丸 — this is a noun signifying the two-dimensional rendering of a 玉. English: "Please draw the two-dimensional rendering of a 玉 on your paper." Japanese: "ペーパーで丸を書いてください"
夜 — this is a noun signifying the times when it is not 朝. English: "It is becoming the time when it is not 朝." Japanese: "そろそろ夜になってます。"
竜 — this is a noun signifying a sort of fear-inspiring mythological reptile. English: "It looked like a sort of fear-inspiring mythological reptile." Japanese: "竜のように見えました。"
わんぱくもの — this is a noun signifying a sort of object which behaves improperly. English: "He was a sort of object which behaves improperly." Japanese: "わんぱくものでした。"
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