有名
ゆうめい
hepburn yuumei
famous, well-known
Part of speech · na-adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- この店は有名なラーメン屋です。This is a famous ramen shop.
- 彼は若い時から有名な作家でした。He was a famous writer from a young age.
Collocations
有名 (yuumei, famous)有名人 (yuumeijin, celebrity)有名な店 (yuumei na mise, famous shop)人気 (ninki, popularity)無名 (mumei, unknown / no-name)
Mnemonic
Yuumei (有名) is a na-adjective — 有 (have) + 名 (name) = "having a name = famous." A Sino-Japanese word, formal and neutral. As a na-adjective: yuumei na mise (famous shop) and yuumei da (is famous). Antonym mumei (無名, nameless / unknown). Compare ninki (人気, popularity): yuumei is name recognition itself; ninki is whether people like it — "yuumei dakedo ninki wa nai" (famous but not popular) often applies to politicians or controversial figures. Korean yumyeong / ireumnan / inki and Chinese 有名 / 出名 / 人气 parallel. Cluster: yuumeijin (celebrity), yuumei kou (famous school), yuumei burando (famous brand).
Quick check
Difference between yuumei and ninki?