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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "cotton" in Japanese?
綿
men
In Japanese, "cotton" is 綿 (men).
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Pronunciation
MEN, a single short syllable — just one clean sound, nothing to stretch or split.
Writing and usage
綿 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
このシャツは柔らかい綿で作られています。
kono shatsu ha yawarakai men de tsukura reteimasu.
This shirt is made of soft cotton.
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How to remember 綿
Men is one syllable, as simple and soft as the fabric itself — nothing extra to remember.
Related words
- raincoat レインコート reinkooto
- swimsuit 水着 mizugi
- pajamas パジャマ pajama
- robe ローブ roobu
- apron エプロン epuron
- cufflink カフリンクス kafurinkusu
- brooch ブローチ buroochi
- anklet 足首の輪 ashikubi no wa
- silk シルク shiruku
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 綿
How do you pronounce 綿?
MEN, a single short syllable — just one clean sound, nothing to stretch or split.
Is 綿 formal or casual?
綿 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 綿 written in Japanese?
綿 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as men.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Cotton" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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