How to say "entity" in Japanese

• 実体じったいCommon
  nounThe common, general-purpose word for 'entity' as something that actually exists, with real substance rather than mere name or appearance; it also covers the senses 'substance' and 'essence', as in philosophy.
  ヒートアイランド現象げんしょうの実体じったい解析かいせきと対策たいさくのあり方かたについて。↗

  An analysis of the nature of the heat island phenomenon and countermeasures.
• エンティティ
  nounThe direct loanword for 'entity'; it is the usual term in technical computing contexts such as databases, and is less common outside such fields.
• 地物ちぶつ
  nounReally a geography term for a natural or man-made feature of the terrain or a map; its 'entity' sense is confined to that field, so it is seldom the general word for entity.
• 存在者そんざいしゃ
  nounA philosophical term meaning 'ens' or 'being' — that which exists; it belongs to philosophy rather than everyday language, so it is rarely the right word for an ordinary entity.
• 言語要素げんごようそ
  nounIn computing this means 'language construct', an element of a programming language; its 'entity' sense is tied to that same jargon, so it is not a general word for entity.

Use 実体 for an actually existing thing in the general sense, 「エンティティ」 for the loanword found mainly in computing, and reserve 地物, 存在者 and 言語要素 for geographical features, philosophical beings and language constructs.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 実体じったいsubstance
• エンティティentity
• 地物ちぶつ(geographical) feature (natural or man-made)
• 存在者そんざいしゃens
• 言語要素げんごようそlanguage construct