How to say "neighbor" in Japanese

• 隣人りんじんCommon
  nounA common noun for a neighbor as a person; it can also mean the people of a neighbourhood collectively. Use it for everyday talk about the people living around you.
  よい垣根かきねはよい隣人りんじんをつくる。↗

  Good fences make good neighbors.
• ご近所さんごきんじょさん
  nounA polite (teineigo) way to refer to the people living nearby, with a warm, courteous tone; less common than 隣人, it suits friendly everyday conversation about one's neighbours.
• お隣さんおとなりさん
  nounA polite way to refer specifically to the person or household next door; use it when speaking warmly of the people in the adjoining house, not of neighbours in the neighbourhood at large.
  だってお隣となりさんだし。ちょくちょくお邪魔じゃまするから。↗

  Well, we're neighbours. I'll be popping over all the time.
• 相接するあいせっする
  suru verb (irregular), intransitive verbA verb, not a person noun: it means to be adjacent to or touch each other, so its 'neighbor' sense describes things lying next to each other; seldom the word for people.

For people, use 隣人 for neighbours in general, 「ご近所さん」 as a polite way to speak of those living nearby, 「お隣さん」 for the person next door, and 「相接する」 only as a verb for things being adjacent.

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

• 隣人りんじんneighbour
• ご近所さんごきんじょさんneighbor
• お隣さんおとなりさん(next-door) neighbour
• 相接するあいせっするto be adjacent (with each other)