How to say "neighbour" in Japanese

• 隣人りんじんCommon
  nounThe common word for a neighbour as an individual — the person living next door or nearby — and also for the people of a neighbourhood taken collectively; it refers plainly, with no polite softening.
  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, friendly-toned way to refer to neighbours — the people living nearby rather than the neighbourhood as a place; the courteous ご…さん wrapping sets it apart. It is the less common of the two.

For a neighbour as an individual, or the people of a neighbourhood collectively, 隣人 is the common choice; 「ご近所さん」 is a less common, polite way to speak of the neighbours themselves.

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