こと・事・縡koto[2]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounthing; matter
   「Ｕ．Ｆ．Ｏとは何なんを表あらわしているの」「未確認飛行物体みかくにんひこうぶったいのことだと思おもう」↗

   "What does U.F.O. stand for?" "It means Unidentified Flying Object, I guess."
2. nounincident; occurrence; event; something serious; trouble; crisis
3. nouncircumstances; situation; state of affairs
4. nounwork; business; affair
5. nounafter an inflectable word, creates a noun phrase indicating something the speaker does not feel close to
6. noun (suffix)nominalizing suffix
   彼かれは居空いあきとして知しられ、日中にっちゅうでも家いえに忍び込しのびこんで貴重品きちょうひんを盗ぬすむことで評判ひょうばんとなっていた。↗

   He was known as a burglar of houses where occupants are present and had a reputation for sneaking in and stealing valuables even during the day.
7. noun (suffix)pretending to ...; playing make-believe ...
8. nounalias; also known as; otherwise known as; oras AことB (A = alias, B = real name)
9. nounnecessity; needas 〜ことはない
10. nounyou should ...; I advise that you ...; it's important to ...as 〜ことだ

• Synonym出来事できごとNeutralA concrete occurrence, as in 「不思議な出来事」; unlike 「事」, it focuses on a specific event itself rather than a matter in general.
• Synonym事柄ことがらWrittenWritten style for the content of a matter, as in 「重要な事柄」; more abstract than 「事」 and leans toward careful, formal wording.
• Synonym物事ものごとNeutralA blanket term for things in general, tangible and intangible, as in 「物事を考える」; 「事」 covers individual matters, this covers them all.
• Synonym事項じこうWrittenWritten style for items listed one by one, as in 「注意事項」; use it for enumerated matters, not for events or happenings.
• Synonym事象じしょうWrittenWritten and academic: a phenomenon, or an 'event' in probability theory; far more technical than 「事」.
• Synonym件けんNeutralA specific matter under discussion, as in 「例の件」, or a counter as in 「三件」; common in both speech and writing, while 「事」 has the broadest range.
• Synonym事物じぶつWrittenWritten style for things in general, as in 「身近な事物」; leans abstract and suits formal prose, unlike everyday 「事」.
• Synonym事件じけんNeutralA serious incident or criminal case, as in 「殺人事件」; unlike 「事」, it implies something grave, even scandalous.
• RelatedイベントNeutralLoanword typically for events, activities or competitions, as in 「イベント会場」; it can also mean an occurrence, but its usual range is far narrower than 「事」.
• RelatedインシデントNeutralLoanword for unexpected incidents, including anomalies that stop short of an accident and IT system failures; much narrower than 「事」.

For a matter or thing in general, 「事」 is the default. Use 「出来事」 for something that actually happened, 「事件」 for a serious incident or case, 「事項」 for items listed one by one, 「件」 for the matter at hand or as a counter, 「物事」 for things in general, and 「イベント」 for events or activities. 「事柄」「事物」「事象」 are written-style alternatives.

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

1. ある一時期いちじきにおこる、まとまったひとつらなりの動うごき。ことがら。できごと。
2. 他ほかの語句ごくを体言たいげんにする。
3. 予定よてい、必然ひつぜんや軽かるい命令めいれいを表あらわす。