名作|めいさくmeisaku[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounmasterpiece; masterwork
   この映画えいがはまさしく不朽ふきゅうの名作めいさくである。↗

   This film is indeed an enduring masterpiece.

• Synonym傑作けっさくNeutralA masterpiece too, but the emphasis is on excellence rather than fame. In colloquial use it can also mean something unintentionally hilarious, as in 「そりゃ傑作だ」.
• SynonymマスターピースNeutralLoanword for a representative masterpiece. Rarer than 「名作」 and carries a stylish, Western feel.
• Related大作たいさくNeutralA large-scale, voluminous work, as in 「長編大作」. The emphasis is on size, so it is not necessarily a good work.
• Related名品めいひんNeutralA famous, fine item, as in 「名品の茶碗」. It leans toward craft objects, while 「名作」 leans toward literary and artistic works.
• Related絶品ぜっぴんNeutralSomething superb, most often food, as in 「この味は絶品」. It stresses taste and quality rather than fame.
• Related大著たいちょWrittenWritten style: a massive, weighty book, often scholarly; also used as an honorific for another person's work.
• Related雄編ゆうへんWrittenWritten style: a grand, powerful long-form masterpiece. Rare in modern Japanese.
• Related逸物いちもつWrittenWritten style: an outstanding item or person. Seldom used today.
• Related上作じょうさくWrittenWritten style: a good harvest or a fine work of art. Seldom used today.
• Related神品しんぴんWrittenWritten style: a divinely inspired masterpiece, used mostly in evaluating calligraphy and painting.
• Antonym駄作ださくNeutralThe antonym: a poor or mediocre work. It stands opposite 「名作」, a work recognized as excellent.

Use 「名作」 for a widely known, excellent work, as in 「不朽の名作」. For an outstanding work say 「傑作」, for a large-scale one 「大作」, for fine objects 「名品」, and for superb food 「絶品」; 「駄作」 is the opposite. 「マスターピース」 is a rarer, Western-flavoured loanword, while 「雄編」「大著」「逸物」「上作」「神品」 are written-style or old-fashioned terms.

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

1. 名高なだかい作品さくひん。
2. 優すぐれた作品さくひん。