adverbial N1 uncommon politewritten
銘々 — each
銘々 ・ めいめい
Meaning
- each / individually / each on their own — every member of a group, taken separately
Key sentence
参加者は銘々で昼食を用意した。
The participants each prepared their own lunch.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb or noun | 銘々(に / で) as adverb; 銘々が / の as noun | 銘々が / 銘々の席 |
When: Somewhat formal/literary; refers to people. In everyday speech それぞれ is far more common.
Examples
銘々が自分の意見を述べた。
Each person stated their own opinion.
お菓子は銘々に配られた。
The sweets were handed out to each person individually.
When you can't use it
- Refers to *people* (each person), not inanimate items. For things, use それぞれ.
Easily confused with
See 銘々 in real sentences
Jengo shows 銘々 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.