Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Famous for / Well-known for
🎯 Primary Function
To state the specific reason or attribute that makes a person, place, or thing well-known.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (Dictionary form) + こと + で有名
i-Adjective + こと + で有名
na-Adjective + なこと + で有名
Noun + で(は)有名ではない / 有名じゃありません
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Commonly used in presentations, guidebooks, and formal introductions.
Informal Situations
Used in casual conversations when sharing information about places or people.
Written Language
Very common in essays, travel articles, and Wikipedia-style descriptions.
Spoken Language
Frequent in daily speech, often followed by ‘desu’ or ‘da’.
💡 Common Applications
Describing Local Specialties
Used to talk about food, products, or features specific to a region.
Example: Aomori is famous for apples.
Describing People’s Reputation
Used to highlight a personality trait or achievement of a person.
Example: He is famous for his kindness.
Tourism and Landmarks
Used in travel guides or when introducing famous landmarks.
Example: Paris is famous for the Eiffel Tower.
Frequency
Very High
Difficulty
N3 (Intermediate)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
京都は、古いお寺が多いことで有名です。
Furigana: きょうと（きょうと）は、ふるい（ふるい）おてら（おてら）がおおい（おおい）ことでゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Kyouto wa, furui otera ga ooi koto de yuumei desu.
English: Kyoto is famous for its many beautiful temples.
Example #2
このレストランは、おいしいラーメンで有名です。
Furigana: このレストランは、おいしい（おいしい）ラーメンでゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Kono resutoran wa, oishii raamen de yuumei desu.
English: This restaurant is famous for its delicious ramen.
Example #3
北海道は、新鮮な海鮮で有名です。
Furigana: ほっかいどう（ほっかいどう）は、しんせん（しんせん）なかいせん（かいせん）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Hokkaido wa, shinsen na kaisen de yuumei desu.
English: Hokkaido is famous for its fresh seafood.
Example #4
あの街は、美しい夜景で有名です。
Furigana: あのまち（まち）は、うつくしい（うつくしい）やけい（やけい）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Ano machi wa, utsukushii yakei de yuumei desu.
English: That city is famous for its beautiful night view.
Example #5
日本は、高度な技術で有名です。
Furigana: にほん（にほん）は、こうど（こうど）なぎじゅつ（ぎじゅつ）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Nihon wa, koudo na gijutsu de yuumei desu.
English: Japan is famous for its high-tech technology.
Example #6
彼は、とても厳しい先生として有名です。
Furigana: かれ（かれ）は、とてもきびしい（きびしい）せんせい（せんせい）としてゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Kare wa, totemo kibishii sensei toshite yuumei desu.
English: He is famous for being a very strict teacher.
Example #7
この地域は、お茶の生産で有名です。
Furigana: このちいき（ちいき）は、おちゃ（おちゃ）のせいさん（せいさん）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Kono chiiki wa, ocha no seisan de yuumei desu.
English: This area is famous for its green tea production.
Example #8
その歌手は、美しい声で有名です。
Furigana: そのかしゅ（かしゅ）は、うつくしい（うつくしい）こえ（こえ）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Sono kashu wa, utsukushii koe de yuumei desu.
English: The singer is famous for her beautiful voice. utsukushii koe de yuumei.
Example #9
奈良は、鹿で有名です。
Furigana: なら（なら）は、しか（しか）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Nara wa, shika de yuumei desu.
English: Nara is famous for its deer.
Example #10
あの会社は、高品質な製品で有名です。
Furigana: あのい（かいしゃ）は、こうひんしつ（こうひんしつ）なせいひん（せいひん）でゆうめい（ゆうめい）です。
Romaji: Ano kaisha wa, kouhinshitsu na seihin de yuumei desu.
English: That company is famous for its high-quality products.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Use of ‘koto’ for verbs/adjectives
When using a verb or adjective as the reason, you must add ‘koto’ after the plain form to nominalize it.
Example: 富士山は高いことで有名です。
Difference between ‘de’ and ‘toshite’
While ‘de’ marks the reason, ‘toshite’ marks the role or capacity. Use ‘de’ for attributes and ‘toshite’ for professions/roles.
Example: 彼は作家として有名です。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ リンゴが有名です (as a direct replacement for ‘famous for’)
✅ リンゴで有名です (Ringo de yuumei desu)
The particle ‘de’ is used to indicate the reason/cause for the fame. Using ‘ga’ is grammatically incorrect in this pattern.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite. It is widely used across all levels of politeness depending on the sentence ending.
Social Situations: Used when introducing one’s hometown or culture to foreigners or people from other regions.
Regional Variations: No major regional variations, but local dialects may change the final copula (e.g., ‘ya’ instead of ‘da’ in Kansai).
🔍 Subtle Differences
～で知られている (shirarete iru) vs ～で有名 (yuumei)
‘Shirarete iru’ (known for) is more neutral and factual, while ‘yuumei’ emphasizes fame or popularity.
When to use: Use ‘shirarete iru’ for academic or purely factual contexts; use ‘yuumei’ for general popularity.
📝 Conjugation Notes
‘Yuumei’ is a na-adjective. Therefore, it follows standard na-adjective conjugations (yuumei da, yuumei deshita, etc.). When modifying a noun, use ‘yuumei na’ (e.g., yuumei na hito).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Ensure long vowel sounds in ‘Yūmei’ (Yuu-mei). Avoid pronouncing it as ‘Yumei’ (which means ‘dream’).
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘de’ as ‘by means of’ or ‘due to’. Famous *due to* [Noun]. Example: Famous *due to* apples.
Other Grammar
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