Nouns That Start With J

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. They're often accompanied by articles, like "a," "an," and "the." They also like to serve as the subject of a sentence. For example, "The jackal chased her all through the desert.”

You’ll also see them functioning as the object of a sentence. That means they'll come after the verb. For example, "The police officer arrested the habitual jaywalker." Nouns can also be names, including people, cities, and more.

With that quick little review in mind, let’s take a look at 50 nouns that start with J. Nothing beats a robust vocabulary and, with some of these J-words in your back pocket, you’ll be well positioned to brighten up your next piece of writing.

1. Jab - a quick stab or blow

2. Jackal - a yellowish-gray wild dog of Asia and North Africa

3. Jacket - a coat extending to the waist or hips, usually with long sleeves

4. Jackpot - cumulative stakes or the highest prize, as in a slot machine

5. Jade - a hard, greenish gem used in jewelry and artistic carvings

6. Jail - a place where people who’ve been convicted of a crime serve out a sentence

7. Jalapeno - a spicy green chili pepper common in Mexican cooking

8. Jape - a joke or a quip

9. Jargon - the language of a particular trade or group that’s meaningless to others

10. Jawbone - a bone of the jaw, especially the lower jaw

11. Jazz - a style of music that uses trumpets, a bass, and saxophones

12. Jealousy - a state or feeling of being envious

13. Jaywalker - a person who violates pedestrian traffic regulations

14. Jeep - a small, rugged automobile with four-wheel drive

15. Jellyfish - marine cnidarians with a jellylike body shaped like an umbrella

16. Jerkiness - the state of making spasmodic movements

17. Jester - one who jokes or mocks

18. Jetsetter - a person who travels frequently

19. Jewel - a precious gem

20. Jigsaw - an electric saw with a narrow blade set in a frame that cuts ornamental patterns

21. Job - the work you do to earn money

22. Jockey - a person who rides a horse in a race

23. Jogger - a person who runs at a slow, steady pace

24. Joinery - the art or craft of a cabinetmaker

25. Joker - a person who tells or plays jokes

26. Jolt - an abrupt movement or surprise shock

27. Journal - a diary you keep of daily events and your thoughts

28. Journalism - the work of finding, creating, editing, and publishing news

29. Journey - a trip from one place to another

30. Joyfulness - the state of expressing delight or happiness

31. Joyrider - a person who goes on a ride for enjoyment

32. Joystick - a manual control attached to a computer or video game

33. Jubilation - a feeling or great happiness, triumph, or joy

34. Jubilee - a special anniversary or celebration

35. Judgment - an opinion, decision, or a sentence given by a court of law

36. Jug - a large vessel with a small mouth and a handle

37. Juggler - one who juggles objects or performs other tricks of manual dexterity

38. Juice - liquid from a fruit, vegetable, or cooked meat

39. Jumble - a mixed combination of items

40. Jumbo - a large person, animal, or thing

41. Jumper - a personal, animal, or thing that jumps

42. Jumpsuit - a one-piece garment with a shirt attached to the slacks

43. June - the sixth month of the year

44. Jungle - an undeveloped land area with thick trees, plants, and brush

45. Junior - a description for a son with the same name as his father

46. Junk - garbage, trash, or worthless items

47. Junkyard - a yard or lot to store junk, such as scrap metal or resalable car parts

48. Jury - a group of people appointed to decide a verdict

49. Justice - the use of power as appointed by law to support fair treatment and due reward

50. Jute - a strong fiber made from a plant

Nouns wear many hats. In fact, there are over 10 different types of nouns. If they're referring to a person or place, they're probably acting as a proper noun (e.g. Rex, Denver, Washington, Russia, and the Coliseum). An example of that would be, "Jerry is a very funny guy."

The opposite of a proper noun is a common noun. These nouns refer to general, unspecified things. In the example above, Jerry is a proper noun. But, if that line simply read, "The jester is a very funny guy," you'd know the subject was a common noun. Common nouns aren't capitalized or specific.

Then, there are compound nouns (e.g., jawbreaker and jailbird), countable nouns, possessive nouns, and pronouns. It's quite common to see both nouns and pronouns in a single sentence: "Janine raced up the stairs to find him."

Nouns are dotted across millions of sentences a day. Take a look at the examples below. Notice that some of them are acting as subjects, others as objects. Click on the link in each sentence to see more example sentences containing that J-noun:

1. She hit the jackpot when she married him.
2. Don’t use too much jargon in your next speech.
3. Oceanside jellyfish are dangerous little creatures.
4. It’s not your job to worry about him.
5. The price tag on those shoes gave her a jolt.
6. She switched college majors from business to journalism.
7. Her new handbag filled her with jubilation.
8. How am I supposed to find my shoes in this jumble?
9. The jungle is Mowgli’s home.
10. He’ll never stop seeking justice for this crime.

Don't limit yourself to nouns! Further explore this letter by reviewing a more extensive selection of words that begin with J on WordFinder by YourDictionary, where you'll find many interesting terms organized by word length. Use the simple on-screen search field to create your customized collection of J-words. You can opt to see words that have a specific number of letters as well as terms that begin, end with or have certain letters.

Ready to take your new J-words and start a new journal entry? Hopefully, you can make journaling a part of your everyday routine. Take a look at the many benefits of emotional journal writing.