Thing

Different words for a “thing” in philosophy include noumenon (the unknowable “thing-in-itself”), being (related to ontology, the study of existence), substance (a fundamental, independent entity), and object (a thing that is perceived or experienced). Other terms like particular, individual, or entity are also used depending on the specific philosophical context, such as metaphysics or logic.

Western philosophy

Noumenon: In Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, this refers to the object as it is in itself, independent of our senses and mind.
Thing-in-itself (Ding an sich): A German term for noumenon, also used by Kant to denote the true nature of an object that is fundamentally unknowable to us.
Substance: A fundamental entity that exists independently and has properties.
Object: Can refer to any entity that is perceived or experienced, or it can be defined as something that does not experience, depending on the context.
Being: A broader term, often studied in ontology, referring to anything that exists, has existence, or is a component of reality.
Particular: A specific, concrete instance of a thing, as opposed to a universal concept.
Individual: Similar to “particular,” this term emphasizes a single, discrete, and often conscious entity.

Other traditions

The terms vary significantly in other philosophical traditions, such as in panpsychism, where “thing” can refer to anything from a rock to a system like a forest, and is considered to have some mind-like quality inherent to it.
The specific usage of terms like “being” and “thing” is explored in depth within ontology, the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of being, reality, and existence.

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[1] wikipedia/en/Noumenon