Word
Kana: きじ Romaji: kiji Level: N3

記事

Meaning in English

article, news story, report

Stroke order

Animated kanji stroke order

Sentence

Related sentences

Related sentences

There are no published items in this section yet.

Dictionary

Word context

What it means

What does 記事 mean? It refers to a written piece published in newspapers, magazines, or online media, such as a news article or feature; it denotes a standalone publication intended for public readership.

Main meanings

  • 1) News article (nyūsu kiji) — a report on current events published by a newspaper, magazine, or online outlet.
  • 2) Feature article (tokushū kiji) — a longer piece that explores a topic in depth for publication.
  • 3) Opinion article (iken kiji) — a piece presenting a viewpoint or analysis from a writer or editor.
  • 4) Publication entry (kiji) — a discrete item listed in a catalog, database, or archive describing a subject.

How to use it

Used to refer to a written piece published in newspapers, magazines, or online media; in journalism, education, and library cataloging it denotes a single publishable item such as a news article or feature; casual blogs and portal pages also use 記事 to label individual entries.

Variants and close terms

  • ニュース記事 (nyūsu kiji) — news article
  • 特集記事 (tokushū kiji) — feature article
  • 意見記事 (iken kiji) — opinion article
  • コラム (koramu) — column or op-ed style piece

Composition

  • 記: write, record
  • 事: matter, affair
  • 記事: a written record or published item formed by combining the action of writing with the notion of a matter, resulting in an article

Origin

The modern sense of 記事 as a publishable written piece solidified in the Meiji era with the rise of newspapers and magazines; the concept existed earlier in classical Chinese sources, but contemporary usage as an article in media developed in modern Japanese journalism.

Word class

Noun (名詞)

Word

Related words by kanji and components

Kanji

Related kanji