How to say "article" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounCovers 'article' in its loosest sense — simply a thing or an object. This is the all-purpose word for things, so use it when you just mean an object rather than goods or merchandise.
- nounAn article or item thought of as goods — something bought and sold. It fits commercial settings such as shops, stock and trade, where English 'article' and 'goods' largely overlap.
- 記事きじnounThe word for 'article' as a piece of writing: a news story, report or account in a newspaper or magazine. For this written sense, this is the word you want.
- 物件ぶっけんnounFor 'article' meaning just a thing, this is seldom the word you want: it is really an article or object as an item of business, property or a legal matter.
- 品物しなものnounAn article as tangible goods: an item of merchandise. It suits contexts such as goods in a shop, articles for sale, or items being sent or traded.
Use 記事 only for an article you read in a newspaper or magazine; the other four all render 'article' as a thing or an item of goods, with 「もの」 the most general choice.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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