How to say "file" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe katakana word for a file that holds papers — a folder or binder used to keep documents together. This is the word you want when 'file' means that physical office item.
- 列れつnounMeans a row or line; its 'file' sense is a line of people or things one behind another, as when people stand or march in single file. Not about paper files.
- ichidan verb, transitive verbThe verb for binding or filing papers — fastening loose documents together into one set, as in office document handling. Use this when 'file' is a verb about papers.
- 隊列たいれつnounA military word for a troop formation; 'file' here is the ranks-and-files sense, alongside rank and column. It appears in drill or marching contexts, not for folders of papers.
- 擦るするgodan verb, transitive verbChiefly means to rub or chafe; its 'file' sense — smoothing a surface by rubbing it down — is marginal. For filing in any other sense this is seldom the word you want.
Choose 「ファイル」 for a file that holds papers, 列 for a line of people, 隊列 for a troop formation, 「とじる」 for binding documents together, and 「擦る」 only for rubbing or filing a surface.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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