How to say "memoirs" in Japanese

• 回顧録かいころくCommon
  nounThe word for memoirs as reminiscences: a retrospective account in which the writer looks back over their own life and experiences, such as the memoirs of a politician or novelist recounting their career.
• 手記しゅきCommon
  nounCovers memoirs as a personal account: a first-hand record written by the person themselves, setting down their own experiences in their own words — for example, an account of an event they lived through.

Choose 回顧録 for memoirs as reminiscences — a retrospective record of a life — and 手記 for memoirs as a personal account written first-hand by the subject in their own words.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 回顧録かいころくmemoirs
• メモワールmemoirs
• 回想録かいそうろくmemoirs
• 紀要きようbulletin
• 手記しゅきmemoirs