How to say "remark" in Japanese

• 発言はつげんJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbCovers a remark or statement made in speech, such as a comment in a discussion or an interview. This is the everyday word when you mean something someone actually said.
  ジムはよけいな発言はつげんをした。↗

  Jim made a superfluous remark.
• 言げんCommon
  nounGlossed as 'remark', but as a standalone noun it mostly means 'word' or 'saying' and is rarely the word you want; it typically appears in set expressions and compounds rather than for an ordinary remark.
  彼かれの言げんに従したがって行動こうどうするのは利口りこうではない。↗

  It is not wise to go by his word.
• 注釈ちゅうしゃくCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbA remark in the sense of a written comment or annotation explaining a text. Choose this for notes added to a document or edition, not for things said aloud.
  この情報じょうほうは注釈ちゅうしゃくではなく本文ほんぶんで扱あつかうべきだ。↗

  You should treat this information in the main body of the text, not in the notes.
• せりふCommon
  nounCovers remarks in the sense of lines, phrases, or scripted words, as on a stage, in a play, or in a comic exchange. Usually written in kana alone.
  それはこっちのセリフですよ。↗

  That's what I want to say.

Use 発言 for something actually said, 注釈 for explanatory notes, 「せりふ」 for lines or scripted remarks, and avoid 言, which is mainly the bound form for 'word/saying' rather than a standalone 'remark'.

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

• 発言はつげんstatement
• 言げんword
• 注釈ちゅうしゃくnotes
• リマークremark
• 言説げんせつremark
• せりふcomment
• 言葉ことばwords