How to say "writing" in Japanese

• 文章ぶんしょうJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounCovers 'writing' as the finished text itself — a composition, essay, or article in prose. Typical when talking about how well something is written or about a piece of writing.
  彼かれの文章ぶんしょうはとても主観的しゅかんてきだ。↗

  His writing is very subjective.
• 文書ぶんしょJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounCovers 'writing' in the sense of documents and papers — written records such as letters or official papers. Not the word for prose or literary writing.
  この文書ぶんしょはあなたのお目めにだけ留とめていただきたい。↗

  This document is for your eyes only.
• 著作ちょさくCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbCovers 'writing' as literary work: a book or an author's writings, and by extension the writing of a book. Think of it as 'a work' rather than 'writing' in general.
  デネットの著作ちょさくの中心ちゅうしん的てき主張しゅちょうは、端的たんてきに言いえば、内的ないてき精神せいしん状態じょうたいの存在そんざいを否定ひていするということである。↗

  The main point of Dennett's book, in short, is to deny the existence of inner mental states.
• 書き込みかきこみCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbRefers to writing put into or onto something — notes filled in, comments added — rather than writing in general. For the ordinary sense of 'writing' this is seldom the word you want.
  そのフロッピー、念ねんの為ため書かきこみ禁止きんしにしておいて。↗

  Make that floppy uncopiable, just in case.
• 執筆しっぴつJLPT N2approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbNames the act of writing itself, especially producing books or articles — close to 'authoring'. Use it for the activity of writing rather than for the resulting text.
  ホーキングは、その本ほんの執筆しっぴつを始はじめたとき、手てで書かくことがまったくできなかった。↗

  When he started the book, Hawking was unable to write by hand at all.

Use 文章 for a piece of writing or prose, 文書 for documents and papers, 著作 for literary works, 「書き込み」 for writing entered into something, and 執筆 for the act of writing.

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

• 文章ぶんしょうwriting
• 文書ぶんしょdocument
• 著作ちょさくwriting (a book)
• 書き込みかきこみwriting
• 執筆しっぴつwriting
• 作文さくぶんwriting (an essay, prose, etc.)
• 著述ちょじゅつwriting
• 臨書りんしょwriting (from a copy)
• 揮毫きごうwriting (esp. commissioned calligraphy)
• 成文せいぶんwritten expression
• 文筆ぶんぴつliterary art
• ライティングwriting
• 詞しwords
• 述作じゅっさくwriting (a book)
• 染筆せんぴつwriting
• 行文こうぶんwriting (style)
• 撰述せんじゅつwriting (a book)
• 撰修せんしゅうwriting (a book)
• 書跡しょせきwriting
• 墨跡ぼくせきwriting (especially of a Zen monk)
• 撰文せんぶんwriting (an epitaph, foreword, etc.)
• エクリチュールliterature
• 翰墨かんぼくbrush and ink
• 文筆業ぶんぴつぎょうliterary profession
• 筆意ひついbrushwork
• 紙筆しひつpen and paper
• 申し越しもうしこしsending word (by letter, messenger, etc.)
• 撰録せんろくcompiling
• 創作そうさくcreation
• 書き物かきもの(piece of) writing
• 文字もじwriting
• 筆ふでwriting (composing text)
• 書面しょめんwriting
• 水茎みずぐきwriting
• 筆硯ひっけんwriting