文字起こし

• Reading: もじおこし
• Romaji: moji okoshi
• Kanji breakdown: 文 (writing/text) + 字 (character) = 文字 (written character/text); 起 (rise/start) + こし (nominalised form of 起こす, to produce) = 起こし (producing/raising up)
• Pronunciation: /mo.dʑi o.ko.ɕi/

Meaning

Transcription — converting spoken audio or video content into written text, now largely done by AI tools.

文字起こし (literally 'raising up characters') has long been a professional task in Japan, handled by specialist transcription services for broadcasting, legal proceedings, and academic research. The rise of AI transcription tools — especially Whisper-based apps and services like Notta, AutoMemo, and Google's live caption — democratised 文字起こし dramatically. By the mid-2020s, asking an AI to 文字起こし a meeting recording or YouTube video had become a routine action for office workers, students, and content creators.

Examples

1. 会議の録音をAIで文字起こしして議事録作った。 I used AI to transcribe the meeting recording and made the minutes from that.
2. このインタビュー動画、文字起こしするのめちゃ時間かかる。 Transcribing this interview video is going to take forever.
3. 文字起こしツール使ったら作業が一気に楽になった。 Once I started using a transcription tool, the work got so much easier all at once.

Usage Guide

Context: work, education, content creation, AI tools

Tone: practical, task-oriented

Do Say

• 講義の動画を文字起こしして勉強に使ってる。 (I transcribe lecture videos and use them for studying.)
• AIで文字起こしすれば議事録作成が10分で終わる。 (If you use AI for transcription, meeting minutes take only 10 minutes.)

Don't Say

• 「翻訳」と「文字起こし」を混同する (Confusing 翻訳 with 文字起こし — 翻訳 is translation between languages, while 文字起こし is transcription within the same language)

Common Mistakes

• Writing 文字興し instead of 文字起こし — the correct kanji for okoshi here is 起こし, not 興し (which means to revive or promote)
• Assuming 文字起こし always means perfect verbatim transcription — AI tools often produce summaries or edited versions instead

Origin & History

文字 (characters/text) + 起こし (the noun form of 起こす, 'to raise up/produce'). The term has been in use since at least the postwar broadcasting era. Its current popularity spike is driven by AI tools making transcription accessible to non-professionals from around 2022.

Cultural Context

Era: Long-established term; usage surge from 2022 with AI tools

Generation: All ages, especially office workers and students

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used nationwide. AI-powered 文字起こし services are particularly popular among Japanese remote workers and university students.