原文

• Reading: げんぶん
• Romaji: genbun
• Kanji breakdown: 原 (gen) — original; 文 (bun) — text, writing
• Pronunciation: /ɡen.bɯn/

Meaning

Original text; source text. The text in its original language or unaltered form, before translation or editing.

A noun used to distinguish the unmodified source from any translation or edited version. While 原典 tends to emphasise the authoritative status of a canonical work, 原文 is more broadly used in everyday academic and literary contexts — for instance, comparing a translated novel against its 原文. Checking the 原文 is standard practice in translation quality assessment.

Examples

1. 翻訳の正確さを確かめるために、原文と丁寧に照らし合わせた。 I carefully compared the translation against the source text to verify its accuracy.
2. 原文のニュアンスをすべて他言語に移すことはほぼ不可能に近い。 It is nearly impossible to transfer every nuance of the source text into another language.
3. 彼女はシェイクスピアの原文をよどみなく読めるほど英語が堪能だ。 She is so proficient in English that she can read Shakespeare's original text without hesitation.

Usage Guide

Context: translation, academia, literary studies, language learning

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 原 (gen, original) and 文 (bun, text/writing). A straightforward compound emphasising that the 文 being referred to is the 原 (original), as opposed to a derived or translated form.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated