随筆

• Reading: ずいひつ
• Romaji: zuihitsu
• Kanji breakdown: 随 (zui) — follow, go along with; 筆 (hitsu) — brush, writing
• Pronunciation: /d͡zɯ.i.çi.t͡sɯ/

Meaning

Essay; miscellaneous writings; literary jottings. A prose genre of personal reflections.

A noun referring to a traditional Japanese literary genre of informal essays and personal reflections. Famous examples include 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) by Sei Shounagon and 徒然草 (Essays in Idleness) by Yoshida Kenkou. The genre emphasizes free-flowing, personal observations. In modern usage, it broadly refers to essay-type writing.

Examples

1. 枕草子は日本最古の随筆として知られている。 The Pillow Book is known as the oldest essay collection in Japan.
2. 彼女は随筆を通じて日常の美しさを描いている。 Through her essays, she captures the beauty of everyday life.
3. 国語の授業で有名な随筆を読んだ。 We read famous essays in Japanese language class.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, education, writing

Tone: literary

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 随筆. 随 (zui) means to follow or go along with, and 筆 (hitsu) means brush or writing. Literally writing that follows one's thoughts freely, capturing the genre's spontaneous nature.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Educated