引用

• Reading: いんよう
• Romaji: inyou
• Kanji breakdown: 引 (in) — pull, draw; 用 (you) — use, employ
• Pronunciation: /iɴ.joː/

Meaning

Quotation; citation. The act of using words or passages from another source.

A noun that also functions as a suru verb (引用する). Used in academic writing, journalism, and everyday conversation when referencing someone else's words. 引用文 (quoted passage) and 引用符 (quotation marks) are related terms. Important in Japanese academic culture where proper attribution is expected.

Examples

1. 論文の中で有名な学者の言葉を引用した。 I cited the words of a famous scholar in my thesis.
2. この記事は他の記事からの引用が多い。 This article contains a lot of quotations from other articles.
3. 引用する場合は出典を明記してください。 When quoting, please clearly indicate the source.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, journalism, writing

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 引 (in, to pull/draw) and 用 (you, to use/employ). Together, 'drawing out and using' — pulling words from a source to use in one's own work.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal