文字

• Reading: もじ
• Romaji: moji
• Kanji breakdown: 文 (bun/mon) — writing, text; 字 (ji/aza) — character, letter
• Pronunciation: /mo.dʑi/

Meaning

Letter; character. A written symbol or character used in a writing system.

A noun combining 文 (writing) and 字 (character). Refers to any written character, including hiragana, katakana, kanji, and even Roman letters. Japanese has three writing systems, making 文字 a particularly important concept for learners. Also used in computing contexts for characters and fonts.

Examples

1. もっと大きい文字で書いてください。 Please write in larger characters.
2. 日本語には三つの文字があります。 Japanese has three types of characters.
3. この文字は読めません。 I can't read this character.

Usage Guide

Context: language learning, writing, computing

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 文 (writing, pattern) and 字 (character, letter). From classical Chinese, where 文字 was the standard term for written characters in any script.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal