Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 4432 of 4449

Save Sign in to track

文語

ぶんご

written language; classical literary Japanese

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. この詩は文語で書かれている。

    このしはぶんごでかかれている。

    This poem is written in the literary language.

  2. 文語と口語では動詞の活用が違う。

    ぶんごとこうごではどうしのかつようがちがう。

    Verbs conjugate differently in the literary and the colloquial language.

  3. 明治時代の法律の条文は文語体で、今の学生には読みにくい。

    めいじじだいのほうりつのじょうぶんはぶんごたいで、いまのがくせいにはよみにくい。

    The articles of Meiji-era laws are in literary style and are hard for today's students to read.

Common patterns

文語体
literary style
文語文法
classical grammar
文語と口語
literary and colloquial language

Memory tip

Paired with 口語 (the spoken/modern written language). 文語 does not simply mean 'formal writing' — it means the classical grammar (〜なり, 〜けり) used until the early twentieth century, which is why it is studied as 古文 at school.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 文語 mean?