Japanese word

活字

Pronunciation

Romajikatsuji

Meaning

  • nountype

Example

新聞は活字で印刷されています。shin bun wa katsu ji de in satsu sa re te i ma su

This newspaper is printed in type.

Illustration for 活字 (type)

More examples

この本は大きな活字で読みやすいです。ko no hon wa ō ki na katsu ji de yo mi ya su i de su

This book is easy to read because it uses large type.

Core concept

Refers to a character prepared for printing so that it can be arranged with other characters to reproduce text.

Common phrases

  • 活字になるkatsu ji ni na ru

    appear in print

  • 大きな活字ō ki na katsu ji

    large type

Definition in Japanese

印刷に用いる文字や、その文字を組み合わせて作った印刷用の文字。in satsu ni mochi i ru moji ya so no moji o ku mi a wa se te tsuku tta in satsu yō no moji

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese term 活字 (katsuji) combines 活 (katsu, "active") and 字 (ji, "character"), referring to a character that can be moved and reused in printing.

Usage tips

  • The expression 活字離れ (katsuji banare) describes a decline in reading printed text, especially as digital media become more common.

Related words

  • 活字化katsujikaconversion to typenoun

Word lists with this word