Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 読書 | dokusho | [do̞kɯ̟̊ɕo̞] (narrow) |
| 読むこと | yomu koto | |
| リーディング | rīdingu | [ɾʲiːdʲĩŋɡɯ̟] (narrow) |
The term for reading depends on whether you are describing a hobby, a grammatical action or an educational skill. 読書 is used when referring to reading as a leisure activity or the act of reading books.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 読書 is a compound of two kanji: 読 (read) and 書 (book/writing).
Which one should you use?
Use 読書 when referring to the hobby or the general activity of reading books. In contrast, 読むこと is a more literal grammatical nominalization of the verb "to read". The loanword リーディング is used specifically in educational contexts, such as 'reading comprehension' in English language testing.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
読書 is a formal way to describe reading as a leisure activity. リーディング is a loanword used primarily in educational settings like English language testing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 読書 is often used with the particle を (wo) to indicate the object of a verb, such as in 読書を楽しむ (to enjoy reading).
How do you pronounce it?
dokusho
Did you know?
- If you want to say you are 'reading' a single line of text, you would never use 読書. Using 読書 for a single sentence would sound as if you were claiming to study the entire history of that sentence.
- The kanji in 読書 for 'book', 書, is the same character used in the word 'document' or 'to write' in Japanese. This means the word literally translates to the act of 'reading writing'.
- While リーディング sounds like 'reading', it is also used to translate the English word 'leading'. This can lead to confusion in academic or leadership contexts in Japan.
Examples in context
- 読書を続けた。I went on reading.This sentence shows how to use 読書 to describe a continuing action.Tatoeba #1033713 by bunbuku, translation #280636 by CK
- 読書を続けて。Continue reading.This sentence uses 読書 as a command to continue an activity.Tatoeba #10793160 by small_snow, translation #10028694 by shekitten
- 読書が好きです。I love reading books.This sentence uses 読書 to express a personal preference or hobby.Tatoeba #123400 by bunbuku, translation #259747 by CK
- 申し訳ありませんが、この文章の 読み方 が分かりません。I'm sorry, but I don't know the reading of this sentence.
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their hobbies at a cafe.
- 大翔 Hiroto最近、何かハマっていることはある？Saikin, nanika hamatte iru koto wa aru?Have you been into anything lately?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、今は読書にハマっているよ。Un, ima wa dokusho ni hamatte iru yo.Yeah, I'm really into reading right now.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいな。どんな本を読んでいるの？Ii na. Donna hon o yonde iru no?That's nice. What kind of books are you reading?
- 陽葵 Himariミステリー小説をたくさん読んでいるよ。Misuterii shousetsu o takusan yonde iru yo.I'm reading a lot of mystery novels.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “reading” translations and entries 読書, リーディング, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries リーディング, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
