著
cho
The Japanese phrase for "written by" is 著 (cho).
The kanji character 著 is used to identify the person who wrote a book or a literary work. In a bibliographic listing, it is placed immediately after the author's name to indicate they are the author. If you are referring to your own writing, you can use the term 自著 to mean "one's own work".
Which one should you use?
While 著 indicates the person wrote the original text, you should use 編 if the person compiled or edited the work instead of writing it. Additionally, the term 作 can also be used formally to indicate that something is written by someone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 著 is used in formal contexts such as book covers, bibliographies or academic citations.
How does it change in a sentence?
In bibliographic listings, 著 is placed immediately after the author's name.
How do you pronounce it?
cho
Did you know?
- The Middle Chinese pronunciation of 著 (trjoH) suggests a root meaning related to 'to wear' or 'to put on', which evolved into the sense of 'making something manifest' or 'writing' in Japanese.
- The kanji 著 is also used in the word 著名, which means 'famous'. This implies a historical connection between being 'noted' or 'visible' and being an author of a work.
- The character 著 is a polyphone with different meanings. When it means 'written by', it is read as 'cho', but in other contexts it can be read as 'cha' meaning 'prominent'.
Examples in context
- この本は、田中さん 作 です。This book is written by Mr. Tanaka.
- この小説は村上春樹 著 です。This novel is authored by Haruki Murakami.
- 私は新しい記事を 執筆 しました。I wrote a new article.
- これは夏目漱石著の小説です。Kore wa Natsume Sōseki cho no shōsetsu desu.This is a novel written by Natsume Soseki.
Example conversation
Hina and Ren are looking at a book in a library.
- 陽葵 Himariこの本は誰の著書ですか？Kono hon wa dare no chosha desu ka?Who wrote this book?
- 蓮 Renこれは村上春樹著の本だよ。Kore wa Murakami Haruki cho no hon da yo.This one was written by Haruki Murakami.
- 陽葵 Himari彼が著した本はいつも面白いですね。Kare ga choshita hon wa itsumo omoshiroi desu ne.The books written by him are always interesting.
- 蓮 Ren本当にそうだね。Hontō ni sō da ne.That is really true.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 著, CC BY-SA 4.0.
