Translation guide
How to refer to 'this article' in Japanese, depending on whether you mean a newspaper article, an academic paper, a blog post, a legal clause, or an item in a list. The most common word is 記事 (kiji) for news or magazine articles, but other terms are needed for different contexts.
The learner wants to refer to a piece of writing in a newspaper, magazine, or online news site.
The standard way to say 'this article' for news, magazine, or blog posts. 記事 means a written piece in a publication.
この記事はとても面白いです。
This article is very interesting.
After reading this article, my opinion changed.
More specific: 'this news article'. Use when you want to emphasize it's from a news source.
このニュース記事は昨日公開されました。
This news article was published yesterday.
The learner wants to refer to a research paper, journal article, or academic publication.
Used for academic papers, theses, or scholarly articles. 論文 implies a formal, researched piece of writing.
この論文の結論は説得力があります。
The conclusion of this paper is persuasive.
この論文を引用してもいいですか？
May I cite this article?
More specific: 'this research paper'. Emphasizes that it is a research article.
この研究論文は新しい治療法について述べています。
This research article describes a new treatment method.
The learner wants to refer to an article on a blog, website, or social media.
Specifically for blog posts. Combines ブログ (blog) and 記事 (article).
このブログ記事のレシピを試してみました。
I tried the recipe from this blog article.
Casual term for an online article. ネット is short for internet.
このネット記事、ちょっと怪しいと思う。
I think this online article is a bit suspicious.
The learner wants to refer to a specific article in a law, constitution, or treaty.
Used for articles in legal documents. 条 means 'article' in the sense of a numbered section of a law.
この条は憲法第9条を指しています。
This article refers to Article 9 of the Constitution.
More formal: 'this article (of law)'. 条文 emphasizes the text of the legal provision.
この条文の解釈が問題になっています。
The interpretation of this article is at issue.
The learner wants to refer to a specific item or entry in a list, catalog, or document.
Means 'this item' or 'this entry' in a list, table, or document. Not specifically an 'article' but often used when English would say 'this article' for a listed thing.
この項目については後で説明します。
I will explain this item later.
While 記事 can sometimes be used for scholarly articles in a general sense, 論文 is the standard term for academic papers. Using 記事 for a research paper may sound like you're referring to a newspaper article.
この論文はとても参考になります。
This paper is very informative.
記事 (kiji) is for news/magazine articles, 論文 (ronbun) is for academic papers, and 条 (jō) is for legal articles. Choose based on the type of writing.