also: かんもんじ
noun
idle words; useless words; empty words
Refers to words or phrases in a written passage that are unnecessary, redundant, or add no meaning. Often used in literary or editorial contexts.
この文章には閑文字が多く、簡潔さに欠ける。
This passage has many idle words and lacks conciseness.
編集者は閑文字を削って原稿をすっきりさせた。
The editor removed the empty words and cleaned up the manuscript.
Compound of 閑 (kan, 'leisure' or 'idle') and 文字 (moji, 'character' or 'writing'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely arose in literary criticism to describe unnecessary written words.