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エッセイ (essei) Japanese meaning: essay | Kotomora

エッセイ

also: エッセー · エセー · エッセィ

エ

ッ

セ

イ

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

Refers to a short piece of writing on a particular subject, often personal or reflective. Used in academic, literary, and casual contexts.

彼かれは週しゅう末まつにエッセイを書かいた。

He wrote an essay over the weekend.

このエッセイはとても感かん動どう的てきだ。

This essay is very moving.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉についてエッセイを書かくto write an essay about something
彼かの女じょは旅りょ行こうの思おもい出でについてエッセイを書かいた。
She wrote an essay about her travel memories.
エッセイを発はっ表ぴょうするto publish/release an essay
彼かれは雑ざっ誌しに新あたらしいエッセイを発はっ表ぴょうした。
He published a new essay in a magazine.

Related words

随ずい筆ひつN2
随筆 is the traditional, often more literary Japanese term for a reflective essay, while エッセイ is the modern loanword used for a wider range of personal or casual essays.
論ろん文ぶんN3
論文 is a formal academic paper or thesis with structured argumentation, whereas エッセイ is a shorter, more personal piece of writing.
作さく文ぶんN5
エッセイ is a casual, personal essay often written for magazines or blogs, while 作文 typically denotes a school-assigned composition.

Don't confuse with

エッセンス
エッセイ means 'essay' (a short piece of writing), while エッセンス means 'essence'; the two loanwords sound similar but are unrelated in meaning.

Counted with

編へんN1
Used for volumes or collected works; an essay by itself is usually not counted this way, so native speakers often avoid a counter here.

Word family

エッセイスト
essayist
リレーエッセイ
collaborative essay series; relay essay

Written forms

エッセイUsage79%
Most common katakana spelling; widely used in modern Japanese.
エッセーUsage18%
Alternate katakana spelling; also common, but slightly less frequent than エッセイ.
エセーUsage4%
search-only kana form
Search-only kana form; not a standard spelling in modern usage.

Etymology

Borrowed from English 'essay', ultimately from French 'essai'. The spelling エッセイ reflects the English pronunciation, while エッセー is closer to the French.