古こ文もん書じょ

also: こぶんしょ

こ

も

ん

じょ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

historical document; old manuscript; archives

General term for old documents, manuscripts, or records of historical value. Can refer to both individual items and collections.

この博はく物ぶつ館かんには貴き重ちょうな古こ文もん書じょが展てん示じされている。
Valuable historical documents are on display at this museum.
彼かれは古こ文もん書じょを解かい読どくするのが趣しゅ味みだ。
His hobby is deciphering old manuscripts.

noun

pre-Meiji era document addressed to someone

Technical term in paleography: a document from before the Meiji period (pre-1868) that is addressed to a specific recipient, as opposed to a general record.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を解かい読どくするto decipher (an old document)
研けん究きゅう者しゃたちは古ふるい古こ文もん書じょを解かい読どくした。
The researchers deciphered the old historical document.
〈物もの〉が発はっ見けんされるfor an old document to be discovered
蔵くらの中なかから古こ文もん書じょが発はっ見けんされた。
An old historical document was discovered inside the storehouse.
〈物もの〉を保ほ存ぞんするto preserve an old document
図と書しょ館かんではこの古こ文もん書じょを大たい切せつに保ほ存ぞんしている。
The library carefully preserves this historical document.

Kanji

古old
文sentence, literature, style
書write

Related words

文ぶん書しょN2sense 1
文書 is the broad, neutral word for any written document, while 古文書 specifically means an old or historical document.
古こ記き録ろく sense 1
古記録 usually refers to old diaries or chronicles, while 古文書 covers a wider range of historical documents such as letters and deeds.
史し料りょう
古文書 refers narrowly to old handwritten documents, while 史料 is the broader term covering any material (documents, artifacts, records) used as a historical source.

Don't confuse with

古こ文ぶん sense 1
古文 means classical Japanese literature or grammar, whereas 古文書 refers to actual old documents and manuscripts, not a literary style.
古こ書しょ
古文書 refers to old historical documents or records, whereas 古書 refers specifically to old or secondhand books.

Counted with

通つうN1
Used for documents or letters, such as old historical documents (古文書).
冊さつN1
Used for 古文書 when they are bound together as a book.

Word family

古こ文もん書じょ学がく
study of historical documents; diplomatics; paleography

Built from

古こ文もん+書しょ

Written forms

古文書
- こもんじょ
  Standard kanji form; the reading こもんじょ is the most common.
- こぶんしょ
  Alternate reading; less common than こもんじょ.
こぶんしょ

Etymology

Compound of 古 (old) and 文書 (document). The reading こもんじょ is the standard Sino-Japanese reading, while こぶんしょ is a less common variant.