also: もんじょ
Broad term for written or printed material, including official documents, letters, notes, and records.
Please keep important documents in the safe.
彼は会議の前に文書をまとめた。
He compiled the documents before the meeting.
document addressed to someone (historical)
Only with reading もんじょ
Paleography term; refers to a document specifically addressed to a person, read as もんじょ. Not used in everyday modern Japanese.
古文書学では、特定の相手に宛てた文書を「もんじょ」と呼ぶ。
In paleography, a document addressed to a specific person is called もんじょ.
I drafted a report document for the meeting.
I submitted the necessary documents to the government office.
Please sign the contract document.
Important documents are kept in the safe.
The government decided to make the document public.
文書 refers specifically to an official or written document, while 書 is broader and can mean any written work.
文書 and 公文書 share the same kanji base, but 文書 is any written document while 公文書 is specifically an official/government one.
document type
private document