1.
punctuation marks (collectively); the formal term for punctuation symbols
A formal collective term for the punctuation marks used in written Japanese — the period (。), comma (、), question mark (？), exclamation mark (！), brackets (「」『』), middle dot (・), and so on. 句読符号 appears in style guides, school grammar instruction, and editorial discussion; in everyday speech, the more common term is 句読点, although strictly that refers only to ， / 。 and , / 、.
句読符号を正しく使う。
Use punctuation marks correctly.
この文章は句読符号が足りない。
This piece of writing is short on punctuation.
先生は作文の句読符号の使い方を丁寧に教えてくれた。
The teacher carefully taught us how to use punctuation marks in our compositions.
出版社のスタイルガイドには、句読符号の使い方や全角・半角の使い分けが細かく定められている。
The publisher's style guide spells out in detail how to use punctuation marks and when to use full-width versus half-width characters.
句読符号 is a formal collective term for the various symbols used to punctuate written Japanese. It appears mostly in linguistics, editing, publishing, and school-grammar contexts; in casual conversation people simply say 句読点 (which strictly means just period and comma).
FORMATION:
- 句 ("phrase") + 読 ("reading") + 符号 ("sign, code") → "phrase-reading symbols," i.e. punctuation marks
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 句読符号を使う: to use punctuation marks
- 句読符号を打つ: to insert punctuation
- 句読符号の使い方: how to use punctuation marks
- 句読符号の種類: kinds of punctuation marks
KINDS OF PUNCTUATION INCLUDED:
- 句点 (。): period (full stop)
- 読点 (、): comma
- 疑問符 (？): question mark
- 感嘆符 (！): exclamation mark
- かぎ括弧 (「」): standard quote brackets
- 二重かぎ括弧 (『』): nested / book-title quote brackets
- 中点 (・): middle dot
- ダッシュ (—) / リーダー (……): dash / ellipsis
SIMILAR / CONTRASTING TERMS:
- 句読点: punctuation (the most common everyday term; strictly refers only to 。 and 、 but often used loosely for all punctuation)
- 符号: symbol, code, sign (the broader noun)
- 記号: symbol, mark (an even broader category, including math and music symbols)
USAGE NOTES:
- In daily speech and basic school instruction, 句読点 is by far the more common term. 句読符号 is used when speakers want to be clear that the full set of punctuation symbols is meant, not just commas and periods.
- Most ordinary Japanese readers will recognize 句読符号 but rarely use it actively; encountering it usually signals a formal, technical, or editorial context.