文語 Classical Japanese

Also known as: 古語, 古典日本語, Classical Japanese, Bungo

Classical Japanese (文語 / bungo) is the pre-modern written standard of Japanese, based largely on Heian-period language and used for centuries in literature and formal writing. This page indexes resources for reading and analyzing classical forms (古語), not for learning contemporary spoken Japanese.

Family: JaponicBranch: JapanesePeriod: Heian-based written standard → early 20th century (pre-modern written Japanese)

Region: Japan

Heian-based written standard → early 20th century (pre-modern written Japanese)

Approximate modern reference — Centered on the Kyoto region (Heian capital) as a reference point; this is a historical written standard used across Japan.. Open in OpenStreetMap .

Link legend: links marked “(archived)” open an Internet Archive snapshot because the original site is down or unreliable.

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Typing help

You can type Japanese with a standard IME. For classical texts, you may encounter historical kana orthography (e.g., ゐ/ゑ) and older spellings (e.g., けふ).

Scope note

This page is about 文語 / 古語 (classical Japanese)—the historical written standard used for pre-modern texts and much formal writing—not modern Standard Japanese (現代語) unless the resource explicitly teaches classical forms.

Grammars

Introduction to Classical Japanese (Bungo I) — syllabus (David Lurie, Columbia)
- Notes: Course syllabus with a clear scope definition of Classical Japanese (bungo/kogo) and a structured outline of grammar topics and readings.
- Format: PDF
Bungo Nyūmon (文語入門): A Brief Introduction to Classical Japanese
- Notes: Free online introduction with sections on orthography, verbs/adjectives, particles, and common pitfalls. Written from a “learn it actively” perspective; useful as a reference alongside more formal materials.
- Format: Web
NIHONGO eな: “Bungo Nyūmon” portal entry
- Notes: Summary page describing the Bungo Nyūmon sections (incl. vocabulary problems and inflection/paradigms) and linking to the resource.
- Format: Web

Dictionaries

Weblio 古語辞典
- Notes: Online classical Japanese dictionary (“古語辞典”). Useful for quick lookups; entries often include usage/inflection information.
- Format: Web

Charts & Aids

Orthography (rekishiteki kanazukai) notes
- Notes: Explains historical spelling conventions and common classical/modern spelling differences (e.g., ゐ/ゑ, けふ→きょう).
- Format: Web
Vocabulary “false friends” and common pitfalls
- Notes: Examples where the same kanji/roots can mislead modern Japanese readers (classical vs modern meanings).
- Format: Web
Verb paradigms (classical conjugation patterns)
- Notes: Verb class overview with paradigm tables and example forms (useful as an inflection reference).
- Format: Web

Texts

Aozora Bunko (青空文庫)
- Notes: Large free Japanese text library. Texts vary in spelling/modernization—confirm whether a given text preserves older orthography if that’s important for your study.
- Format: Web
Japanese Wikisource (ウィキソース)
- Notes: Public-domain and freely licensed Japanese source texts. Includes many classics; text normalization varies by work.
- Format: Web

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