Also, how does 発刊 fit into all of this?

Is it that 発行 can be used for magazines, newspapers and books while 刊行 can't be used for newspapers?


There are also 出版, 印行. Their uses are as follows

  • 出版 is the process of printing, binding and distributing (does not include newspapers)
  • 発行 refers to the process of printing something of value (books, money, stamps, etc.) and distributing it
  • 刊行 is usually the process of publishing something at a fixed interval, e.g. daily (like newspapers), monthly (like magazines), etc.
  • 発刊 is starting a new publication of something to be published frequently, e.g. 雑誌の発行 is the start of a new magazine (whereas 雑誌の出版 would be referring to the publication of a particular issue)
  • 印行 is a contraction of 印刷 and 発行, i.e. the process of printing and circulating

(This is a summary of the following sources: Yahoo 知恵袋, goo辞書)

  • v impressive answer! – Tim Sep 29 '12 at 10:09
  • Thanks for the detailed answer! Just to clarify, though, in the sentence 「以降、毎月刊行中！」, can I substitute 「刊行」 with 「発刊」? Can 「発刊」 only be used for the first issue (such as in 「集英社、「○○」という新雑誌を発刊！」) or can we use the word the way I did to mean "published every month"? – Chiro-kun Sep 29 '12 at 14:10
  • @Chiro-kun 発刊 cannot be used for "published every month". It means starting a new publication (series). 刊行 is the best candidate for the concept of publishing every month/day/year/whatever... – Earthliŋ Sep 30 '12 at 17:53

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