読点（とうてん、touten）
- comma (punctuation)

The word 読点 (pronounced とうてん, *touten*) refers to the Japanese punctuation mark, the comma. It's used to separate items in a list, clauses within a sentence, or to indicate a pause when reading. 読点 helps to clarify the meaning of a sentence by breaking it up into manageable parts. Essentially, it functions similarly to a comma in English.

⚫︎ 今日は、りんご、みかん、バナナを買いました。 Translation: I bought an apple, a mandarin orange, and a banana today. ⚫︎ 私は、日本語を勉強していますが、まだ難しいです。 Translation: I am studying Japanese, but it is still difficult.

読点 is used in written Japanese in a variety of contexts to: ⚫︎ Separate items in a list. ⚫︎ Separate clauses within a sentence, especially when the sentence is long or complex. ⚫︎ Indicate a pause for clarity and readability. ⚫︎ Sometimes, it is also used before a direct quotation. You'll encounter 読点 frequently in all types of Japanese writing, from novels to business emails.

⚫︎ The word 読点 is typically written in kanji 読点. ⚫︎ The reading, とうてん, is written in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no other ways to write this word or variations in okurigana.

There are no direct synonyms for the word 読点 itself as it specifically refers to a punctuation mark. However, other punctuation marks like 句読点 (*kutouten*, meaning "punctuation marks") could be considered related terms, but not exact synonyms.

There are no direct antonyms for the word 読点.

この本は、とても面白いです。 ・Translation: This book is very interesting. ・Explanation: The 読点 separates the topic "this book" from the description "is very interesting".

私は、昨日、映画を見に行きました。 ・Translation: I went to see a movie yesterday. ・Explanation: The 読点 is used after "yesterday" to separate the time element from the main action.

The word 読点 is a compound word. 読 (*to* or *yomi*) means "to read" or "reading," and 点 (*ten*) means "mark," "dot," or "point." Thus, 読点 literally translates to "reading mark" or "reading dot," accurately describing its function in text. The term emerged as a way to refer to the mark used while reading.