zuroku wo kaimasita.

It is usually read ずろく.

A 図録 is often a catalog with pictures, especially for an art exhibition, museum show, or collection. It is a noun.

を marks the direct object of the verb.

In 図録を買いました, the thing being bought is 図録, so を shows that 図録 is what the action of buyう / 買う is acting on.

A natural English gloss is:

• [I] bought a catalog.

買いました is the polite past form of 買う.

• dictionary form: 買う = to buy
• plain past: 買った = bought
• polite past: 買いました = bought

So this sentence is polite and neutral in tone. It is the kind of form you would use in normal conversation, with strangers, in class, or in many written examples for learners.

The subject is omitted.

Japanese very often leaves out information that is understood from context. So 図録を買いました could mean:

• I bought the catalog
• He bought the catalog
• She bought the catalog
• We bought the catalog

In many beginner examples, the most natural assumption is I bought the catalog, but the sentence itself does not explicitly say that.

No, normal Japanese is usually written without spaces.

So the standard written form is:

図録を買いました。

Spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the structure easier to see.

In modern Japanese, the particle を is pronounced o.

Even though the kana is を, when it is used as a particle, you say it like お.

So the sentence is pronounced roughly:

ずろく お かいました

The basic word order here is:

object + particle + verb

So:

• 図録 = object
• を = object marker
• 買いました = verb

Japanese often puts the verb at the end of the sentence, unlike English.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• 図録を買いました = simply states that a catalog was bought
• 図録は買いました = puts 図録 in contrast or makes it the topic

For example, 図録は買いました might imply something like:

• I did buy the catalog, but...
• As for the catalog, I bought it

So を is the most straightforward choice if you just want to say bought a catalog.

It is past affirmative polite.

Breakdown:

• 買います = buy / will buy (polite non-past)
• 買いました = bought (polite past)
• 買いません = do not buy / will not buy
• 買いませんでした = did not buy

So 買いました clearly means the buying already happened.

Yes. Japanese nouns do not have articles like a or the, so context decides that in English.

Depending on the situation, 図録を買いました could be translated as:

• I bought a catalog
• I bought the catalog
• I bought an exhibition catalog

Japanese leaves that kind of distinction unstated unless the context makes it clear.

In standard careful Japanese, 図録を買いました is the normal form.

In casual speech, particles are sometimes dropped, so you may hear:

図録買った

That can sound natural in conversation, but for learners, it is best to use を until you get comfortable with when particle dropping is acceptable.

It is a real and useful word, but it is not as everyday as a word like 本 for book.

You are especially likely to see 図録 in contexts such as:

• museums
• art exhibitions
• galleries
• special collections
• academic or historical displays

So it is common in those settings, even if it is not a basic daily-life noun.