Abstract: A head chip has a plurality of chambers provided in a piezoelectric plate, nozzles at ends of the chambers, electrodes in the chambers for applying a voltage to discharge ink from the nozzle openings, and an ink chamber plate joined to the piezoelectric plate for defining a common ink chamber communicating with the plural ink chambers, and having a partitioning portion for partitioning the chambers and the common ink chamber and communicating holes for defining a pump length according to a distance from the nozzle openings, so that converging time during which pressure in the ink chambers attenuates may be reduced to enable high speed printing without deteriorating ink discharge characteristics. In addition, by providing the communicating holes at equal intervals the converging time does not fluctuate even if the discharge amount is controlled based on the shape of the nozzle openings.

Abstract: There are provided an ink jet head and an ink jet recording apparatus having a judging unit for making a judgment with ease on an ink filling state of a printing head without consuming any ink and recording medium that are used for verification. A controlling means 500 controls a selection means 300 to drive one of side walls adjacently disposed in ink passages provided on a head chip 200 and obtains a piezoelectric signal generated on the other one of the side walls from a signal processing means 400, to thereby judge the ink filling state in the ink passage.