Ink jet ink, ink set, ink jet recording method, ink cartridge, recording unit, and ink jet recording apparatus

An ink jet ink comprising at least water, a water-soluble organic solvent and a coloring material, wherein

• the coloring material is a compound represented by the following general formula (1) or a salt thereof;
• a content (mass %) of the coloring material is 0.5 mass % or more and less than 3.0 mass % with respect to a total mass of the ink jet ink;
• and
• a content (mass %) of 2-pyrrolidone in the water-soluble organic solvent is 50.0% or more with respect to the content (mass %) of the coloring material;
• and
• in a dispersion distance distribution, measured by a small-angle X-ray scattering method, of molecular aggregates in the ink jet ink whose coloring material concentration is adjusted to 0.5 mass %, a dispersion distance d75 value corresponding to 75% of the distribution is 6.70 nm or more and 10.60 nm or less:
• wherein M represents an alkali metal or ammonium;
• R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a sulfonic group, or a carboxyl group provided that R1 and R2 are not simultaneously a hydrogen atom;
• Y represents a chlorine atom, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, or a monoalkylamino or dialkylamino group;
• 1 represents 0 to 2, m represents 1 to 3, and n represents 1 to 3 provided that 1+m+n=3 to 4);
• and positions at which substituents are present are the 4- or 4′-positions.