# Comprehensive Guide to Japanese Letter Writing
> Dive into the art of Japanese letter writing with our complete guide. Understand traditional formats, etiquette, and essential phrases to create meaningful and respectful correspondence.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/comprehensive-japanese-letter-writing-guide
**Last Updated:** 2024-11-05
**Tags:** culture, vocabulary, deepdive
---
In Japan, as with the rest of the world, it's become less common to send people handwritten letters. Most written communication happens via text messages, social media, and emails.
With this in mind, while you definitely don't need to know how to write a letter to [learn Japanese](/learn-japanese).... there _are_ situations where it would be appropriate to write someone a letter by hand. Plus, it's kind of cool. And hey, sometimes, you just want to write a letter. (We want you to send that love letter, too. We're rooting for you!)
In this article we'll start by walking through the structure of a _formal_ letter in detail. While you likely won't write a letter like this, if you learn how to write one, it'll make it easy to understand how more informal letters, business emails, and even things like postcards work, too.
Oh, and before we get too far along — the Japanese word for _letter_ is .
_Note: There are three Japanese writing systems. This blog post assumes that you can already [read hiragana](/blog/japanese/the-japanese-language-hiragana) and understand [how kanji work](/blog/japanese/how-to-learn-kanji)._
We'll get into:
---
## Japanese letter format (formal letter)
Generally speaking, a "proper" Japanese letter has ten key components and can be broken down into four sections:
- An opening section, called
- The body, called
- A closing section, called
- The appendix, called
You can see these sections outlined in the below example ([source](https://fudemame.net/fudemamenet/fudemamedia/hagaki/03/)):
And now we'll explore each of those sections.
### The opening section
The opening part of a letter is called , and it is comprised of two components.
#### 1. Opening words
To start a letter, insert a
: an opening expression. The most standard expression is , and it roughly corresponds to "dear" or "to whom it may concern" in English.
A few other opening words you may sometimes use:
- — This is like but more polite, suitable for use when writing to customers or your boss
- — This means "skipping the preliminaries" and is used when writing about urgent matters or sending condolences; see the "seasonal greetings" section for more information
- — This is used when you are _responding_ to a letter that someone has sent to you
- Several more of these can be seen [here](https://letter.midori-japan.co.jp/letter-manners/tougo-ketsugo/), in Japanese
Two quick notes:
- **Name placement** — While English letters begin with _dear {name}_, Japanese letters basically just say _dear_. The name of the recipient goes on the envelope and at the end of the letter, but _not_ in the beginning of the letter.
- **Word pairs** — Opening and closing words actually come in pairs, meaning that if you open a letter with Opening Words A, you must close the letter with Closing Words A. See the below section on "closing words" to see the phrases that correspond with the above opening words.
#### 2. A seasonal greeting
In Japanese culture, it's customary to offer a brief greeting that alludes to the season at hand before you get into the main body of the letter. Called a , these are pleasant in tone, somewhat poetic, and include a wish for the good health of the person you're writing to.
Here are a few sample greetings that I found in letters online:
- **Spring greetings**
- JA:
- EN: "The cherry blossoms have already passed their peak, yet I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits."
- **Summer greetings**
- JA:
- EN: "The rainy season has just ended, yet there’s hardly a moment to catch our breath before this intense heat arrives. I hope you are keeping well."
- **Fall greetings**
- JA:
- EN: "As the days go by, autumn is deepening, and I hope you are doing well."
- **Winter greetings**
- JA:
- EN: "As we enter the coldest season of the year, the weather is getting colder and colder, and I hope that you are living in good health."
There are many customary seasonal words and phrases, such as those shown [here](https://www.akitem.co.jp/mame/MC3.htm) (_link in Japanese_). You can use them to build your own greeting.
_Note: When sending condolences, the seasonal greeting is typically skipped, thus letting the letter's focus revolve entirely around your sympathies. In these cases, open the letter with ("skipping the preliminaries") or ("my sincerest apologies for skipping the preliminaries") , say what you have to say, and then close the letter with ("apologies for the brevity")._
### The body / main part of your message
Salutations out of the way, we may now move on to the main part of the letter, called the . Just like in English, this is the part of the letter where you say whatever it is that you have to say.
#### 3. Transition
It would be somewhat jarring to jump straight from "the cherry blossoms have already begun to wilt" to "I blew a tire out on the highway and was thus, regretfully, unable to attend the...", so Japanese people add a bit of cushion between the seasonal greeting and letter body.
Here are a few common transitional phrases that you can use in letters and also in normal communication:
- さて — Well; now; then
- このたび — recently; on this occasion
- 早速ですが — without further ado
- Several more examples [here](https://www.letter110.net/yougo/shubun.html), in Japanese
You may either use these words (called ) and write an entire transitional sentence, or you may follow your chosen word/phrase with a comma and then proceed directly to the body of your letter.
#### 4. The body
Here, in the , you may share your message. How you go about writing it depends on your relationship with the addressee, but given that this is a _formal_ letter, it will likely be somewhat elevated in style, and also use [polite language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_speech_in_Japanese#Polite_language)
( ) and [beautified words](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_speech_in_Japanese#Word_beautification) ( ), if not full-blown [honorific language](https://imabi.org/honorifics-vi-regular-verbs/) ( ).
### The closing section
The final portion of a Japanese letter, the , is a bit more complex than that of an English letter, but not by much. It contains two parts.
#### 5. A closing expression
The closing expression ( ) is a counterpart to the seasonal greeting you used to begin the letter. Here, you express your wishes for the addressee's health and happiness. If in a business context, you should convey your hopes for the company's prosperity and success.
Your letter might include a closing line such as:
- それでは、・・・ — "well then", followed by whatever you'd like to say in closing
- — "Thank you for your continued support moving forward" (you'll hear this a lot in Japan!)
- — "Wishing you continued success in all your endeavors."
- Several more examples available [here](https://letter.midori-japan.co.jp/special/phrase/phrase-musubi/), in Japanese
#### 6. Closing words
Just as the closing expression corresponds to the seasonal phrase, the closing words correspond to the opening words. In our opening words example we used with , so here we should close with its counterpart, , which can be translated as "yours truly."
As mentioned in that earlier section, opening words and closing words come in pairs. Here are some other common word pairs you might use:
- — Use when you open your letter with
- — Use when you open your letter with or
- — Use when you begin a letter with _(yes, this is the same closing word as was used with )_
- Several more of these can be seen [here](https://letter.midori-japan.co.jp/letter-manners/tougo-ketsugo/), in Japanese
### The appendix
The appendix, the , is where all of the "extra" information goes. It includes four parts.
Note that the spacing/placement of these elements may be different than you expect, so be sure to refer to the sample letter at the top of this article.
#### 7. The date
List out the date ( ).
Note that Japan has [their own calendar system based on the Japanese eras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_era_name#Modern_Japan), and you should use that here, not our Western calendar. As such, you should write:
- ❌ — October 10th, 2024
- ✅ — October 10th of the 6th year of the Reiwa era
#### 8. Your signature
Add your signature ( ). Note that if you write your name in Japanese, your family name should be placed before your given name.
#### 9. The addressee's name
Finally, you list the addressee/recipient (the ). This requires three steps:
1. Write your addressee's name: family name first, given name second
2. † Attach the suffix to their name
3. On the next line, next to the suffix, write (_"with all due respect"_)—or, if you know what you're doing, [your respectful term of choice](https://geki-fu.com/gf/page/article/oyakudachi/trivia/65/#:~:text=%E7%88%B6%E3%82%84%E6%AF%8D%E3%81%AB%E5%AE%9B%E3%81%A6,%E3%81%AA%E8%84%87%E4%BB%98%E3%81%91%E3%81%8C%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82) (called a )
Again, be sure to refer to the image above, as the placement of these three elements may not be intuitive if you haven't written a Japanese letter before.
_† While may sound overly formal in speech, it is the standard suffix used in formal writing. It is even used if the person you are writing to you is younger in age and lower in status._
#### 10. (Optional) The post script
Any supplementary information that you'd like to include but don't feel should go in the letter body may be placed here.
In Japanese, this is called the .
### A few notes about formal letters
If you're going to go to the trouble of writing a formal Japanese letter, you might also want to:
1. **Write vertically** — Formal letters are written vertically: you begin writing in the top-right portion of the page, work your way down, move one line to the left when you reach the bottom, and then continue on in this fashion until you eventually reach the bottom-left portion of the page
2. **Use , [traditional Japanese paper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washi)** — Washi is made by hand from the bark of a specific tree and is used in many traditional Japanese arts, such as origami and calligraphy
---
## How to address an envelope
We've now got your letter, but you didn't write it to look pretty on your coffee table. It's time to send it!
Here's everything you need to know about Japanese envelopes and addresses to get your letter to its destination.
### The front of the envelope
Here's what the front of a Japanese envelope looks like:
You'll fill this out as follows:
1. **Stamp** — Place the stamp ( ) in the top-left corner of the envelope
2. **Postal code** — Place the recipient's 7-digit postal code alongside the top-right corner of the envelope ([here's a tool to look up Japanese postal codes](https://www.japanpostalcode.net/))
3. **Spacing** —Mind the spacing! There should be some white space between the postal code and the top of the envelope, a similar amount of space between the postal code and the recipient's address, and a larger space between the postal code and the recipient's name
4. **Recipient's address** — Write the recipient's address on the right side of the envelope
5. **Recipient's name** — Write the recipient's name in the _family-name → first-name_ format; use a larger font size than you did for the address
#### Which suffix to use with the recipient's name
As mentioned in step 9 above, you should attach an honorific suffix to the recipient's name. If in doubt, is a safe option. It is considered standard and can be used with anyone, regardless of their relationship to you.
様 aside, here are a few other suffixes you might also see:
- — Featuring 中 (middle/amongst), this suffix is used to address an organization or group of people, and is what you'd use if submitting a job application
- or — These can be used interchangeably and would be attached to your own name on a self-addressed envelope (of course, make sure you also include a return address)
- — Literally meaning "teacher", this can be used in letters to teachers, doctors, lawyers, clergy, authors, or such people
- A few more specific suffixes can be found [here](https://townwork.net/magazine/skill/124881/#:~:text=%E3%80%8C%E6%A7%98%E3%80%8D%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%80%8B%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%AB%E4%BD%BF%E3%81%86,-%E3%80%8C%E6%A7%98%E3%80%8D%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81&text=%E3%80%8C%E5%BE%A1%E4%B8%AD%E3%80%8D%E3%81%A8%E5%90%8C%E3%81%98%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB,%E4%BB%98%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AF%E9%96%93%E9%81%95%E3%81%84%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%80%82&text=%E5%AE%9B%E5%85%88%E3%81%8C%E8%A4%87%E6%95%B0%E5%90%8D%E3%81%AE,%E6%A7%98%E3%80%8D%E3%82%92%E4%BB%98%E3%81%91%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%80%82), in Japanese
#### How Japanese addresses work
Japanese addresses are organized so that the biggest area comes first, with the caveat being that the postal code is listed first (instead of last, as in the USA).
Here are the components of a Japanese address, in order:
- † Country ( ) _(this may be omitted when sending mail domestically within Japan)_
- 7-digit postal code ( ) in the format 〒###-####
- Prefecture + , , or _(different prefectures use different ones)_
- City name + _(skip this if the city is Tokyo)_
- City district name + , county city name + , or village name + _(it depends on the size of your city)_
- District section +
- Building/apartment number (usually with )
Putting all that together, here's the address of [Waseda University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waseda_University):
-
- Japan, 〒 169-8050, Tokyo Metropolis, Shinjuku District, Totsuka Town, 1st ward, 104
_† If you are sending a letter to Japan from overseas, write "JAPAN" at the bottom of the envelope so that the post office workers know where the letter should go. Upon entering Japan, Japanese post office workers will take the letter from there._
### The back of the envelope
Here's what the back of a standard Japanese envelope looks like:
You'll fill this out as follows:
6. **Date** — You may optionally list the date that you sealed the envelope; while not necessary, filling it out is considered to show that you pay attention to detail
7. **Seal** — Most envelopes have a sticky tongue, just like our envelopes, or may be sealed with tape. As such, you don't need to do anything special here. _However_, if you want, you may write 寿 on the seal if the letter is for a wedding, or 賀 if it is for a holiday. More information about envelope seals can be found [here](https://mail.quadient.com/ja/blog/20230526), in Japanese
8. **Your name** — Again, remember to use the _family name → first name_ format
9. **Your address** — Write your own address
## Japanese letter format (casual letter)
Congrats! You now know how to write and address a formal Japanese letter, in the event that you're ever feeling super fancy.
Most of the time, though, you'll probably be sending letters that are more informal. Here, you have two options:
1. Follow the same format as the formal letter, but write horizontally (as we do in English) and include the recipient's name at the top of the letter
2. Do what we do in English — their name, body, your name
### How to write a slightly less-formal letter
Here's an example of a slightly less formal letter. As you can see, it has pretty much all of the parts of our formal letter above, but it's written from left to right and the recipient's name is on the page of the letter itself.
Realistically, if you're going to all this trouble, though, you might as well just write a formal letter!
### How to write a very casual letter
There is a "proper" way to write a letter, and you now know it... but people don't send "proper" letters very often. A few Japanese friends I consulted even told me that they didn't really know anything about letter-writing etiquette.
Think about it: there's a proper way to arrange silverware on a dinner table, too, but how many of us actually own differently-sized spoons and forks, let alone know how to arrange them?
You'll more often find yourself scribbling a quick note to somebody, and in this case, you only need three things:
- **Recipient's name + suffix + へ** — _Dear/to (person)_
- You can skip 様 and instead use さん, くん, or ちゃん, depending on how you typically address this person (more honorific suffixes [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics))
- **Your letter body**
- **Your name + より** — _from (your name)_
Of course, this isn't to say that you _can't_ include some of the elements of a formal letter. There are no rules! It's your letter. I personally recommend trying to include a seasonal greeting.
## How to write a business email in Japanese
The format of Japanese business emails is quite similar to that of a formal letter, but there are three main differences:
- There's no envelope, so the recipient's name goes in the email body
- Time is money, so the lengthy sequence of opening phrases is skipped
- Keigo is also used in the email, but it is formal and concise, rather than poetic
> Keigo and email writing are also things that Japanese people have to learn upon entering the workforce, so if you enter do a Google search for ビジネスメール 書き方 ("business mail how to write"), there are tons of guides and templates you may copy/reference.
To get started, here's a simple template you can use:
### Email fields
To, CC, and BCC work in the same way as they do in English emails.
The subject line ( ) is also nothing special: do your best to be concise and descriptive.
### The addressee's information
In the formal letter, we simply listed the addressee's name. In a business email, the name is broken into three lines:
- The name of the recipient's company
- The name of the recipient's department
- The recipient's name +
The first line is not necessary if you are sending an email to someone in the same company, and you may also see the second line omitted, too.
> If you're at a Japanese university and are writing to a professor, replace the above with a single line: professor's last name + .
When you're done, insert a line break so that there is a space between this section and the next section.
### The greeting
The greeting consists of two main lines, and they're quite fixed. You'll begin pretty much every email you ever write with these two short lines:
- **Greeting ( )**
- JA:
- EN: Thank you for your continued support
- **Self introduction ( )**
- JA: (Company name)の(your name)です。
- EN: (Your name) from (company)
> If contacting someone for the first time, replace the greeting line with , which literally means "This is the first time I'm contacting you" and is a respectful set phrase used to initiate contact.
The above two lines should be placed one after another. Next, insert a line break so that there is space between the greeting and email body.
### The email body
Begin by stating the reason you are contacting this person. You may use the same transitional phrases we mentioned in the email section to do this, such as さて ("well; then") or このたび ("on this occasion").
Now you may say whatever it is you wish to say. Do your best to be concise, and use [honorific language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_speech_in_Japanese) to the best of your ability.
Upon finishing, insert a line break so that there is some space between the email body and your closing line.
### The closing
This is a single line to acknowledge that your message is coming to an end. There are [many phrases you may use](https://blastmail.jp/blog/mail/businessmail-last) (_link in Japanese_), but here's a safe one that will always be OK:
-
- "I appreciate your continued cooperation"
When you're done, move to the next line and insert a divider to separate the body of your email from your signature.
### Your signature
Japanese signatures are very detailed, but the information is straightforward. Place each of the following pieces of information on a new line:
- Your company name and your department name
- Your name in _family name → first name_ format (_don't use 様 with your own name!!_)
- Your company's postal code
- Your company's physical or web address
- Your work telephone number/extension
- Your fax number, if you have one (and if you're working in Japan, you _will_ have one)
- Your email address
Different companies will do this differently, so if you are new, pay attention to the structure of your supervisor's signature.
## Nengajo, postcards sent on New Year's
Realistically, if most people send anything via snail mail, it will be a —a special postcard that people send on New Year's.
You can send nengajo to anyone, but they're conventionally sent to people who have somehow helped you in the past year. You should _not_ send them to people if one of their family members has died in the last year.
In December, you'll see these being sold in pretty much any store you walk into in Japan, from 7-11 to Daiso to the train station gift shop.
### What nengajo cards look like
Nengajo are basically post cards. They look something like this:
Most will feature some sort of celebratory statement. Some will be just text, while others may include an image.
You don't _need_ to write anything on the nengajo—the well-wish is already there—but if you want to, here are two phrases that you'll often hear during this time of the year:
- — "Happy New Year"
- — "Looking forward for the year to come"
If you enjoy calligraphy, you can also make your own cards. Here's a Japanese artist walking through the do's and don't of making one. The video is in Japanese, but it's clear enough that you can mostly follow along just by watching what he's doing.
### How to address a nengajo
The back of a nengajo card looks like this:
Like most postcards, they don't require an envelope to send. Instead, you'll write this information directly on the card:
1. Your name
2. Your address
3. Your postal code
4. The recipient's postal code
5. The recipient's address
6. The recipient's name + 様
These should be written in three different sizes of font:
- Big font — the recipient's name
- Medium font — the recipient's name/address
- Small font — your name and address
As these are already addressed, you can simply drop them off at any post office or post box. Make sure to send this **before December 25th**, as mail sent later than this date will not be delivered until January 1st (which is too late).
## Where to go for Japanese writing practice
If you don't know any Japanese people to write with, here are two ways you can find pen-pals and practice writing in Japanese:
### Use the "Slowly" app
[Slowly](https://slowly.app/), available on iOS and Android, is an app to send postcards digitally. The catch is that while you can see when you have mail on the way, you can't open them until the same amount of time it would take to ship a real postcard from your location to the recipient's location has passed.
Additionally, unlike most chat apps, you cannot upload photos to Slowly. You choose an avatar, your nationality, your interests, and the languages you speak, write an optional bio, and that's it. The system then lets you browse a list of people who speak or are learning your languages. Once you find someone you like, you get to write them a postcard! You've now got a few friends and a reason to improve your Japanese writing skills.
> Postcards are relatively informal, so you can follow the "very casual letter" instructions listed above.
### Write entries on Langcorrect
Writing letters in Japanese isn't the explicit focus of [Langcorrect](https://langcorrect.com/), but you can use it for that purpose. Its a website that is intended to help people become better writers in their target language. It's pretty straightforward:
1. You submit texts in your target language
2. Native speakers correct it
3. There's some basic formatting to make it easy to see the changes made to your initial text
The "strategy" here is to be generous about correcting the texts of people who speak your target language. Some will reciprocate, and before long you'll have a small pool of people that you exchange with on a regular basis.
I use Langcorrect for Mandarin, not Japanese, but you can see how it works below:
---
## But... I don't speak Japanese (yet)!
You now know more about Japanese letters and letter-writing etiquette than some Japanese people do.
Now you just have to sit down and write your letter.
If you don't feel as confident as you'd like to in Japanese—or perhaps you've never used Japanese honorific language before, so the language used in formal letters and emails scares you—check out Migaku. Our in-depth beginner's course will take you from zero to a point where you can confidently use Japanese to do the things that matter to you.
## \[Cheatsheet\] Vocabulary about Japanese letters
This article includes a lot of vocabulary that you might not have heard before. Here's the key vocabulary we used in one place, for easy reference.
### The anatomy of a letter
| JA word | Hiragana | Romaji | Audio | EN word |
| ------- | ------------ | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- |
| 手紙 | てがみ | tegami | | letter |
| 封筒 | ふうとう | fuutou | | envelope |
| 年賀状 | ねんがじょう | nengajou | | New Year's card |
| ~ | Ｅメール | E me-ru | | email |
| 前文 | ぜんぶん | zenbun | | opening section |
| 主文 | しゅぶん | shubun | | letter body |
| 末文 | まつぶん | matsubun | | closing section |
| 後付 | あとづけ | atodzuke | | appendix |
### The components of a letter
| JA word | Hiragana | Romaji | Audio | EN word |
| ---------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| 頭語 | とうご | tougo | | opening words |
| 時候の挨拶 | じこうのあいさつ | jikou no aisatsu | | seasonal greeting |
| 起語 | きご | kigo | | transition words |
| 本文 | ほんぶん | honbun | | text (of a letter) |
| 結びの挨拶 | むすびのあいさつ | musubi no aisatsu | | closing expression |
| 結語 | けつご | ketsugo | | closing words |
| 日付 | ひづけ | hidzuke | | date |
| 署名 | しょめい | shomei | | signature |
| 宛名 | あてな | atena | | name and address |
| 追伸 | ついしん | tsuishin | | postscript |
### Vocabulary related to Japanese addresses
| JA word | Hiragana | Romaji | Audio | EN word |
| -------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| 国 | くに | kuni | | country |
| 郵便番号 | ゆうびんばんごう | yuubin bangou | | postal code |
| 都道府県 | とどうふけん | todoufuken | | capital/district/urban prefecture/prefecture |
| ~市 | ~し | ~shi | | ~ city |
| ~区 | く | ku | | ~ ward (in Tokyo) / ~ district (elsewhere) |
| ~町 | ~ちょう/~まち | chou/machi | | ~ town |
| ~村 | むら | ~mura | | ~ village |
| 丁目 | ちょうめ | choume | | city block |
| #号 | #ごう | #gou | | building/apartment # |