E-mail in japanese

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Parable of the Two Rivers, the White Path Ohigan Holiday Explained

Tips on writing formal Business Japanese emails

Posted on March 20, 2009by Doug

Or:Dont make the same mistakes I did.

I work in a large IT company with some offices in Japan, among other places, and so in my

efforts to learn Japanese, I have tried to use it when communicating with Japanese staff.

Unfortunately, as I am quickly realizing, formal Business Japanese is quite different than

regularJapanese, even the stuff you study for theJLPT exam. At least the Level 3 JLPT

exam (now N4). If y ou think about it, business English, While its still the same language,

there are important differences to be aware of if you really want to do it right.

So, a Japanese co-worker, has been giving me some helpful tips that I wanted to pass on:

When speaking with clients or vendors (i.e. people outside y our company), you should

always begin an email with itsumo osewa ni narimasu().

When speaking with someone withinthe company, you should begin the email instead

with otsukaresama desu().

Word choice matters a lot. The regular, more native words are often too informal or

conversational, while the imported Chinese-style words, or kango() are more

formal. For example, the word oshieru() can mean to tell, but if writing an

email, a more appropriate term might be kisai suru() meaning to describe, to

state. Another example is rikai suru() instead of wakaru().

Also, when addressing an external client or vendor you can add go or o to verbs andnouns. So, using the example above, kisai suru() would become go-kisai suru(

). However, never never neveruse the polite go or o to refer to

yourself, your company, or anyone in your group.

Also, when stating intention, dont use volitional Japanese like shimash() as it

can sound too assertive. Instead water it down and use the more neutral, more bland

shimasu() or something along those lines.

Also, like formal business emails in general, keep the tone bland as much as possible.

American-sty le friendliness just wont work.

Indirect, passive language is preferred in formal situations as opposed to direct

language. Make good use of the passive-caseof verbs where feasible. They are used in

keigo(honorific) language quite a bit too!

Of course, Japanese are patient and understanding if you make mistakes. After all, people

are people, and learning any business language is always hard, but if you really screw up,

and a sincere apology works too. Of course, to make a cake you have to break a few eggs.

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About Doug

A fellow who dwells upon the Pale Blue Dot who spends his days obsessing over

things like KPop music, foreign languages, BSD UNIX and science fiction.

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Parable of the Two Rivers, the White Path Ohigan Holiday Explained

Its just that its good to avoid mistakes where possible.

Ill pass along more tips as I learn them. Good luck in your efforts!

Namu Amida Butsu

Update:Added more tips, updated the footnotes to new format.

Actually, basic keigo(respectful language) and kenjgo(humble language) are includedin the JLPT 3 exam. Westerners who study Japanese tend to rely too much on textbook

formal Japanese, and dont make use of keigo and kenjogo enough. In social situations

where someone is older than you, you can really communicate better when you master

some basic keigo and kenjogo. They will understand you either way, but using respectful

language will show that you appreciate the culture better, with its emphasis on hierarchy.

Its hard to get used to this since we dont use it much in English, but when in Rome, do as

the Romans do.

Thanks to reader Maxx for pointing out that kisai suruis used in a written context

only.

so why should it be

This entry was posted in Japanese, JLPT, Language. Bookmark the permalink.

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15 Responses to Tips on writing formal Business

Japanese emails

Wendisays:

September 17, 2009 at 9:37 pm

Are there any good books on writing business Japanese? I also work in a Japanese

company and must correspond with them daily. I am learning conversational

Japanese, but I also want to deepen my understanding of business, keigo and

kenjogo Japanese. Any suggestions?

Dougsays:


Hi Wendy and welcome to the JLR. I am not aware of any such books at this time,

but appreciate any recommendations anyone has.

Tylersays:

August 24, 2010 at 11:47 am

Hi Doug,

Great article. These are all helpful tips. Ive notched a few professional e-mails in

Japanese myself, and another tip I might add is to use ~sete itadakimasu, or

~sete itadaite orimasu when doing or stating something you might normally ask

someone for permission first, such as using English.

I find that essentially the more time you spend practicing keigo, the better yourwritten business Japanese will sound.

Tyler

Dougsays:

August 24, 2010 at 4:38 pm

Hi Tyler,

Great catch on the use of itadaku. I totally overlooked that, but that should be

added in there, along with general reminders about humble vs. honorific speech.

Totally agree on the need to practice keigo, but Ive also been reminded by

Japanese coworkers when not to overdo it too. Ive yet to get this balance right

and tend to be overcautious.

Maxsays:

January 20, 2011 at 7:39 pm

Hi,

please ask a Japanese how he would use kisai suru. Its more like to note s.th. I

guess.

Max

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Doug says:


Hi Max and welcome to the JLR.

Regarding kisai suru, I did ask a Japanese co-worker. I mentioned that in the

post. This post was written because I made the mistake of using in a

business email and my co-worker suggestedinstead. So this advice

should be valid, but may depend on the context too.

Maxsays:


If you describe something VERBALLY, you should not use kisai suru. Kisai

suru refers only to a description in WRITING. That is the crucial point. Sorry, I

forgot to mention.

Max

Maxsays:


is also used for a VERBAL action. If someone reads your post, he could

think, that would also apply for a VERBAL action, but it does not.

Doug says:


Ok, I see what you mean now. Youre right. Ill clarify that in the post. Good

catch, thank you.

Frenkysays:

August 25, 2011 at 1:06 am

I would recommend

Writing E-mails in Japanese

The Japan Times | 2006 | ISBN: 4789011844

it helped me with email writing

Doug says:

August 25, 2011 at 3:17 pm

Hi Frenky and welcome to the JLR. Thanks very much for the book suggestion.

I will probably take you up on that because I definitely need the help.

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Essays in Idleness

Marco Crispinisays:

September 11, 2012 at 2:06 am

You can also use I think to soften things, make a request/intention

or statement less assertive. eg something I'd like to do

something or somethingsomething shouldnt be a

problem. Hope that helps!

Doug says:


Hi Marco and thank you for the extra tips. Theyre always appreciated.

cocominosays:

December 14, 2012 at 3:26 am

You can use every time and every moment in Japan.

Doug says:

December 14, 2012 at 8:18 am

Ha ha ha, very true.

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E-mail in japanese