Introduction
Anyone who has worked in Japan or done business with a Japanese company hits the same wall. Their spoken Japanese is passable, but the moment they try to write an email, their hands freeze. Conversely, plenty of people can copy an email template just fine, yet their heart sinks the instant the phone rings.
The reason business Japanese is hard is not grammar. Japanese grammar itself follows nearly the same word order as Korean, which makes it one of the easiest foreign languages in the world for a Korean speaker. The real wall lies in the fixed set expressions, the handling of honorifics (keigo), and the sense of judging the distance between you and the other party.
Japanese business communication is astonishingly rigid in its forms. The first line of an email is almost always predetermined, and the first words you say when answering a phone are predetermined too. If you do not know these forms, no matter how politely you try to write, something will feel off, and in bad cases it will come across as rude. Conversely, once you master the forms, you look more fluent than your actual ability. It is a world where form itself reads as competence.
This article dismantles, one by one, the standards of email and phone use that Japanese companies rely on every day. Rather than simply listing expressions, it also covers why they are used the way they are, when they must not be used, and how they differ from Korean business culture. After reading it, at least your hands will no longer freeze in front of an email.
The Basic Structure of a Business Email
A Japanese business email consists of six blocks. Simply keeping this order right gets you halfway to success.
| Block | Japanese | Role |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subject | 件名 (kenmei) | Summarize the point in one line |
| Address | 宛名 (atena) | Company, department, title, name |
| Greeting | 挨拶 (aisatsu) | osewa ni natte orimasu, etc. |
| Body | 本文 (honbun) | The point and its details |
| Closing | 結び (musubi) | yoroshiku onegai itashimasu, etc. |
| Signature | 署名 (shomei) | Company, name, contact details |
件名 (Subject)
The subject is the first thing the recipient sees in their inbox. In Japanese business, it is common for people to receive dozens or hundreds of emails a day, so they must be able to grasp the point and urgency from the subject alone.
There are three principles for a good subject. First, state the point clearly. Second, include the company name or your name so they know who you are. Third, if a reply or confirmation is needed, make that fact visible.
| Bad subject | Good subject |
| --- | --- |
| Hello | Consultation on meeting dates (Young Trading, Kim) |
| A question | Confirmation: about the invoice amount |
| Materials | Document dispatch: new product catalog |
| Urgent | Urgent: tomorrow's meeting room change |
Bracketed labels are used often. If confirmation is needed, put confirmation; if urgent, urgent; if sending materials, document dispatch. Attaching the nature of the request up front makes it easy for the recipient to set priorities.
宛名 (Address)
The first line of the body is the recipient's name. A Japanese business email always begins by naming the recipient explicitly. The order is company name, department, title, then name.
For external parties, add 様 (sama) after the name. When addressing the company itself, use 御中 (onchu). 様 and 御中 are never used together. 様 for a person's name, 御中 for an organization's name.
| Situation | Example notation |
| --- | --- |
| To an individual | Young Corp. Sales Dept. Tanaka Taro sama |
| To a department | Young Corp. Sales Dept. onchu |
| When there is a title | Young Corp. Sales Manager Tanaka Taro sama |
| To multiple people | Kankeisha kakui (to all concerned) |
There is one caution when using a title. Adding 様 again after a title, as in 部長様 (buchou-sama), is 二重敬語 (double honorific) and is incorrect. Because 部長 already carries respect, you write 田中部長 (Tanaka-buchou) or Sales Manager Tanaka Taro sama.
挨拶 (Greeting)
The line after the recipient always has a greeting. The opening greeting of an external email is fixed with almost no exceptions.
The most basic is いつもお世話になっております (itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu). Literally it means I am always in your care, but in practice it is a worn-down set phrase closer to hello. If it is your first contact, you begin with 突然のご連絡失礼いたします (excuse the sudden contact) or 初めてご連絡いたします (I am contacting you for the first time).
| Situation | Opening greeting |
| --- | --- |
| General external | itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu |
| First contact | totsuzen no gorenraku shitsurei itashimasu |
| Contact after a long time | gobusata shite orimasu |
| Internal | otsukaresama desu |
| Early morning (internal) | ohayou gozaimasu |
This is where the decisive difference between internal and external appears. For external, お世話になっております; for internal, お疲れ様です. Swapping the two feels wrong. Saying osewa ni natte orimasu to a colleague sounds like treating them as a stranger, and saying otsukaresama desu to an external client is rude.
本文 (Body)
After the greeting, briefly state a self-introduction or the background of your point, then go straight to the matter. What matters especially in Japanese email is not writing a single sentence too long, and dividing chunks with appropriate line breaks.
There are connecting expressions often used when entering the main point.
| Expression | Meaning | Use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| sate | now then | Transition from greeting to point |
| tsukimashite wa | regarding that | When raising the request |
| kono tabi wa | on this occasion | When mentioning the matter |
| sassoku desu ga | to get right to it | Skipping preamble for the point |
When asking for something, it is polite to place a so-called cushion phrase in front. Putting 恐れ入りますが (I am sorry to trouble you, but) or お手数をおかけしますが (this will be a bother, but) before a request makes it far softer.
| Cushion phrase | Nuance |
| --- | --- |
| osore irimasu ga | I am sorry to trouble you, but |
| otesu wo okakeshimasu ga | this may be a bother, but |
| sashitsukae nakereba | if it is not inconvenient |
| gobou no tokoro kyoshuku desu ga | sorry to bother you when you are busy, but |
| katte nagara | this is presumptuous, but |
結び (Closing)
At the end of the body, add a closing to wrap up the email. The most representative is 何卒 (nanitozo) よろしくお願いいたします. 何卒 means kindly or by all means, and raises the formality one level.
| Closing | Use |
| --- | --- |
| yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | most general |
| nanitozo yoroshiku onegai moushiagemasu | top politeness |
| gokakunin no hodo, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | when asking for confirmation |
| gokentou no hodo, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | when asking for consideration |
| toriisogi gorenraku made | when just sending a quick note |
| goheshin omachi shite orimasu | when saying you await a reply |
のほど softens and makes the request more indirect. ご確認のほどよろしくお願いいたします is far more polite than ご確認ください.
署名 (Signature)
At the very end comes the signature. It carries the company name, department, name, address, phone number, and email address. Usually a divider line separates it from the body.
A Roundup of Set Expressions
It is no exaggeration to call a Japanese business email a collection of set phrases. Memorize the expressions below wholesale and you can cover most situations.
Thanks and Apologies
| Expression | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| gorenraku arigatou gozaimasu | thank you for your message |
| sassoku no goheshin arigatou gozaimasu | thank you for your quick reply |
| gokakunin itadaki arigatou gozaimasu | thank you for confirming |
| gomeiwaku wo okakeshite moushiwake gozaimasen | I apologize for the inconvenience |
| taihen shitsurei itashimashita | I was very rude |
| owabi moushiagemasu | I offer my apologies |
Requests and Confirmation
| Expression | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| gokakunin itadakemasu deshou ka | could you confirm |
| gotaiou wo onegai dekimasu deshou ka | could I ask you to handle this |
| gokyouji itadakemasu to saiwai desu | I would be grateful if you could let me know |
| gokentou itadakemasu to saiwai desu | I would be grateful if you would consider it |
| oshirase itadakemasu deshou ka | could you let me know |
いただけますと幸いです is a very frequently used polite request. Literally it means it would be fortunate if you would do this, and becomes a soft request with the imperative tone entirely removed.
Notice and Reporting
| Expression | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| goannai moushiagemasu | I would like to inform you |
| kaki no toori gohoukoku itashimasu | I report as below |
| tempu nite ookuri itashimasu | I send this as an attachment |
| goshaushu kudasai | please receive and check |
| gofumei na ten ga gozaimashitara | if there is anything unclear |
ご査収ください is a set phrase used when sending an attachment or materials, meaning please receive and check it. It is the standard phrase that accompanies sending documents.
Scheduling
| Expression | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| gotsugou wa ikaga deshou ka | how is your availability |
| kouhobi wo ikutsuka agesasete itadakimasu | let me propose a few candidate dates |
| gotsugou no yoi nichiji wo oshirase kudasai | please tell me a convenient date and time |
| nittei wo chousei sasete itadakimasu | I will adjust the schedule |
| aratamete gorenraku itashimasu | I will contact you again |
Sample Emails
The fastest way to understand how set expressions combine in an actual email is to see one. Below is a typical external email arranging a meeting date.
件名：お打ち合わせ日程のご相談（ヤング商事・キム）
株式会社サクラ
営業部 田中太郎様
いつもお世話になっております。
ヤング商事のキムでございます。
さて、先日ご相談させていただきました新製品の件につきまして、
一度お打ち合わせのお時間をいただけますでしょうか。
つきましては、下記の候補日時の中から、
ご都合の良い日時をお知らせいただけますと幸いです。
・7月10日（金）14:00〜16:00
・7月13日（月）10:00〜12:00
・7月14日（火）終日
ご多忙のところ恐縮ですが、
何卒よろしくお願いいたします。
――――――――――――――――
ヤング商事株式会社
営業部 キム・ヨンジュ
TEL：03-1234-5678
Email：kim@example.co.jp
――――――――――――――――
Next is an email sending materials as an attachment.
件名：【資料送付】新製品カタログのご送付
株式会社サクラ
営業部 田中太郎様
いつもお世話になっております。
ヤング商事のキムでございます。
先日お問い合わせいただきました新製品カタログを、
本メールに添付いたしましたので、ご査収ください。
ご不明な点がございましたら、
お気軽にお問い合わせくださいませ。
引き続き、何卒よろしくお願いいたします。
Next is an example of an apology email. When apologizing, the principle is apology first, then cause and countermeasure, before any excuse.
件名：納期遅延のお詫び
株式会社サクラ
営業部 田中太郎様
いつもお世話になっております。
ヤング商事のキムでございます。
この度は、納品が遅れておりますこと、
誠に申し訳ございません。
原因は弊社の在庫管理の不備によるものでございます。
現在、7月20日の納品を目指して対応を進めております。
ご迷惑をおかけし、重ねてお詫び申し上げます。
今後このようなことのないよう、再発防止に努めてまいります。
何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。
The Art of Phone Handling
The reason the phone feels far harder than email is that it is real-time. There is no time to think. That is precisely why, for the phone, you must drill set expressions until they come out reflexively.
Answering a Call (受電)
もしもし (moshi moshi) is not used in Japanese business calls. もしもし is an expression for private calls. When you answer a company phone, you answer by stating the company name.
| Situation | Expression |
| --- | --- |
| First words (prompt answer) | hai, marumaru gaisha de gozaimasu |
| Answering after 3 or more rings | omatase itashimashita. marumaru gaisha de gozaimasu |
| Confirming the other party | itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu |
| When you missed the name | osore irimasu ga, onamae wo oukagai dekimasu deshou ka |
If you answered after the phone rang three or more times, it is good manners to add お待たせいたしました (sorry to keep you waiting) to your first words.
Transferring to the Person in Charge (取次ぎ)
If the person who answered is not the one in charge, they transfer the call (取次ぎ) to that person. Here you need an expression that has the caller wait briefly.
| Situation | Expression |
| --- | --- |
| Saying you will transfer | tadaima tantousha ni otsunagi itashimasu |
| Asking them to wait briefly | shoushou omachi itadakemasu deshou ka |
| Reconfirming the caller's name | marumaru sama de irasshaimasu ne |
| Relaying to the person in charge | marumaru sama kara odenwa desu |
Here is an important honorific rule. When you speak to an external party about someone from your own company, you do not attach honorifics to that person, no matter how senior. To the question is Manager Tanaka there, you answer with 田中は席を外しております, humbling your own company's people. This is where Korean speakers make mistakes most often.
Handling Absence (不在対応)
These are expressions for when the person in charge is not at their desk. 席を外しております is the core expression.
| Situation | Expression |
| --- | --- |
| Away from the desk | tadaima seki wo hazushite orimasu |
| On another call | tadaima hoka no denwa ni dete orimasu |
| Out of the office | ainiku gaishutsu shite orimasu |
| On leave | honjitsu wa yasumi wo itadaite orimasu |
| In a meeting | tadaima kaigichuu de gozaimasu |
Putting あいにく (unfortunately) in front adds a nuance of regret and makes it more polite. And because you do not use respectful language for your own company's people, it is 田中はおりません, not 田中はいらっしゃいません.
Messages and Callbacks (伝言・かけ直し)
If the person in charge is out, you either take the caller's message (伝言) or offer to call back (かけ直し).
| Situation | Expression |
| --- | --- |
| Asking about a message | yoroshikereba gedengon wo uketamawarimashou ka |
| Offering to call back | modori shidai, orikaeshi odenwa itashimasu |
| When the caller will call back | kashikomarimashita. marumaru ga modorimashitara moushitsutaemasu |
| Confirming contact details | nen no tame, odenwa bangou wo oukagai dekimasu deshou ka |
| Giving your own name | watakushi, marumaru ga uketamawarimashita |
承る (uketamawaru) is the humble form of to receive or to hear. Saying ご伝言を承ります when offering to take a message is very polite. 折り返し (orikaeshi) means to call back and is an essential word in phone handling.
There is an order for hanging up too. In principle the caller hangs up first, and the person who answered confirms the other has hung up before quietly hanging up. Not slamming the receiver down, and instead pressing the hook with a finger to end the call, is also good manners.
Using Keigo
Keigo (honorifics) is the heart of business Japanese. It divides broadly into three types.
| Type | Object | Direction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 尊敬語 (respectful) | the other's action | raises the other |
| 謙譲語 (humble) | your own action | lowers yourself |
| 丁寧語 (polite) | the whole sentence | formality via desu, masu |
The key is direction. Actions the other party performs are raised with respectful language; actions you perform are lowered with humble language. Even the same verb changes form completely depending on who the subject is.
| Base form | Respectful (other) | Humble (self) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iu (to say) | ossharu | mousu, moushiageru |
| iku (to go) | irassharu | mairu, ukagau |
| kuru (to come) | irassharu, okoshi ni naru | mairu |
| miru (to see) | goran ni naru | haiken suru |
| kiku (to hear) | okiki ni naru | ukagau, haichou suru |
| suru (to do) | nasaru | itasu |
| iru (to be) | irassharu | oru |
| taberu (to eat) | meshiagaru | itadaku |
| shiru (to know) | gozonji | zonjiru, zonjiageru |
| morau (to receive) | — | choudai suru, itadaku |
For example, when saying you saw materials: if you saw them, it is 拝見しました; if the other party saw them, it is ご覧になりましたか. 拝見 is humble, so it must not be used for the other party's action. ご資料を拝見してください is wrong. When asking the other party to look, ご覧ください is correct.
Internal vs External Tone
Inside the company (社内) and outside (社外) differ in tone. Being overly formal internally actually creates distance, and lowering formality externally is rude.
| Situation | Internal (社内) | External (社外) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Greeting | otsukaresama desu | itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu |
| Referring to a boss | Tanaka-buchou | Tanaka (lowered, no honorific) |
| Request | onegai shimasu | onegai itashimasu |
| Confirmation | kakunin onegai shimasu | gokakunin no hodo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu |
| Apology | sumimasen | moushiwake gozaimasen |
The most confusing is how to refer to a boss. When speaking directly to a boss internally, you attach the title and raise them, as in 田中部長. But when mentioning that boss to an external person, it is name only, 田中, lowered with no honorific. The view is that the client from outside ranks above your own boss.
One more: the distinction between ご苦労様です and お疲れ様です. ご苦労様 is an expression a superior uses toward a subordinate. Saying ご苦労様です to your boss is rude. For colleagues and superiors, always use お疲れ様です.
Common Mistakes and Traps
The more skilled someone is at Japanese, the more likely they are to fall into certain traps.
二重敬語 (Double Honorifics)
This is the mistake of stacking honorifics twice. It is the classic case of trying to be polite and getting it wrong instead.
| Wrong expression | Correct expression |
| --- | --- |
| ossharareru | ossharu |
| goran ni narareru | goran ni naru |
| oukagai itashimasu | ukagaimasu |
| buchou-sama | buchou |
| haiken sasete itadakimashita | haiken shimashita |
おっしゃる is already respectful, and adding られる to it makes a double honorific. Politeness once is enough.
Overusing させていただく
させていただく is a humble expression premised on the other party's permission that you do something, but these days it is so overused that it often sounds grating instead. Attaching it even to things you decided regardless of the other party feels awkward.
| Unnatural expression | Natural expression |
| --- | --- |
| yasumasete itadakimasu (as if to oneself) | oyasumi wo itadakimasu |
| sanka sasete itadakimasu (simple attendance) | sanka itashimasu |
| setsumei sasete itadakimasu (one-way explanation) | gosetsumei itashimasu |
The principle is to use させていただく only when the other party's permission or favor is actually involved.
ら抜き言葉 (Dropped Ra)
This is the phenomenon of dropping ら, saying 見れる for 見られる and 食べれる for 食べられる. It is common in conversation, but in business documents it is treated as incorrect.
| Wrong expression | Correct expression |
| --- | --- |
| miremasu | miraremasu |
| taberemasu | taberaremasu |
| koremasu | koraremasu |
| deremasu | deraremasu |
Other Common Mistakes
| Wrong expression | Correct expression | Reason |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ryoukai shimashita | shouchi shimashita, kashikomarimashita | ryoukai is rude to a superior |
| sumimasen (apology) | moushiwake gozaimasen | too low in formality |
| dou shimasu ka | ikaga nasaimasu ka | too low in formality |
| uchi no kaisha | heisha | your own company is humbled |
| sochira no kaisha | onsha, kisha | the other's company is raised |
One addition: 御社 (onsha) is used when speaking, and 貴社 (kisha) when writing. 御社 is more natural on the phone, 貴社 in an email.
Differences from Korean Business Culture
Both are East Asian, yet Korean and Japanese business communication have different textures. Understanding this difference reveals the background of the expressions.
First, the weight of form differs. Korea observes formality too, but Japan is far more sensitive to any deviation from form. An email that omits お世話になっております reads as a breach of etiquette in itself. Keeping to the form is itself an expression of respect for the other party.
Second, the culture of humbling one's own company is strong. The contrast of lowering your own organization with 弊社 or 小社 while raising the other's with 御社 is far more thorough than in Korea. As seen earlier, to an external person you even lower your own boss.
Third, the degree of indirectness differs. Japanese business avoids direct refusal. Expressions like 難しいです (it is difficult), 検討します (I will consider it), and 前向きに考えます (I will think about it positively) are often, in effect, signals of refusal or deferral. Taking them literally leads to misunderstanding.
Fourth, phone culture is still strong. Korea has largely shifted to messengers and email, but Japan retains the custom of confirming and finishing things by phone. As a result, phone-handling ability carries a large weight in actual work.
| Item | Korea | Japan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Deviation from form | relatively tolerant | very sensitive |
| Referring to own company | our company | heisha (lowered) |
| Manner of refusal | relatively clear | indirect, roundabout |
| Weight of the phone | declining | still high |
| Referring to a boss (external) | tends to keep the title | lowered, no honorific |
Closing
The core of business Japanese is not special talent but mastery of form. The six blocks of an email, the set expressions of the phone, the directional sense of keigo, and the tone difference between internal and external. Master just these four axes and most situations are solved by combination.
At first, it is good to start by memorizing set phrases wholesale. お世話になっております, 恐れ入りますが, 何卒よろしくお願いいたします, 席を外しております, 折り返しお電話いたします. Once these expressions come out reflexively, before you know it your hands and mouth no longer freeze in front of an email or a phone.
Form is not a prison but a support. Because there is form, you can focus on content, and because you keep to the form, the other party feels at ease. Mastering the standards of Japanese business communication is, in the end, learning the grammar of a language that considers the other person.
References
- Weblio Dictionary (business keigo): https://www.weblio.jp/
- Kotobank: https://kotobank.jp/
- NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute (language): https://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/
- Mynavi Tenshoku business manners: https://tenshoku.mynavi.jp/knowhow/
- doda how to write a business email: https://doda.jp/guide/
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, guidelines on keigo: https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkashingikai/kokugo/
- Rikunabi NEXT business manners: https://next.rikunabi.com/journal/
- goo Dictionary (keigo): https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/
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