How to Write an Email in Japanese: Format, Useful Phrases, and Examples

Key takeaways

• A Japanese business email follows a fixed structure: recipient name, opening greeting (お世話になっております), the purpose of the email, the main body, closing phrase, and sender signature.
• The opening phrase お世話になっております (osewa ni natte orimasu) does not translate directly into English. It signals professional respect and is used in almost all formal Japanese emails regardless of whether you actually know the person.
• Formal Japanese emails use a more distant, careful register than most emails in other languages. Even simple requests use structures like ご確認いただけますでしょうか (could you please confirm) rather than 確認してください (please confirm).
• Casual emails between close colleagues or friends can drop most of the formal structure, but knowing the formal structure lets you adjust up or down appropriately.

Writing an email in Japanese requires more than translation. The opening phrases, the closing lines, the level of politeness, and even the way you state your request all follow conventions that are specific to Japanese professional communication.

Copying the structure of an English email and translating it word for word produces something that sounds blunt or unnatural to a Japanese reader. italki connects learners with Japanese teachers who can review real emails you are writing and correct both the language and the register before you send them.

This guide covers the standard Japanese email structure, the essential opening and closing phrases, vocabulary for common email situations (requests, follow-ups, apologies, scheduling), and two complete example emails.

Standard Japanese email structure

A formal Japanese business email follows this sequence:

Part	Japanese	Purpose
1. Recipient name	田中様 (Tanaka-sama)	Address the recipient with appropriate honorific
2. Opening greeting	お世話になっております	Standard professional opening
3. Self-introduction (first contact only)	〜と申します	Introduce yourself if this is a first email
4. Reason for writing	〜の件でご連絡いたしました	State the purpose of the email
5. Main body		Details, request, or information
6. Closing phrase	よろしくお願いいたします	Standard formal close
7. Signature	名前、会社名、連絡先	Name, company, contact information

The structure is more rigid than in English or many European languages. Skipping the opening greeting or the closing phrase reads as unprofessional in Japanese business contexts.

Work through email structure with a Japanese language tutor who can show you how the register adjusts between different professional relationships.

Opening phrases

Japanese	Romaji	When to use
お世話になっております	osewa ni natte orimasu	Standard formal opening; almost all business emails
いつもお世話になっております	itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu	Thank you as always; ongoing professional relationship
お世話になります	osewa ni narimasu	First contact; slightly warmer than the standard form
はじめてご連絡いたします	hajimete go-renraku itashimasu	This is my first time contacting you; cold email opening
ご無沙汰しております	gobusata shite orimasu	I have not been in touch for a while; after a long gap
お疲れ様です	otsukaresama desu	Internal email to a colleague; acknowledges their work

お世話になっております (osewa ni natte orimasu) is used in virtually all formal Japanese emails, including first-contact emails where you have never met the person. It is a fixed politeness formula, not a literal description of a close relationship.

お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu) is used for internal communication within the same company. Using it to an external contact or client is usually too casual.

Closing phrases

Japanese	Romaji	Use
よろしくお願いいたします	yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	Standard formal close; most business emails
何卒よろしくお願いいたします	nanitozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	Stronger formal close; important requests
お手数ですがよろしくお願いいたします	otesuu desu ga yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	Sorry to trouble you, but please…
ご確認のほどよろしくお願いいたします	go-kakunin no hodo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	Please review/confirm
引き続きよろしくお願いいたします	hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	Continued support appreciated; ongoing relationship
よろしくお願い申し上げます	yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu	Most humble/formal version; letters to superiors

よろしくお願いいたします is the standard closing phrase for most formal Japanese emails. The variations above add nuance: gratitude for the effort required, a specific request for review, or acknowledgment of an ongoing relationship.

An online Japanese teacher can explain which closing phrase fits the specific professional relationship you are writing to, since the choice signals awareness of hierarchy and context.

Phrases for common email situations

Making a request

Japanese	Romaji	English
ご確認いただけますでしょうか	go-kakunin itadakemasu deshō ka	Could you please confirm?
ご返信いただけますでしょうか	go-henshin itadakemasu deshō ka	Could you please reply?
お送りいただけますでしょうか	o-okuri itadakemasu deshō ka	Could you please send it?
ご検討いただけますでしょうか	go-kentō itadakemasu deshō ka	Could you please consider this?
ご都合はいかがでしょうか	go-tsugō wa ikaga deshō ka	How is your availability?

Providing information

Japanese	Romaji	English
ご連絡いたします	go-renraku itashimasu	I will contact you
添付にてお送りします	tenpu nite o-okuri shimasu	I am sending this as an attachment
ご確認ください	go-kakunin kudasai	Please confirm/check
以下の通りです	ika no tōri desu	It is as follows
ご参考までに	go-sankō made ni	For your reference

Apologizing

Japanese	Romaji	English
返信が遅くなり申し訳ございません	henshin ga osoku nari mōshiwake gozaimasen	I apologize for the delayed reply
ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ございません	go-meiwaku o okake shite mōshiwake gozaimasen	I apologize for the inconvenience
誠に申し訳ございません	makoto ni mōshiwake gozaimasen	I sincerely apologize

Scheduling

Japanese	Romaji	English
ご都合のよい日時をお聞かせください	go-tsugō no yoi nichiji o okikase kudasai	Please let me know a time that works for you
以下の日程はいかがでしょうか	ika no nittei wa ikaga deshō ka	How does the following schedule work for you?
〜はいかがでしょうか	~ wa ikaga deshō ka	How about [date/time]?

Complete example: formal business email

Below is a first-contact business email in formal Japanese.

件名 (kenmei: subject): 打ち合わせのお願いについて

山田部長様

はじめてご連絡いたします。 株式会社〇〇の田中と申します。

このたびは弊社のサービスにご興味をお持ちいただきましたことを、誠にありがとうございます。

一度、直接お話しできればと思い、ご連絡いたしました。 来週、ご都合のよい日時をお聞かせいただけますでしょうか。

ご多忙のところ恐れ入りますが、何卒よろしくお願いいたします。

株式会社〇〇 田中 一郎 [email protected] 03-XXXX-XXXX

Translation:

Subject: Regarding a request for a meeting

Dear Manager Yamada,

This is the first time I am contacting you. My name is Tanaka, from [Company Name] Co., Ltd.

Thank you very much for your interest in our services.

I am writing because I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you directly. Could you let me know a time next week that works for you?

I know you are busy, so I appreciate your consideration.

[Company Name] Co., Ltd. Ichiro Tanaka [email protected] 03-XXXX-XXXX

Complete example: semi-formal follow-up email

件名: 先日のミーティングについて

鈴木様

お世話になっております。〇〇の田中です。

先日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございました。

ミーティングでご確認いただいた資料を添付にてお送りします。 ご不明な点がございましたら、お気軽にご連絡ください。

引き続きよろしくお願いいたします。

田中 一郎

Translation:

Subject: Regarding our meeting the other day

Dear Suzuki,

Thank you for your continued support. This is Tanaka from [Company].

Thank you for your time at our recent meeting.

I am sending the materials we discussed as an attachment. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I look forward to our continued relationship.

Ichiro Tanaka

Subject line vocabulary

Japanese	Romaji	English
〜のご確認について	~ no go-kakunin ni tsuite	Regarding confirmation of ~
〜のお願いについて	~ no onegai ni tsuite	Regarding a request for ~
〜のご連絡	~ no go-renraku	Notice regarding ~
先日のミーティングについて	senjitsu no mītingu ni tsuite	Regarding our recent meeting
ご返信の件	go-henshin no ken	Regarding your reply
打ち合わせのお願い	uchiawase no onegai	Meeting request
資料のご送付	shiryō no go-sōfu	Sending materials

Ready to write Japanese emails with confidence?

The structure and phrases in this guide cover the most common Japanese email situations. The larger challenge is developing a feel for register: knowing when よろしくお願いいたします is right and when 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます is too formal, or when お疲れ様です is appropriate and when it sounds out of place.

That judgment comes from practice and feedback on real writing. With 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, italki connects you with Japanese tutors who can review actual emails you are writing and tell you exactly where the language or register needs adjusting. Book a trial lesson and bring a real email draft or email situation you need help with.

FAQ

How do Japanese email conventions differ from LINE or messaging apps in a work context?

LINE and other messaging apps between colleagues use a much more casual register. Keigo is dropped or reduced, sentences are shorter, and emoji are common even in professional contexts on messaging apps. The formal email conventions in this guide apply to email specifically. Using email-level formality in LINE would seem stiff; using LINE-level casualness in email would seem unprofessional.

Is Japanese business email style changing among younger professionals?

Yes, gradually. Younger Japanese professionals sometimes skip or shorten the お世話になっております (osewa) opening in internal emails, and some companies have internal communication cultures that are more casual than traditional norms. However, external correspondence – to clients, partners, or people you do not know – still follows the formal conventions. When in doubt, default to formal.

What should I do if I receive a Japanese business email I do not fully understand?

Use a reliable translation tool for the overall meaning, but do not rely on machine translation alone for your reply. Errors in keigo or structure stand out clearly to a Japanese reader. Running your draft reply past a Japanese teacher or native speaker before sending – particularly for important business correspondence – is a worthwhile step before your written Japanese is fully confident.