Technical Japanese #30 — Writing a Japanese Technical Email: a Reliable Structure
A Japanese business email has a fixed shape: a polite opening, the purpose stated straight away, a clear body, a request, and a signature. Write to that shape and you read as professional; write too curtly or too loosely and it grates. This post gives you a frame you can assemble from.
Fixed phrases for a technical email
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | Where in the email | Note |
|---|
| ○○会社 御中 | おんちゅう onchū | Dear [company] | Opening, to an organisation | For a company |
| ○○様 | さま sama | Dear [name] | Opening, to a person | After the name |
| いつもお世話になっております | itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu | thank you for your continued support | Opening line | Effectively mandatory |
| ○○と申します | もうします to mōshimasu | my name is | Introduction | First contact |
| ○○の件で | けん ken de | regarding | Stating the subject | Getting to the point |
| 添付 | てんぷ tenpu | attached | Body | Attached file |
| ご確認 | かくにん go-kakunin | your confirmation | The request | Asking them to check |
| お願いいたします | onegai itashimasu | I ask this of you | Closing | The request form |
| お手数ですが | てすう otesū desu ga | sorry for the trouble, but | Before the request | Polite |
| 恐れ入りますが | おそれいります osore irimasu ga | I am much obliged, but | Before the request | Very polite |
| ご返信 | へんしん go-henshin | your reply | The request | Asking for a response |
| 期限 | きげん kigen | deadline | Body | The date it is due |
| よろしくお願いいたします | yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | with best regards | Closing | The standard sign-off |
| 署名 | しょめい shomei | signature | Bottom | Name and company |
The standard frame
- Recipient:
○○会社 ○○様 - Opening:
いつもお世話になっております。MINATAの○○です。 - Purpose, in one line:
○○の件でご連絡いたしました。 - Body: one idea per line. With an attachment:
詳細は添付ファイルをご確認ください。 - Request:
お手数ですが、○月○日までにご返信いただけますでしょうか。 - Closing:
よろしくお願いいたします。 - Signature: name, company, contact.
A complete example — asking for drawing confirmation
○○会社 ○○様 いつもお世話になっております。MINATAの○○です。 図面No.ABC-123の寸法について確認したい点がございます。 詳細は添付の資料をご確認ください。 お手数ですが、8月15日までにご回答いただけますでしょうか。 よろしくお願いいたします。 ——(署名)——
Ready-made lines by purpose
- Sending a document:
資料をお送りいたします。ご確認をお願いいたします。 - A gentle nudge:
先日の件、その後いかがでしょうか。 - Reporting a delay:
納期に遅れが出そうです。改めてご相談させてください。 - Thanks:
ご対応いただきありがとうございます。
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|
Dropping いつもお世話になっております | The mail reads as blunt and impolite |
| Putting the purpose at the end | A Japanese reader looks at the top and cannot tell what the mail is for |
Requesting without お手数ですが or 恐れ入りますが | It sounds like an order rather than a request |
| Not stating a 期限 when it is urgent | Nobody prioritises it |
Read it, then act — quick self-check
You need a Japanese partner to send the latest drawing before Friday. How do you word the request?
<details><summary>Answer</summary>お手数ですが、金曜日までに最新の図面をお送りいただけますでしょうか。よろしくお願いいたします。 — the softener お手数ですが, a clear deadline (金曜日まで), and the closing line.</details>
The partner's email opens with 「いつもお世話になっております。」 How do you answer?
<details><summary>Answer</summary>With the same phrase: 「お世話になっております。MINATAの○○です。」 and then straight to business. It is a required opening ritual, not a sentence to translate literally.</details>
How MINATA helps
Do you need technical email correspondence with a Japanese partner — drawing confirmations, 納期 negotiations, 不具合 handling — that keeps both the etiquette and the technical accuracy? MINATA drafts and reviews the mail and runs the Japan–Vietnam communication for your project. See our Japan–Vietnam projects or Japan–Vietnam business services.
View all MINATA technical articles