How to Write a Formal Japanese Letter: The Four-Part Structure and the Rules for Vertical Stationery

A Japanese letter has four parts: opening, main text, closing and end matter

A formal Japanese letter is written as four blocks in a fixed order. Once you know this pattern, you'll never wonder what comes next, whether you're writing a thank-you letter or a request.

In letters to people you're close to, you can shorten the opening or skip it entirely with "Zenryaku" ("preliminaries omitted"). With clients or people senior to you, on the other hand, the basic rule is to include all four parts. If you want to add something after the main text, add a short "tsuishin" (postscript) after the end matter, but avoid postscripts in letters to people senior to you.

Writing the opening: from the opening word to the thanks

The opening is the greeting before you get to the point. It plays the same role as saying "Hello. It's turned cold, hasn't it? How have you been?" before getting down to business in a conversation.

1. 1

   Opening word (tougo)

   Write "Haikei" (拝啓), "Kinkei" (謹啓) or similar at the very top of the first line. Don't put a comma after it; leave one character's space instead.

2. 2

   Seasonal greeting

   Write a phrase that matches the season when the letter arrives, such as "Shurei no kou" (in this cool autumn season) or "now that mornings and evenings have turned noticeably cold".

3. 3

   Wishes for the reader's well-being

   Express your pleasure at the reader's health or prosperity: for a company, "we are delighted to hear that your company continues to prosper"; for an individual, "I am delighted to hear that you remain in good health".

4. 4

   Thanks

   Thank the reader for their ongoing support, for example "We are deeply grateful for your exceptional consideration." For someone close, you can give your own news instead, such as "Thanks to you, we are all doing well."

Seasonal greetings change by month and by early, mid and late month. There's a monthly list in Japanese Seasonal Greetings by Month, and how to choose an opening word is covered in Japanese Letter Opening and Closing Word Pairs.

Writing the main text and the closing

The main text is the most important part of the letter. Start a new line after the opening, indent one character, and begin with a turn word such as "sate" (now), "kono tabi wa" (on this occasion) or "tsukimashite wa" (accordingly), so the reader knows you're now getting to the point.

• As a rule, one letter, one matter. If you have several, give each its own paragraph
• In a thank-you letter, say specifically what you're thanking them for and how it helped or why it made you happy
• In a request, state clearly what you're asking for, the deadline and why you're asking
• In an apology, put the apology and what you'll do next before any explanation

In the closing, write a seasonal wish for the reader's health ("As the cold season approaches, please take good care of yourself.") or a line that wraps up your business ("Please allow me to express my thanks by letter for now, informal as this may be."), and finish with the closing word that pairs with your opening word. For closing phrases by purpose, see Japanese Letter Closing Phrases.

Rules for vertical stationery: the top and bottom of lines, and the second sheet

Vertical Japanese stationery comes with layout etiquette that's separate from what you write. It uses the position of words on the page to raise the reader up and keep yourself modest.

Choosing stationery, pens and envelopes

In a formal letter, the tools you choose affect the impression as much as what you write. When in doubt, plain white stationery with vertical lines and a white Japanese-style envelope won't offend anyone.

Fold the stationery with the writing inside to fit the envelope. A4 paper is usually folded in three and put in a Naga-gata No. 3 envelope, and B5 stationery folded in three into a Naga-gata No. 4. Once sealed, write the seal mark "〆" across the flap.

Writing the end matter: where the date, sender and addressee go

The end matter comes after the main text and shows when, by whom and to whom the letter was written. Its position changes a lot between vertical and horizontal layouts, so check the table.

• Use "onchu" (御中) for a company or department and "sama" (様) for a person. When a person's name is included, as in "XX Co., Ltd., Sales Department, Tanaka-sama", don't add "onchu"
• Announcements and invitations sometimes leave the day vague, as in 令和八年十一月吉日 ("an auspicious day in November, Reiwa 8"). Don't do this in thank-you letters or apologies
• Vertical dates in kanji numerals usually include 十 (ten), as in 二十五日 (the 25th)

For how to write era years and numbers vertically, see How to Write Dates Vertically, and for converting between Western and Japanese era years, see Converting Japanese Era and Western Years.

Complete thank-you letters you can adapt

Here are thank-you letters that include every rule so far, assuming they're sent on November 10: one to a former teacher (an individual, vertical) and one to a client (a company, horizontal).

Replace "the wonderful gift you kindly sent" in the main text with your own business and you can use these as they are. Note how the letter to a senior person ends warmly with a seasonal wish, while the letter to a client ends briefly with a line that wraps up the business.

Draft a letter just by choosing the date and recipient

Even once you understand the structure, looking up seasonal phrases and closing words every time is tedious. With the Seasonal Greeting and Letter Maker, you can create a letter in the same form as the examples above in a few clicks.

1. 1

   Choose the sending date

   The seasonal greetings and seasonal closing phrases that suit that date are suggested automatically.

2. 2

   Choose the recipient and purpose

   There are three kinds of recipient: company or client, senior or former teacher, and friend or relative. For the purpose, choose from greeting, thank-you, reply, request, announcement, cover letter, apology, urgent matter, get-well message or condolence; the opening word, closing word, well-being greeting and closing text change to match.

3. 3

   Enter the addressee and sender

   Enter the recipient's name and your name and company, and they go into the end matter, with "onchu" added for a company and "sama" for a person.

4. 4

   Choose vertical or horizontal, then copy or print

   Vertical (stationery) prints on landscape A4 and horizontal (business document) on portrait A4. Vertical dates use kanji numerals, and you can also choose to make the date "kichijitsu" (an auspicious day).

A printed vertical letter also works as a draft to copy onto stationery by hand. After writing your fair copy, paste the text into "Check your letter" for a final check that the opening and closing words match and that there are no out-of-season phrases.

FAQ

What are the opening, main text, closing and end matter of a Japanese letter?

They're the basic structure of a Japanese letter. The opening has the opening word, seasonal greeting and wishes for the reader's well-being; the main text is your business, starting with "sate" (now); the closing has the closing remarks and closing word; and the end matter gives the date, sender and addressee. Writing in this order gives you a proper formal letter.

Where does the date go in a vertical Japanese letter?

On the line after the closing word, 2-3 characters lower than the text, in kanji numerals. Then put the sender on the next line aligned to the bottom, and the addressee on the line after that aligned to the top.

What if the reader's name falls at the end of a line on the stationery?

Shorten the previous line slightly so the reader's name lands in the middle or at the top of the next line. Avoid putting the reader's name at the end of a line or splitting "Tanaka" and "sama" across two lines.

How is a horizontal business document structured differently?

In horizontal layout, the date goes at the top right, the addressee on the left and the sender on the right, and the text follows the subject line. The content of the text (opening word, seasonal greeting, main text, closing remarks and closing word) is the same as in a vertical letter, and any separate notes are enclosed between "ki" (notes) and "ijou" (end).

Can I write the date as "kichijitsu" (an auspicious day)?

In letters that don't need an exact date, such as announcements, invitations and greeting letters, you can write it as 令和八年十一月吉日 ("an auspicious day in November, Reiwa 8"). In letters where the sending date matters, such as thank-you letters, apologies and cover letters, write the actual date.