Japanese dictionary
How to say "letter" in Japanese
手紙てがみ · tegami
A "letter" you send is 手紙 (tegami). A letter of the alphabet or a character is 文字 (moji).
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Ways to say "letter" in Japanese
| Japanese | When to use it |
|---|---|
| 手紙てがみ · tegami | Letter (mail). |
| 文字もじ · moji | Letter; character. |
| 書類しょるい · shorui | Letter; document (formal). |
| 封筒ふうとう · fūtō | Envelope. |
How to use it
Careful: 手紙 is a letter. The Chinese word 手纸 means toilet paper, but in Japanese it is only a letter.
Uppercase letters are 大文字 (ōmoji), and lowercase letters are 小文字 (komoji).
Example sentences
- 母に手紙を書きました。Haha ni tegami o kakimashita.I wrote a letter to my mother.
- お礼の手紙を送りました。O-rei no tegami o okurimashita.I sent a thank-you letter.
- パスワードは大文字と小文字を使ってください。Pasuwādo wa ōmoji to komoji o tsukatte kudasai.Please use uppercase and lowercase letters in your password.
- 文字が小さくて読めません。Moji ga chiisakute yomemasen.The letters are too small to read.
- 封筒に住所を書いてください。Fūtō ni jūsho o kaite kudasai.Please write the address on the envelope.
- 会社から書類が届きました。Kaisha kara shorui ga todokimashita.A letter arrived from the company.
Kanji in this word
Questions
How do you say "uppercase" and "lowercase" in Japanese?
Uppercase is 大文字 (ōmoji), and lowercase is 小文字 (komoji).
Do people still write letters in Japan?
Yes. Thank-you letters and New Year's cards, 年賀状 (nengajō), are still common, though email is used more for business.
Using Japanese at work?
See Executive JapaneseExecutive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.