Professional Email Essentials in Japanese
Email at work · a free Japanese immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
お世話になっております。
Thank you for your continued support.
Literal I am being taken care of (by you).
The standard opening phrase for Japanese business emails. It acknowledges the ongoing professional relationship and is expected even between regular colleagues.
- お世話になっております is a fixed keigo set phrase used at the start of emails
- て-form + おります is a humble progressive form of いる, indicating ongoing deference
来週の月曜日にお休みをいただけますか。
Could I have next Monday off?
Literal Next week's Monday, could I humbly receive a day off?
A polite and indirect request for time off from a manager. いただけますか frames the request as 'may I receive' rather than 'give me', softening the ask considerably.
- いただけますか is the potential form of いただく, the humble equivalent of もらう
- お + noun (お休み) adds a respectful, softening honorific prefix
プロジェクトの進捗状況についてご確認いただけますでしょうか。
Could you please check on the progress of the project?
Literal Regarding the project's progress status, could I have you humbly check?
A formal follow-up phrase for project check-ins. でしょうか at the end raises politeness above ますか, making it suitable for managers or senior colleagues.
- 〜についてご確認いただけますでしょうか is a standard formal follow-up structure
- ご + verbal noun (ご確認) is a respectful honorific prefix applied to the recipient's action
ご依頼の件、承りました。
I have received your request.
Literal Regarding the matter of your request, I humbly accept and have received it.
承りました is one of the most formal ways to confirm receipt or acceptance. It conveys that you have understood and taken ownership of the request.
- 承る (uketamawaru) is the humble (謙譲語) form of 受ける; the humble equivalent of もらう is いただく
- 〜の件 (no ken) means 'regarding the matter of' and is a key business email phrase
ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください。
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Literal If there are any unclear points, please inform me.
A standard offering of clarification used as a mid-email or closing phrase. ございましたら is the formal polite conditional of あります.
- 〜ましたら is the formal conditional form, meaning 'if/when something arises'
- ございます is the formal polite equivalent of あります
現在、資料を作成しておりますので、来週の金曜日までに送付いたします。
I am currently preparing the materials, so I will send them by next Friday.
Literal Because I am currently humbly creating the documents, I will humbly send them by next Friday.
A status update combining two clauses with ので (because/so). おります is the humble progressive, and いたします is the humble volitional, both marking the speaker's own actions.
- 〜ております is the humble (謙譲語) progressive form for one's own actions
- 〜ので provides a polite reason/cause, softer than 〜から in formal contexts
- 〜までに marks a deadline: 'by (a specific time)'
ご確認のほど、よろしくお願いいたします。
I would appreciate your review.
Literal Regarding your confirmation, I humbly request it.
〜のほど is a formal softening expression placed before a request to reduce directness. Paired with よろしくお願いいたします, it forms one of the most polished request closings in business Japanese.
- 〜のほど is a formal softening phrase that avoids the directness of 〜てください
- よろしくお願いいたします with いたします (humble) is the highest formality level of 'please'
先日のミーティングの件でご連絡いたしました。
I am contacting you regarding our recent meeting.
Literal I humbly made contact regarding the matter of the other day's meeting.
先日 is a formal way to say 'the other day' and is common for referencing recent events in professional correspondence. ご連絡いたしました is the humble past form of contacting someone.
- 先日 (senjitsu) is the formal equivalent of この前; preferred in business writing
- 〜の件で (no ken de) means 'regarding the matter of', a fixed business email connector
- ご連絡いたしました uses the humble いたしました to describe the speaker's own action
もし可能であれば、今週中にご返信いただけますと幸いです。
If possible, I would be grateful if you could reply within this week.
Literal If by any chance it is possible, it would make me happy if I could receive a reply within this week.
〜いただけますと幸いです is softer than 〜ていただけますか, expressing desire without imposing. It is the preferred form when asking favors of superiors or clients.
- もし〜であれば is a formal conditional structure: 'if it should happen that'
- 〜いただけますと幸いです literally means 'it would be a happy thing if I could receive'
- 今週中 (konshuu juu) means 'within/throughout this week'
ご多忙のところ恐れ入りますが、ご協力のほどよろしくお願いいたします。
I apologize for taking up your time during your busy schedule, and I sincerely ask for your cooperation.
Literal Although I am humbled to intrude upon your busy time, I humbly request your cooperation.
A formal closing that first acknowledges the reader's busyness as a sign of respect, then makes the request. 恐れ入ります (I am humbled/frightened) expresses deep humility before asking.
- ご多忙のところ acknowledges busyness as a preamble of respect before requesting something
- 恐れ入りますが means 'I am sorry to trouble you / I apologize but'; key in business apologies
- 〜が here functions as a softening conjunction ('but/however') rather than indicating contradiction
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
お世話になっております
Thank you for your continued support
田中様、お世話になっております。
Dear Mr. Tanaka, thank you for your continued support.
Reading: おせわになっております. Standard email opener; use with everyone, even familiar colleagues. Skipping it reads as abrupt.
承りました
I have received and accepted
ご注文を承りました。
I have received your order.
Reading: うけたまわりました. Humble form of 受ける; stronger than 受け取りました, implying you have taken ownership.
ご確認
review / verification
添付資料のご確認をお願いいたします。
Please review the attached materials.
Reading: ごかくにん. ご is an honorific prefix; always apply ご to actions you are asking the other person to do.
送付いたします
I will send
明日、書類を送付いたします。
I will send the documents tomorrow.
Reading: そうふいたします. いたします is the humble form of します; more formal than 送ります in business email.
進捗状況
progress status
プロジェクトの進捗状況をご報告します。
I will report on the project's progress.
Reading: しんちょくじょうきょう. 進捗 (progress) + 状況 (situation); a core business compound noun for project updates.
恐れ入ります
I apologize / I am sorry to trouble you
ご多忙のところ恐れ入ります。
I apologize for taking up your time during your busy schedule.
Reading: おそれいります. Expresses deep humility; essential before making requests of managers or clients.
ご連絡
contact / communication
後ほどご連絡いたします。
I will contact you later.
Reading: ごれんらく. ご連絡いたします = you contact them (humble); ご連絡ください = ask them to contact you.
資料
materials / reference documents
会議用の資料を準備しました。
I prepared the materials for the meeting.
Reading: しりょう. Broader than 書類 (formal papers/forms); 資料 refers to reference or presentation materials.
幸いです
I would be grateful / it would be appreciated
ご返信いただけますと幸いです。
I would be grateful if you could reply.
Reading: さいわいです. Softer than 〜てください; avoids issuing a direct command, making requests sound courteous.
先日
the other day / recently
先日はありがとうございました。
Thank you for the other day.
Reading: せんじつ. More formal than この前; standard in business emails to reference a recent meeting or event.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
田中部長、お世話になっております。先週ご依頼いただいたレポートが完成いたしました。添付ファイルをご確認いただけますでしょうか。ご不明な点がございましたら、いつでもご連絡ください。引き続きよろしくお願いいたします。
Sentence by sentence
田中部長、お世話になっております。
Manager Tanaka, thank you for your continued support.
The salutation addresses the recipient by title and surname (部長 = section/department manager). In Japanese business emails, title comes after the name, and the greeting phrase follows immediately.
先週ご依頼いただいたレポートが完成いたしました。
The report you requested last week has been completed.
ご依頼いただいた is a humble relative clause: 'which you kindly requested'. 完成いたしました uses the humble いたす to describe the speaker's own completed action.
添付ファイルをご確認いただけますでしょうか。
Could you please review the attached file?
A formal request using ご確認いただけますでしょうか. The でしょうか ending (versus plain ますか) raises formality, appropriate when addressing a manager.
ご不明な点がございましたら、いつでもご連絡ください。
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.
〜ございましたら is the formal polite conditional. いつでも (at any time) signals availability. ご連絡ください politely instructs the recipient to reach out.
引き続きよろしくお願いいたします。
I look forward to your continued support.
引き続き means 'continuing as before'. This fixed closing phrase signals that the professional relationship is valued and ongoing. It is the most standard way to close a Japanese business email.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
〜ていただけますか / 〜ていただけますでしょうか — Making Polite Requests
This pattern asks if you 'could receive' the other person performing an action, framing your request as a favor rather than a demand. いただく is the humble form of もらう. Adding でしょうか to ますか increases formality further. Use this pattern whenever emailing managers, clients, or anyone you want to treat respectfully.
Verb (て-form) + いただけますか | Verb (て-form) + いただけますでしょうか | Noun + をご〇〇いただけますでしょうか
資料を送っていただけますか。
Could you please send the materials?
日程をご確認いただけますでしょうか。
Could you please check the schedule?
来週までにご返信いただけますと幸いです。
I would be grateful if you could reply by next week.
もう一度ご説明いただけますでしょうか。
Could you please explain that once more?
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Japanese: 'I have received your request.'
Hint Think of the humble verb for 'to receive/accept' used in formal business Japanese.
What does this sentence mean in English? 「ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください。」
Hint 「ご不明な点」means 'unclear points' and 「お知らせください」means 'please inform us.'
Complete the sentence with the correct word for 'progress status': 「プロジェクトの___についてご確認いただけますでしょうか。」
Hint This two-part compound noun (4 kanji) describes how far along a project has come.
You want to politely ask your manager if you can take next Monday off. Which phrase fits a professional email?
Rewrite this casual sentence in formal business Japanese suitable for an email: 「資料を送ります。」
Hint Replace 送ります with a more formal verb phrase that uses humble speech (謙譲語).
That’s today’s phraseberry.
Nice work, you understood something real today. Come back tomorrow for a fresh one.
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