Japanese Names

[jesselt]

Wow ._.


That is so vastly different from American business letters which are completely void of any talk that doesn't directly relate to what the message is. Letter's from companies don't even bother to identify a gender and just stick with "Dear Mr/Mrs" or "To whom it may concern"

If you started off your business letter with talk about the weather they likely wouldn't even bother reading the rest of it...

Also good to know about the ます ending; I always thought that it was more on the polite side.

[Vonacid]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

Yes, you may, SHADOW. I won't write a book about it, though, I warn you.

In Japanese, formal letters are written in a langauge of its own. It's nothing like what you see in newspapers or magazines. It certainly has very little in common with the kind of Japanese you guys learn outside of Japan.

Between businesses, business and individual, government and business, and gov. and ind., you will find the most formal language used along with a format expected by every party involved. Go against these rules and you will not be taken seriously.

A formal letter starts with a short paragraph of seasonal greeting. You write about what you see in nature around you at the time of the year when the letter is being written. It can be about certain trees or flowers, the temperature, weather, annual events, etc. You are expected to express not which season out of the four but what part of a particlular season. This must, however, be done with your description of the natural phenomenon and NOT by directly stating what part of the season. In other words, you cannot just say, "We are at the beginning of (insert season)." You must say, for instance, "The sakura buds have finally started opening up." This isn't always easy for the native speaker, either; therefore, there are books and websites for these phrases. You finish this first paragraph by saying that you trust that the reader stays healthy.

Then a new paragraph (maybe two or more if necessary) starts which is the actual "content" of the letter. You need to be precise and not too lengthy.

Finally the closing message comes in.
______________________

Some important points:

Throughout a formal letter, you address the reader "Family name + 様(さま)". さん is out of the question and so are any second-person pronouns.

Don't get carried away with the seasonal greeting. No one expects you to be a poet in a business letter. Don't try to be creative.

If your textbook has taught you that です/ます are polite, forget it. Those may help you sound on the politer side in daily conversation. But in business situations, they aren't even considered "medium polite". You wil end up sounding like a dribbling junior-high student trying to talk like an adult and failing miserably. I've mentioned this on JF a few times and I get ignored each time. But I have to repeat it once again because it's true.

今日は、はじめましてナゴヤンケエさん。
僕はVonいます、今年は二十四歳です。よろしくおねがい します。
実話、僕の日本語がはじめてから、教えてください。
僕の日本語が下手だから、すみません。

Actually, i have been wanting to see how a real polite formal japanese letter looks like. Do you mind sharing it with me？I am self-studying, so i do not have any study material. Thanks

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

I've mentioned this on JF a few times and I get ignored each time. But I have to repeat it once again because it's true.

Let me not ignore you and say this is absolutely the truth. です・～ます is correctly taught as polite spoken Japanese, but is not seen in writing nearly as much as people think.

[SHAD0W]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

Yes, you may, SHADOW. I won't write a book about it, though, I warn you.

Wow, thankyou very much for you input Nagoyankee. With that, i really learned something today!

My textbooks have told me that ます　forms are "neutral" ways of speaking, and that there is a lower, conversational form (which i try to use with you) and higher forms. after asking my earlier question, Lucas and I did some research into writing letters in japanese and my god were we shocked! Turns out theres 5 or 6 levels of politeness in Japanese and its shockingly difficult for me to read! It got me excited though if nothing else - gave me something to aim for even if I'd never use it, hehe

We learned about using "長い間ご無沙汰しておりまして
申し訳ございません。" for example and "どうぞお元気で。"

Its like a whole new language! hehe!

Thanks again!

[chryuop]

This is an example of forml letter given by my textbook.

田中太郎様
拝啓
少しづつ春らしくなりましたがまだ寒い日が続いていま す。
皆様お変わりなくお過ごしでいらっしゃいますか。
私達は元気にしております。
先日イタリアでの仕事を終え戻ってまいりました。
色々お話したいことがありますのでお目にかかりたいと 思います。
ご都合のよいひをお知らせください。
お返事をまっています。

Is it even close to the style a formal letter should have? I mean, apart from the use of おります and the お目にかかりたい which I think it is a little bit above the ですます, all the rest seems pretty much on the line of the ですます form. So is my textbook wrong with this example?

[kirakira]

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

We learned about using "長い間ご無沙汰しておりまして
申し訳ございません。" for example and "どうぞお元気で。"

Its like a whole new language! hehe!

Well the example I give below is what Nagoyankee is talking about being another language.

Originally Posted by chryuop

This is an example of forml letter given by my textbook.

田中太郎様
拝啓

Is it even close to the style a formal letter should have?

Very close but businss letters has even more stuff at the front with their seasonal greetings like.

麗春（れいしゅん）の候（そうろう）、貴社いよいよご 隆盛（りゅうせい）のこととお慶（よろこ）び申し上げ ます。平素（へいそ）は格別（かくべつ）のご高配（こ うはい）を賜（たまわ）り、厚く御礼（おれい）申し上 げます。誠（まこと）に恐縮（きょうしゅく）ですが…

That's the equiv of Dear xxx in English and of course each season has its own thing. In winter you might begin with 寒冷の候. Basically massively big words like 賜わる which is a even MORE politer and humble version than the already humble 頂く.

[kirakira]

Originally Posted by MMM

Let me not ignore you and say this is absolutely the truth. です・～ます is correctly taught as polite spoken Japanese, but is not seen in writing nearly as much as people think.

In business, desu and masu isn't even polite enough.

[Nagoyankee]

Originally Posted by chryuop

This is an example of forml letter given by my textbook.

田中太郎様
拝啓
少しづつ春らしくなりましたがまだ寒い日が続いていま す。
皆様お変わりなくお過ごしでいらっしゃいますか。
私達は元気にしております。
先日イタリアでの仕事を終え戻ってまいりました。
色々お話したいことがありますのでお目にかかりたいと 思います。
ご都合のよいひをお知らせください。
お返事をまっています。

Is it even close to the style a formal letter should have? I mean, apart from the use of おります and the お目にかかりたい which I think it is a little bit above the ですます, all the rest seems pretty much on the line of the ですます form. So is my textbook wrong with this example?

I'm afraid that is not even close to being in the style expected in business letters. Words like 「元気」 and「います」 have no place in business letters. This writer uses 「います」 in every other line.

To me, who has written and read hundreds of business letters in Japanese, this looks more like a regular email message between two adult friends.