How to say "mail" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 文ふみnounA letter or note — a piece of correspondence. For 'mail' itself it is a formal or literary choice, pointing to an individual written message rather than the postal system.
- 郵便ゆうびんnounMail or post in the physical, postal sense — the service itself and the items it delivers. The natural word when talking about sending a letter or parcel, or about the mail arriving.
- nounMail in the electronic sense — the common word for email, used for messages sent and received digitally. Typical contexts include writing to a friend or colleague.
- 便びんnoun, noun (suffix)Mail or post, thought of as something sent or carried rather than the postal system itself. Typical context: saying that something went in the post or will arrive with the next mail.
Use 「メール」 for electronic mail, 郵便 for the postal system and physical post, 便 for mail as something sent or carried, and 文 for a letter or note in a formal or literary style.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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