The shape of a good email to a teacher
Teachers in Japan, especially at universities, teach many classes and receive many emails. A clear structure lets them understand your email at a glance and reply quickly.
The structure below works for university professors, language school teachers and high school teachers alike. The level of formality is respectful and plain: polite forms and a few humble expressions, without the full apparatus of a business letter.
- Subject line: purpose, and class if relevant.
- Teacher's name with sensei.
- A short greeting.
- Your faculty, year, name and the class.
- The request or report, with a brief reason.
- A closing that thanks the teacher for their time.
- Your full name and student number if you have one.
Subject lines that say what and who
A subject line that states the purpose is far more likely to be answered promptly. Many students put the type of message in brackets at the start.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 【欠席のご連絡】5月20日 日本語会話 | Kesseki no go-renraku, gogatsu hatsuka, nihongo kaiwa | Notice of absence: May 20, Japanese Conversation |
| レポート提出期限延長のお願い | Repōto teishutsu kigen enchō no onegai | Request to extend the report deadline |
| 授業内容についての質問 | Jugyō naiyō ni tsuite no shitsumon | A question about the class content |
| 面談のお願い | Mendan no onegai | Request for a meeting |
Greeting and identifying yourself
Start with the teacher's family name and sensei on its own line. The greeting depends on whether the teacher already knows you: o-sewa ni natte orimasu for a teacher whose class you take, and a short apology for writing out of the blue if not.
Then say exactly who you are and which class you are in, before the request. Teachers with large classes need this to know who is writing.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 田中先生 | Tanaka-sensei | Professor Tanaka |
| お世話になっております。 | O-sewa ni natte orimasu. | Thank you for your continued guidance: the standard greeting |
| 突然のご連絡失礼いたします。 | Totsuzen no go-renraku shitsurei itashimasu. | Please excuse my contacting you out of the blue. |
| 文学部2年の山田花子です。 | Bungakubu ninen no Yamada Hanako desu. | I am Hanako Yamada, a second-year student in the Faculty of Letters. |
| 月曜2限の日本語学概論を履修しております。 | Getsuyō nigen no nihongogaku gairon o rishū shite orimasu. | I am taking Introduction to Japanese Linguistics, Monday second period. |
Asking for a deadline extension
An extension request has three parts: a brief apology, a short honest reason, and a question about whether an extension is possible, with the date by which you will submit.
Keep the reason short. A long explanation reads as an excuse; a short one reads as respect for the teacher's time.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大変申し訳ございませんが、 | Taihen mōshiwake gozaimasen ga, | I am very sorry, but |
| 体調不良のため、期限までの提出が難しい状況です。 | Taichō furyō no tame, kigen made no teishutsu ga muzukashii jōkyō desu. | Because I have been unwell, it will be difficult to submit by the deadline. |
| 提出期限を延ばしていただくことは可能でしょうか。 | Teishutsu kigen o nobashite itadaku koto wa kanō deshō ka. | Would it be possible to extend the deadline? |
| 25日までには必ず提出いたします。 | Nijūgo-nichi made ni wa kanarazu teishutsu itashimasu. | I will be sure to submit it by the 25th. |
Reporting an absence
When you miss a class, a short email before or soon after the class is considered good manners, and in many courses it is expected. State the date, the reason in a few words, and ask how to catch up.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発熱のため、本日の授業を欠席させていただきます。 | Hatsunetsu no tame, honjitsu no jugyō o kesseki sasete itadakimasu. | I have a fever, so I will be absent from today's class. |
| 配布資料をいただくことは可能でしょうか。 | Haifu shiryō o itadaku koto wa kanō deshō ka. | Would it be possible to receive the handouts? |
| 次回の授業までに内容を確認しておきます。 | Jikai no jugyō made ni naiyō o kakunin shite okimasu. | I will review the content before the next class. |
Closing the email
The closing thanks the teacher for reading and, for a request, for considering it. Then sign with your full name, faculty and year, and a student number if your school uses them.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お忙しいところ恐れ入りますが、よろしくお願いいたします。 | O-isogashii tokoro osoreirimasu ga, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. | I am sorry to trouble you when you are busy, and thank you. |
| ご検討いただけますと幸いです。 | Go-kentō itadakemasu to saiwai desu. | I would be grateful if you could consider this. |
| ご返信ありがとうございました。 | Go-henshin arigatō gozaimashita. | Thank you for your reply. |
| 承知しました。 | Shōchi shimashita. | Understood: acknowledging an instruction |
Mistakes that make a teacher wince
Most of these are habits carried over from messaging friends or from workplace Japanese. None will get you into serious trouble, but they are noticed.
- No subject line, or a subject line such as a single word.
- No name or class, so the teacher cannot tell who you are.
- Using go-kurōsama or otsukaresama to a teacher.
- Writing sensei-sama or putting sama after sensei.
- Casual forms such as nobashite ne or emoji.
- Following up within hours instead of waiting a few days.
If you would rather ask in person, rehearse first. Asking your AI Sensei in Unihongo's 3D classroom to play your professor lets you practise the same request aloud, and the corrections in the session report show where a phrase came out too casual.