The standard layout
Notices follow a compact fixed format. Because they are read at a glance rather than sat down with, the layout matters more than the prose: a reader should be able to extract the essential information in a couple of seconds.
The format also tells the reader immediately what kind of document they are looking at, which is why the title is a single conventional word rather than a description.
| Element | Japanese | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Title | お知らせ | Centred at the top |
| Date | 日付 | Top right |
| Author | 発信者 | Below the date |
| Subject line | 件名 | Above the body |
| Body | 本文 | Essential information first |
| Closing | 以上 | Ends the notice |
The closing character is a convention that marks the end of a notice. Omitting it makes a notice look unfinished to a Japanese reader.
What and when, before why
The body opens with the essential facts: what is happening and when. Explanation follows. A notice that opens with background makes the reader work for information they needed immediately.
Dates and times are usually set out on their own lines rather than embedded in prose, so they can be found without reading.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| エレベーター点検のお知らせ | Erebētā tenken no oshirase | Notice of lift inspection |
| 日時：九月十五日（火）九時から十二時 | Nichiji: kugatsu jūgonichi (ka) kuji kara jūniji | Date and time, on its own line |
| 場所：一階エントランス | Basho: ikkai entoransu | Location, on its own line |
| 対象：全入居者 | Taishō: zen nyūkyosha | Who it affects |
| 上記の時間帯はご利用いただけません。 | Jōki no jikantai wa goriyō itadakemasen. | It cannot be used during the above period. |
| ご不便をおかけいたします。 | Gofuben o okake itashimasu. | We apologise for the inconvenience. |
The impersonal register
A notice is not addressed to anyone in particular, which changes the register. It avoids the direct address an email uses and relies on set phrases and passive or impersonal constructions.
This is convenient for a learner, because the phrases are fixed and there is little need to compose anything original.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 下記のとおりお知らせいたします。 | Kaki no tōri oshirase itashimasu. | We give notice as follows. |
| 実施いたします。 | Jisshi itashimasu. | It will be carried out. |
| 変更となりました。 | Henkō to narimashita. | It has been changed. |
| 中止とさせていただきます。 | Chūshi to sasete itadakimasu. | It will be cancelled. |
| ご了承ください。 | Goryōshō kudasai. | Please note. (asking acceptance) |
| 以上 | ijō | That is all. Ends the notice. |
Notice that none of these name a reader. That impersonality is the defining feature of the register.
Requests and prohibitions
Notices frequently ask people to do or not do something, and the conventional softening is what keeps them from reading as orders. The cooperation phrase at the end does most of that work.
A prohibition is usually stated as a request rather than as a rule, even when it is a rule.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ご協力をお願いいたします。 | Gokyōryoku o onegai itashimasu. | We ask for your cooperation. |
| ご遠慮ください。 | Goenryo kudasai. | Please refrain. |
| お控えください。 | Ohikae kudasai. | Please refrain. (slightly softer) |
| 禁止されております。 | Kinshi sarete orimasu. | It is prohibited. |
| 静粛にお願いいたします。 | Seishuku ni onegai itashimasu. | Please keep quiet. |
| 各自でお持ち帰りください。 | Kakuji de omochikaeri kudasai. | Please take your own items home. |
Common notice types
A handful of situations account for most notices, and each has a conventional wording that is worth borrowing rather than reinventing.
Copying the phrasing of a previous notice on the same board is entirely acceptable and is what most people do.
| Situation | Title | Note |
|---|---|---|
| General information | お知らせ | The default |
| A request | お願い | When asking for behaviour |
| Maintenance | 工事のお知らせ | Include dates and access |
| Cancellation | 中止のお知らせ | State the reason briefly |
| Change of details | 変更のお知らせ | State old and new |
| Apology | お詫び | For a problem already caused |
Contact and closing
A notice ends with who issued it and how to ask about it. Omitting the contact is a common mistake and it produces a notice people cannot act on.
The department name is often used rather than an individual, which fits the impersonal register.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お問い合わせは管理室まで。 | Otoiawase wa kanrishitsu made. | Enquiries to the management office. |
| ご不明な点は総務部までご連絡ください。 | Fumei na ten wa sōmubu made gorenraku kudasai. | Please contact General Affairs with questions. |
| 担当：田中 | Tantō: Tanaka | Responsible: Tanaka |
| 内線：一二三四 | Naisen: ichi-ni-san-yon | Extension: 1234 |
| 以上 | ijō | Ends the notice |
| 何卒よろしくお願いいたします。 | Nanitozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. | We ask for your kind cooperation. |
Always include a contact. A notice without one generates more questions than it answers, usually directed at whoever is nearest.