Tegami is the Japanese word for ‘letter’ or ‘note’, explained

What does “tegami” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “tegami” to mean ‘letter’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “tegami” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “tegami”
• Tegami in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “letter” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “tegami”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “tegami”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “tegami”.

• tegami – 手紙 (てがみ) : a noun meaning ‘letter’, ‘note’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a hand-written message in Japanese. So, its usage is similar to those of the English nouns, “letter” and “note”, I think.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Tegami in kanji

The kanji expression of “tegami” consists of the following two characters:

• 手 : a kanji character used mean ‘hand’ in Japanese.
• 紙 : a kanji character used mean ‘paper’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tegami” literally means ‘hand-written paper’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tegami” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “tegami” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “letter” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say to whom an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say to whom the action, “okut ta”, is directed.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tegami” to make the object word in the sentence.
• okut – 送っ (おくっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “okuru”, which means ‘to send’, ‘to deliver’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “okut” to make its past tense form, “okut ta”.

This is a typical usage of “tegami”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “tagami wo okut ta”, which means ‘to have sent a letter’ in Japanese. This expression should be learnt together with its present tense form, “tegami wo okuru”.

Example #2: another usage of “tegami”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• shikashi – しかし : a conjunction meaning ‘but’ or such in Japanese.
• yoma – 読ま (よま) : one conjugation of the verb, “yomu”, which means ‘to read’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nakat – なかっ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “nai“, which is used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of “tegami”. In this example, it works as a part of the expression, “tegami wo yoma nakat ta”, which literally means ‘not to have read a letter’ in Japanese. When we want to say “letter” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tegami” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• tegami – 手紙 (てがみ) : a noun meaning ‘letter’, ‘note’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a hand-written message in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is similar to those of the English ones, “letter” and “note”. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘hand-written paper’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.