How to Address an Envelope to Japan: Address Order, Sama and Onchū

To address an envelope to someone in Japan, write the postal code, then the address from largest to smallest (prefecture, city, district, block numbers, building and room), then the recipient’s full name followed by 様 (sama). On a vertical Japanese envelope the address runs down the right-hand side and the name sits large in the centre. If you post it from outside Japan, you can write the address in Japanese, but add “JAPAN” in capital letters so your own post office can route it.

The order of a Japanese address

Japanese addresses go from the biggest area to the smallest, the reverse of most Western addresses:

Postal code (〒, seven digits, for example 123-4567)
Prefecture (都道府県)
City, ward, town or village
District and block numbers (often written like 1-2-3)
Building name and room number, if any
Recipient’s name and honorific

Copy the address exactly as the person gave it to you. If they sent it in English, it’s fine to use that, written in the same big-to-small order or in Western order with “JAPAN” on the last line.

Vertical envelopes

Traditional Japanese envelopes (和封筒) are tall and narrow and are written vertically. This is the more formal choice for a teacher, an older person or a professor.

Postal code in the printed boxes at the top right.
Address down the right-hand side, starting a little below the postal code. Use kanji numerals (一, 二, 三) for block numbers in vertical writing.
Name in the centre, larger than the address, ending with 様.
On the back, your own address and name, usually to the left of the centre seam. Mark the sealed flap with 〆 (a sign that the envelope is closed).

Western-style envelopes (洋封筒) can be written horizontally, with the address near the top and the name in the centre. They’re fine for friends and casual cards.

Choosing the right honorific

様 (sama) for an individual. This is the default.
先生 (sensei) for a teacher, professor, doctor or master of a craft, instead of 様. Never write both.
御中 (onchū) for a company, school, department or organisation when you don’t name a person.
〇〇様方 (sama-kata) when the person is staying at someone else’s home, like “care of” for a household.
〇〇気付 (kizuke) for “care of” a hotel, company or other organisation, followed by the person’s name and 様.

Use a company name and a person’s name together, and the person gets 様; the company doesn’t get 御中 as well. To write to a group, such as a local club, address it to the group with 御中 or to its representative by name. See thank-you letters to a community group in Japan.

Replying with a return envelope

If someone sends you a reply envelope already addressed to themselves, it will end in 行 or 宛 (“to”). Before posting it, cross that out with two neat lines and write 様 or 御中 next to it. Leaving it unchanged looks careless to a Japanese reader.

Posting from overseas

Write JAPAN in capital Roman letters on the bottom line, or wherever your post office asks for the destination country.
Include your return address in your own country.
Use airmail for letters that should arrive within a reasonable time, and check the postage for the weight.

Inside Japan, you can buy stamps and post letters at any post office. See Japanese at the post office for the phrases.

Common mistakes

Writing the recipient’s name smaller than the address, or off to one side.
Splitting the name across two lines.
Using 様 and 先生 together, or 御中 and 様 together.
Using Arabic numerals in vertical writing, which can look out of place.

How Hanabuddies can help

If you’re sending a letter to Japan, we can write or translate the letter itself and send you the envelope wording laid out so you can copy it. See how to write a letter in Japanese and handwriting a Japanese letter.