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Grammar detail: Japanese business terminology

Japanese business terminology
285 words
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In the world of corporate communications, polite Japanese is often used. In addition, many terms are common which are not encountered frequently elsewhere, especially in written materials.
In the business world, it would be common to see a letter addressed in the following way:
◯◯
かぶしきがいしゃ
株式会社
おんちゅう
御中
えいぎょう
営業
ぶちょう
部長
どの
殿
fragment, headline etc.
For the attention of the Sales Department Head, ◯◯ Corporation
The first phrase,
かぶしきかいしゃ
株式会社
, is the most useful term - it describes the most company type of company in Japan, and as such is the equivalent of '◯◯ Ltd' in the UK, or '◯◯ Corporation' in the US.
おんちゅう
御中
literally means 'honorific inside' - this is a very polite term meaning something like 'for the attention of', or (in older English) 'Messrs' etc.
The next term,
えいぎょうぶちょう
営業部長
can be broken up into several pieces. 営業 means 'sales' - and you will encounter this very commonly in daily life in the form of a notice reading
えいぎょうちゅう
営業中
'open for business' on the door of almost any shop. The addition of
, department, now means 'sales department' - typically, every company is divided into
, and then each 部 is divided into
(section). Finally,
ちょう
means 'boss' or 'chief', and can be appended to many organization names to refer to the leader of that organization - for example,
しちょう
市長
('town chief') means 'mayor'.
Finally,
どの
殿
, which began life in feudal times as との meaning a lord or landowner, can be appended to any title to mean 'the person in the role of'. In this usage, the first sound is 'voiced' and pronounced ど, making どの. The role of 殿 is equivalent to the role that
さま
plays when appended to a person's name. In the corporate world, it is customary to use 殿 after a title, and 様 after a name.
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Kanji used in this grammar

かぶ stock   
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シキ    ceremony, method, style   
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カイ   エ   あ to meet   
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シャ    company   やしろ Shinto shrine   
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ゴ   ギョ   honorific prefix   おん-    
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チュウ   ジュウ   なか middle   
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エイ   occupied   いとな to be occupied with, to carry on (a business)   
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ギョウ   ゴウ    profession, business, industry   わざ deed, act   
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ブ   part
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チョウ   なが long   
カ    lesson; section   
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シ   いち market   
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殿
テン   デン    palace, hall   との lord   -どの Mr   
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ヨウ   さま Mr / Mrs   
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