郵便局の単語 - The post office

New vocabulary course, new words to learn and lots of new kanji. This time, we will focus on the world of the post. Here are plenty of words that will be very useful to you. 28 words in total.

That’s a lot, but rest assured, there is nothing too complicated.

Let’s get started without delay.

手紙 . あたま . the letter
封筒 . フウトウ . the envelope
包み . つつみ . the package, the parcel
小包 . こづつみ . the small package
パッケージ . the package
葉書 . はがき . the postcard
ポストカード . the postcard
切手 . きって . the stamp
スタンプ . the stamp
郵便屋 . ユウビンや . the post office
(お)郵便屋さん . (お)ユウビンやさん . the post office worker, the postman
郵便局 . ユウビンキョク . the post office
(お)郵便局さん . (お)ユウビンキョク . the post office employee
郵便局員 . ユウビンキョクイン . the post office employee
郵便物 . ユウビンぶつ . the mail, the postal item, the postal object
ポストイット . the post-it
郵便箱 . ユウビンばこ . the mailbox, the letterbox
郵便受け . ユウビンうけ . the mailbox, the letterbox
郵便ポスト . ユウビンポスト . the mailbox, the letterbox
メールボックス . the mailbox, the letterbox
電子郵便 . デンシユウビン . the e-mail
電子メール . デンシメール . the e-mail
Eメール . the e-mail
郵便車 . ユウビンシャ . the postal car
メールトラック . the mail truck
メールトラック / メールトラッキング . the mailtrack, the mailtracking
郵便番号 . ユウビンバンゴウ . the postal code
郵便マーク . ユウビンマーク . the postal symbol of the Japanese post office (〒)

The beginnings of the post office in Japan date back to the 8th century. Imported from China, the very first postal relays were initially relay inns named 駅馬 . エキバ, where it was possible to obtain food, lodge for the night and procure fresh horses. The establishment of a network of these different hostels, 駅制 . エキセイ, in different locations around Tokyo and Osaka helped develop the very first mail delivery system in Japan around 646. In the 12th century, with the establishment of a shogunal government in Kamakura, south of Edo, present-day Tōkyō, messengers on foot, the 飛脚 . ヒキャク (literally, "flying feet"), were used in addition to riders to deliver official mail. The distance between Tōkyō (京都) and Kamakura (鎌倉) was then traveled in five days. At that time, this system of distribution of folds was the prerogative of the powerful. Only the shogun and the feudal lords had the means to take advantage of what was then a privilege exclusive to them.

It was at the end of the 16th century, after the unification of the country under the reign of the Tokugawa (1603-1867) that the message distribution system was deployed throughout the country. Gradually, samurai families and merchants set up a daily service between the three cities of Ōsaka (大阪), Kyōto (京都) and Edo (江戸) which later became Tōkyō. The messengers collected the missives as well as the money for sending the evening before leaving. It took them about six days to reach Edo from Ōsaka. The high cost of this means of distribution did not allow the people to take advantage of it until the creation of a modern postal system at the end of the 19th century.

After the Meiji Restoration and the establishment of a new government, a publicly funded postal system was developed from 1871 by Maejima Hisoka (前島 密) (1835-1919), known in Japan as the "Father of the Post Office" which was inspired by the various systems studied during its stays in Europe including Great Britain. This new system, 新式郵便 . シンシキユウビン, was inaugurated on April 20, 1871 and connects 65 post offices daily between Tōkyō and Ōsaka. From August 1872, it covers the entire country. In 1873, it was decreed a state monopoly and a single tariff for the whole territory was instituted. Postage stamps are introduced, delivery speed improved and operating costs reduced. In 1877, Japan joined the Universal Postal Union after ratifying a postal exchange treaty with the United States on April 18, 1874. The postal agencies depended first of all on the Ministry of Finance, then in 1874, on the Ministry of the Interior, before being attached in 1881 to the Ministry of Agriculture and Trade.

Note : unlike Western countries, Japanese stamps are not lacking in originality. Very influenced by Shintoism, colorful representations of nature, gastronomy and Japanese architecture are commonplace. Animals, flowers, trees, landscapes, ramen, udon, takoyaki, Mount Fuji, castles, national flag... All you have to do is buy a nice stamp.

For your general knowledge, this symbol 〒 is therefore the postal symbol of the Japanese post office and also the mark of the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. It is the symbol that is placed in front of a postal code on envelopes, packages and anything sent by mail. For example, if I am in Japan and want to write the following address in Japanese :

1-7-1 Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tōkyō 100-0014

In Japanese I will write it like this :

〒100-0014 東京都千代田区永田町一丁目7番1号

You see that the symbol 〒 is placed at the beginning of the address and it always will be.

This symbol 〒 is actually a derivative of the katakana テ which is the initial syllable of 逓信 . テイシン (« post and telecommunications »).

And just for the sake of saying it, the katakana テ was created out of the kanji 天. Well, I just wanted to give you this little story.

Also, there are three kanji words that I would like you not to confuse. I put them below :

電気 . デンキ . electric
電動 . デンドウ . electric
電子 . デンシ . electric

Remember, we saw the words 電気 . デンキ and 電動 . デンドウ in several words during this second season. They are often translated into English as qualifying adjectives to designate objects, vehicles and devices running on electricity. The word 電子 . デンシ means "(the) electronics". The kanji of the child 子 expresses the idea of something smaller like "the e-mail" for example.

Of course, according to Japanese grammar 電子 . デンシ is NOT an adjective. Refer to the explanations I gave you in a previous vocabulary course on the means of transport.

To make a few small comments on the words on the list, you will have noticed that the Japanese have up to four different words to say "the letterbox". In any case, that’s what I found while doing my research for this course. For those who wonder if a particular word is used more than another to designate sometimes the physical mailbox and sometimes the electronic mailbox, I admit not knowing. I think it’s like in our western languages. The four words are equal.

You know, I don’t know if this course will help you find a job in a Japanese post office, especially since it is a public service. After that you can always try.

Writing addresses in Japanese can be quite difficult. We often get confused with kanji and word order so I hope that the previous lessons on Japanese municipalities and the largest cities in Japan will help you.

That’s it for this course. For the rest, you know what you have to do, practice both oral and written as you are used to do now. And then there you go, I trust you. Well, if you’ve made it this far, I consider that you liked this course, that you loved it, in any case I hope so with all my heart and I’ll meet you in the next course.

It’s still the same song... -_-