祝電(しゅくでん)

しゅくでん
noun
congratulatory telegram
1. congratulatory telegram; telegram of congratulations
A formal telegram sent to offer congratulations, typically for weddings, promotions, or other celebrations. Still used in Japan for ceremonial occasions even in the digital age.
祝電(しゅくでん)を送(おく)る。
To send a congratulatory telegram.
結婚式(けっこんしき)に祝電(しゅくでん)が届(とど)いた。
A congratulatory telegram arrived for the wedding.
出席(しゅっせき)できない代(か)わりに、祝電(しゅくでん)を打(う)つことにした。
Instead of attending, I decided to send a congratulatory telegram.

Composed of 祝(しゅく) (celebration) + 電(でん) (telegram). Although telegrams have largely disappeared from daily life, 祝電(しゅくでん) remain a living tradition in Japan, especially at weddings and school ceremonies.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 祝電(しゅくでん)を送(おく)る: to send a congratulatory telegram
  • 祝電(しゅくでん)を打(う)つ: to send a telegram (lit. "strike")
  • 祝電(しゅくでん)が届(とど)く: a congratulatory telegram arrives
  • 祝電(しゅくでん)を読(よ)み上(あ)げる: to read aloud a congratulatory telegram

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 弔電(ちょうでん): condolence telegram — sent for funerals, the opposite occasion
  • 電報(でんぽう): telegram — the general word for any telegram
  • 祝辞(しゅくじ): congratulatory speech — spoken rather than written
general
Added 2026.4.8 4:16 · Revised 2026.4.10 17:28
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