ダイレクトメッセージ

だいれくとめっせーじ
noun
direct message; DM (a private message sent on social media)
1. a direct message; a private message sent on a social-media or messaging service from one user to another, away from public posts or comment threads
Borrowed from English. Refers to the private one-to-one (or small-group) message function built into social media platforms such as Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, LINE, and Facebook. It is used in contrast to public posts and public replies — when someone is asked to 'send a DM' (DMください or DMで連絡(れんらく)してください), it means they should write a message that only the recipient can see. The shortened form DM (ディーエム) is at least as common as the full term in everyday speech.
ダイレクトメッセージで連絡(れんらく)します。
I'll contact you by direct message.
詳(くわ)しい話(はなし)はダイレクトメッセージで送(おく)ってください。
Please send the details by direct message.
知(し)らない人(ひと)からダイレクトメッセージが届(とど)いたので、開(ひら)かずに削除(さくじょ)した。
I got a direct message from a stranger, so I deleted it without opening it.
店(みせ)の予約(よやく)は電話(でんわ)でも受(う)け付(つ)けていますが、SNSのダイレクトメッセージからもお気軽(きがる)にどうぞ。
We accept restaurant reservations by phone, but please feel free to use a direct message on social media as well.

Borrowed from English 'direct message'. The abbreviation DM (read ディーエム) is widely used and often replaces the full form, especially in chat and social-media contexts.

USAGE:
ダイレクトメッセージ refers exclusively to messages sent through the private-message function of a social-media or messaging app. It does not refer to ordinary email, text messages (SMS), or in-person messages. The most common platforms in Japan where the term applies are X (Twitter), Instagram, LINE, Facebook, and TikTok.

The abbreviation DM is the form most often used in everyday speech and writing:

  • DMください: 'Please send me a DM'
  • DMで連絡(れんらく)します: 'I'll contact you by DM'
  • DMが届(とど)いた: 'I got a DM'

In business settings (e.g. small online shops, freelance designers), accepting orders or inquiries by DM is a normal practice.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • ダイレクトメッセージを送(おく)る: to send a direct message
  • ダイレクトメッセージを受(う)け取(と)る: to receive a direct message
  • ダイレクトメッセージで連絡(れんらく)する: to contact (someone) by DM
  • ダイレクトメッセージが届(とど)く: for a DM to arrive
  • ダイレクトメッセージを無視(むし)する: to ignore a DM
  • ダイレクトメッセージを確認(かくにん)する: to check one's DMs
  • ダイレクトメッセージを開(ひら)く: to open a DM
  • ダイレクトメッセージで問(と)い合(あ)わせる: to inquire by DM

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • DM (ディーエム): the abbreviated form; far more common than the full ダイレクトメッセージ in casual use.
  • メッセージ: message — the general word; can refer to any kind of message including DMs but also public messages.
  • LINE (ライン): the dominant Japanese messaging app; messages on LINE are usually called LINE or just メッセージ rather than DM.
  • 私信(ししん): a private message, a personal communication — a more old-fashioned term, originally used for handwritten letters but sometimes applied to private digital messages as well.
  • ダイレクトメール (DM): direct mail — a *false friend* of ダイレクトメッセージ. ダイレクトメール means the postal/email marketing kind of direct mail (advertising flyers, mass emails), not personal social-media messages. Be careful: the same abbreviation 'DM' is sometimes used for either, and Japanese speakers occasionally have to clarify which one they mean.

DOMAIN NOTE:
In the Japanese context, especially online, 'DM' is used so frequently that 'DM ください' has become a stock phrase. On Twitter (X) and Instagram, sellers, organizers, and freelancers routinely tell potential customers to send a DM for further information.

general
Added 2026.4.12 10:47
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