1.
reply postcard; pre-addressed reply card (esp. of an ōfuku-hagaki)
The reply half of an 往復はがき (round-trip postcard), or any pre-addressed postcard included with an invitation, survey, or business correspondence so that the recipient can write a reply and mail it back. Frequently used for wedding invitations, alumni-association notices, and formal business RSVPs.
Please be sure to send back the reply postcard whether you are attending or not.
Composed of 返信 (reply; written response) and はがき (postcard, often written 葉書). The everyday spelling mixes kanji and hiragana, as the postcard word is most commonly written in hiragana on consumer products.
Usage
Used both for the back half of a Japan Post 往復はがき (a single perforated postcard with two halves: outgoing and reply) and, by extension, for any reply card included in formal mail. Etiquette around how to fill it out is well known: the sender's '行' or '宛' on the address is replaced with '様'; honorific prefixes like 御/お in front of the recipient's words (御出席, 御芳名) are crossed out before writing one's own response. Frequently encountered with weddings, funerals, alumni events, and PTA notices.
Common collocations
- 返信はがきを出す: to send back the reply postcard
- 返信はがきを書く: to fill out the reply postcard
- 返信はがきの宛名: the address printed on the reply postcard
- 返信はがきの書き方: how to fill out a reply postcard
Similar words
Related Words
Compare:
招待状 (invitation)