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.
返信はがきを出した。
I sent off the reply postcard.
結婚式の招待状に返信はがきが同封されていた。
A reply postcard was enclosed with the wedding invitation.
返信はがきは、出席・欠席どちらの場合も必ず送り返してください。
Please be sure to send back the reply postcard whether you are attending or not.
返信はがきの宛名の「行」を二重線で消し、「様」と書き直すのが礼儀とされている。
It is considered proper etiquette to cross out the {行|ゆき} on the address of the reply postcard and rewrite it as {様|さま}.
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:
- 往復はがき: round-trip postcard — the two-part postcard whose return half is the 返信はがき
- 返信用封筒: pre-addressed reply envelope — the envelope-format equivalent
- 招待状: invitation — typically what the reply postcard accompanies
- 出欠確認: confirmation of attendance — the typical purpose of a reply postcard