1.
notice; written notification; notification letter
A formal document issued by a government agency, company, school, or other organization to inform the recipient of an official decision, status, or required action — tax assessments, examination results, insurance enrollments, court summonses, and the like. The paper is the physical letter itself; the content (the act of informing) is 通知.
市役所から通知書が届いた。
A notice arrived from the city office.
合格通知書を受け取って、家族みんなで喜んだ。
We received the acceptance notice, and the whole family celebrated.
納税通知書には今年度の固定資産税の金額と納付期限が詳しく記載されている。
The tax payment notice details this fiscal year's property tax amount and payment deadline.
Compound of 通知 ('notification; informing') and 書 ('document; written paper'). The suffix 書 productively forms names of formal documents: 申請書 ('application form'), 証明書 ('certificate'), 報告書 ('report').
USAGE:
- Almost always used for official or semi-official documents. Personal letters informing someone of news would be a 手紙 or メール, not a 通知書.
- Very common in fixed compounds specifying the type of notice: 合格通知書 ('acceptance notice'), 不合格通知書 ('rejection notice'), 納税通知書 ('tax payment notice'), 当選通知書 ('notice of winning/selection').
- Often paired with verbs like 届く ('arrives'), 受け取る ('receive'), 送付する ('send'), 発行する ('issue').
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 通知書が届く: a notice arrives
- 通知書を受け取る: to receive a notice
- 通知書を発送する: to send out a notice
- 合格通知書: acceptance notice
- 納税通知書: tax notice
- 当選通知書: notice of winning/selection
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 通知: notification — the act or content of informing; also used more loosely for push notifications on a smartphone.
- 案内状: invitation; announcement letter — typically for events, more social than administrative in tone.
- お知らせ: notice; announcement — the everyday, softer native-Japanese word; not limited to formal documents.
- 告知書: formal notification (often of a legal or medical decision) — more weighty and formal than 通知書, especially in legal contexts.