拝啓（はいけい、haikeい）
- Dear (letter opening)

拝啓 拝啓 is a formal Japanese greeting used at the beginning of a letter or email. It's the equivalent of "Dear" or "Greetings" in English. It expresses respect and is used when addressing someone you don't know well, someone of higher status, or in formal situations. 拝啓 is typically followed by the recipient's name or title and then the body of the letter.

⚫︎拝啓、山田様 Translation: Dear Mr. Yamada, ⚫︎拝啓、〇〇会社の皆様 Translation: Greetings, everyone at 〇〇 company,

⚫︎ Use 拝啓 when writing to someone you respect or in formal settings, such as business correspondence, official letters, or when writing to someone you don't know well. ⚫︎ It is always the very first word of your letter or email. ⚫︎ Follow 拝啓 with the recipient's name or title, and then the main content. ⚫︎ It is generally not used in casual conversations or with close friends and family. ⚫︎ After a formal greeting such as 拝啓, you typically include a short phrase indicating the present state of the weather or your current well-being, for example, "Thank you for your continued support".

⚫︎ 拝啓 is written using the kanji 拝 and 啓. ⚫︎ Reading (hiragana): はいけい ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎ The okurigana is fixed.

⚫︎ 前略（ぜんりゃく） - Used for slightly less formal letters, meaning "To begin with..." or "I'll get straight to the point..." ⚫︎ 謹啓（きんけい） - A more formal and respectful greeting. ⚫︎ 〇〇様（様 - さま）is a suffix added after a name in a formal letter to indicate respect, often accompanied by formal greetings such as 拝啓 and 謹啓.

There aren't direct antonyms for 拝啓 as it's a greeting, but informal greetings would be the opposite, such as: ⚫︎ やあ（Yaa) - Hey ⚫︎ こんにちは（Konnichiwa) - Hello

拝啓、田中様。いつも大変お世話になっております。 ・Translation: Dear Mr. Tanaka, Thank you always for your continued support. ・Explanation: This is a typical opening for a formal letter to a business contact, showing respect and appreciation.

拝啓、〇〇大学の先生方。この度は、入学許可をいただき、誠にありがとうございます。 ・Translation: Dear Professors of 〇〇 University, Thank you very much for granting me admission this time. ・Explanation: This is a formal way to express gratitude for acceptance into a university.

The kanji 拝 means "to pay respects" or "to worship", and 啓 means "to open" or "to tell." The combination therefore suggests something like "respectfully opening" or "respectfully addressing." It signifies the sender's respectful attitude toward the recipient.