手紙（てがみ、tegami）
- letter

The Japanese word 手紙手紙, pronounced てがみ, means "letter" or "mail." It refers to a written message sent from one person to another, typically through the postal service. It's a common term for personal correspondence.

⚫︎彼手紙を書きました。 Translation: He wrote a letter. ⚫︎友達に手紙を送りました。 Translation: I sent a letter to my friend. ⚫︎手紙を受け取りました。 Translation: I received a letter.

You use 手紙手紙 when talking about letters. ⚫︎It's used when you are writing a letter or receiving one. ⚫︎It's suitable in both formal and informal contexts. ⚫︎It is applicable to physical letters.

⚫︎The word is primarily written using the kanji 手 (te) meaning "hand" and 紙 (kami) meaning "paper." ⚫︎The reading of the entire word is てがみ in hiragana. ⚫︎There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana for this word.

There are no direct synonyms to the word "letter" in Japanese, but depending on the nuance, these words may be used: ⚫︎文 (fumi): This can refer to a letter, but also more broadly to writing or literature. ⚫︎書簡 (shokan): This is a more formal term for a letter.

There aren't direct antonyms for 手紙手紙 in the same way, but words or concepts that represent not communicating via letters include: ⚫︎電話 (denwa): Telephone ⚫︎メール (mēru): Email

祖母に手紙を書きました。 ・Translation: I wrote a letter to my grandmother. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of writing a letter to one's grandmother.

今日、恋人から手紙をもらいました。 ・Translation: I received a letter from my lover today. ・Explanation: This sentence describes receiving a letter from one's lover.

The word 手紙手紙 literally translates to "hand paper." It comes from the combination of 手 (te), meaning "hand," referring to the act of writing by hand, and 紙 (kami), meaning "paper," referring to the medium. This combination reflects the traditional means of correspondence before the widespread use of technology.