お知らせ（おしらせ、oshirase）
- notice

The Japanese word お知らせ (oshirase) generally translates to "notice," "announcement," "information," or "notification" in English. It refers to the act of informing someone about something. This could be a piece of news, an event, a change, or any other relevant detail. The specific meaning can vary depending on the context. お知らせ can range from a formal bulletin to a casual heads-up.

⚫︎新商品のお知らせ Translation: New product announcement ⚫︎イベントの開催お知らせ Translation: Event announcement ⚫︎重要なお知らせ Translation: Important notice

You use お知らせ when you want to inform someone about something. ⚫︎It's common to see お知らせ posted on websites, bulletin boards, or sent via email. ⚫︎You might use it in a conversation to inform someone about something new. ⚫︎The tone can be formal or informal, depending on the situation and the relationship with the recipient. For example, a company would use a more formal お知らせ compared to a friend informing you about dinner plans.

お知らせ is primarily written in hiragana. ⚫︎The kanji form お知らせ (and お知らせ) is used, but the hiragana is more common. ⚫︎The kanji form is お + 知 + らせ. ⚫︎There is typically no variation in the okurigana (the suffix hiragana).

⚫︎案内 (annai): This generally means "guidance" or "information". ⚫︎通知 (tsuuchi): This means "notification" or "communication," often more formal. ⚫︎発表 (happyou): This means "announcement" or "presentation". ⚫︎告知 (kokuchi): This means "announcement" or "notification". It is often used for something specific or an advertisement.

It doesn't have a direct antonym. However, the opposite of *giving* an お知らせ could be *not giving* an お知らせ, which is expressed through not communicating information or keeping something secret.

ホームページに新しいお知らせが掲載されました。 ・Translation: A new announcement has been posted on the website. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of posting information on a website using お知らせ.

電車が遅延しているというお知らせがありました。 ・Translation: There was a notice that the train was delayed. ・Explanation: This sentence uses お知らせ to describe a notice about a train delay.

The word お知らせ comes from the verb 知らす (shirasu), which means "to inform" or "to make known," and is in the causative form. The "o-" is a polite prefix, and the "-se" turns it into a noun (making known, or the act of announcing). It is therefore related to the verb 知る (shiru), meaning "to know."