officially registered seal
A personal seal (hanko) that has been registered with a local government office. It is used for important legal documents such as real estate purchases, marriage registrations, and loan agreements. Contrasts with 認印 (mitome-in), an unregistered seal used for everyday purposes.
A registered seal is required for real estate contracts.
Please check the contents carefully before affixing your registered seal.
実印 is a legally registered seal used for official documents, while 認め (as an abbreviation of 認め印) refers to an ordinary, unregistered seal for everyday use.
認め印 is an everyday, unregistered seal used for casual purposes, while 実印 is the formally registered seal required for legal contracts.
Compound of 実 (jitsu, 'real' or 'actual') and 印 (in, 'seal' or 'stamp'), literally meaning 'real seal'. The term reflects its official status as a legally registered seal.