Refers to a physical or digital written document, often in formal, legal, or business settings. Can specifically mean a letter or written communication.
Please notify us of any changes to the contract in writing.
Please confirm the contract details in writing.
お詫びの書面を送付いたしました。
We have sent a letter of apology.
writing; contents of a document
Focuses on the written content or wording of a document, rather than the document as an object. Often used when discussing what is written.
書面の内容をよくお読みください。
Please read the contents of the document carefully.
書面をもってお知らせします。
We will inform you in writing.
You must submit the required documents for the application.
The two companies exchanged formal documents to finalize the contract.
All the important conditions are recorded in the document.
Consent in writing is required.
書類 covers papers and forms in general office use, whereas 書面 emphasizes the formal act of putting something in writing.
手紙 is a casual or personal letter, while 書面 is formal and often used in legal or business contexts.
文面 focuses narrowly on the wording of a letter's text, while 書面 can mean either the document itself or its content.
書面 is the standard formal word for a written document, while 紙面 keeps a stronger sense of the physical page or printed space, as in 紙面をもって.
口頭 means conveyed by speech, directly opposite to 書面, which means conveyed in writing.
expert; connoisseur; person in the know · counter for messages and documents · worldly understanding; tact; insight · supernatural powers; magical powers
documentary examination; trial based on documents
preparatory document; legal brief
Compound of 書 (writing) and 面 (surface, face), literally 'written surface'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in formal Japanese to refer to documents and written content.