For those of you who live in Japan, what are some words you had to learn that were specific to bills, banking documents, and other paperwork involved in living in Japan as a resident?

Hey! So I’m moving to Japan in a couple of weeks, and while I’d consider my Japanese pretty good, I’d imagine there will be a number of unknown words on my bills and other paperwork I’ll have to deal with. While perhaps not common in day-to-day conversation, I’d imagine some are commonly found in (and relatively specific to) paperwork of this nature. What are some words like this that you encountered for the first time in this context?

3 comments
  1. Only thing I really know about is a kouseki tohon, which is essentially a vouch from family in japan

  2. Here’s a random assortment off the top of my head in no particular order and with no absolute guarantees that you’ll need them.

    請求書 invoice

    合計 total

    口座 account

    税込 including tax

    税抜 less tax

    締切 or 締め切り deadline, due date

    支払 payment

    振込 or 振り込み bank transfer

    住民票 juminhyo (proof of residency)

    身分証明書 identification documents

    署名 signature (sign here)

    押印 or 押 or 印 stamp hanko here

    Just basics off the top of my head. If everybody posts a few like this you’ll get a good list going.

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