Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 1213 of 4449

Save Sign in to track

前略

ぜんりゃく

dispensing with preliminaries (letter opening)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 前略 お元気でお過ごしでしょうか。

    ぜんりゃく おげんきでおすごしでしょうか。

    Skipping formalities, I hope you are well.

  2. 前略と書いたら、結びは草々にする。

    ぜんりゃくとかいたら、むすびはそうそうにする。

    If you open with zenryaku, you close with soso.

  3. 急ぎの用件なので前略で書き出した。

    いそぎのようけんなのでぜんりゃくでかきだした。

    As the matter was urgent, I opened the letter with zenryaku.

Common patterns

前略 草々
zenryaku ... soso (letter frame)
前略で始める
to open a letter with zenryaku
前略ごめんください
forgive me for skipping the formalities

Memory tip

Literally 'the front omitted' — it announces that you are skipping the seasonal greeting. Pair it only with 草々; 拝啓 is the opener that takes 敬具, and mixing the two pairs is the classic letter-writing mistake.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 前略 mean?