Japanese Technical Writing Guide

Mandatory Checks Before Output

1. Check for the use of "〜を行う" (do ~)

2. Avoid repeating the same sentence ending three or more times in a row

1. Obtain the target ID
2. Confirm the user's affiliation
3. Assign an impression

1. Obtain the target ID
2. Confirm the user's affiliation
3. Record the impression in the unassigned ContentUserGroup (use a different verb like "record", "return", "set", etc.)

1. Obtain the target ID
2. Confirm the user's affiliation
3. Assign an impression

3. Check for kanji used in formal nouns incorrectly

• 〜する事 → 〜すること (do ~)
• 〜の為 → 〜のため (for ~)
• 〜する物 → 〜するもの (thing that does ~)
• その時 → そのとき (that time)
• 〜して下さい → 〜してください (please do ~)

Basic Principles

1. Write concisely: Eliminate unnecessary expressions and convey information briefly and clearly.
2. Use active voice: In principle, use active voice to give sentences strength and clarity.
3. Unify the writing style: Do not mix "ですます" (polite) and "だである" (formal) styles. Avoid repeating sentence endings.
4. Place subjects and predicates close together: Do not insert unnecessary words between the subject and predicate.
5. Use simple language: Avoid difficult kanji, technical terms, and katakana terms.

1. Conciseness

Avoid repeating the same word

• 20 seconds period → 20 seconds
• predict in advance → predict
• still unresolved → unresolved

Avoid nominalizing verbs

• take action → act
• it is possible → can
• perform customer acquisition support → support customer acquisition
• fill → fill
• state → state

Omit unnecessary words

• Regarding the first case → The first case is
• "〜について" (about) and "〜という" (called) can be deleted in most cases.

Avoid ambiguous expressions

• It seems that correcting the title is effective → Correcting the title is effective
• a bit long → about 5cm longer

Remove unnecessary emphasis words

• extremely unique → unique
• very important → important

Avoid pretentious phrasing

• "It can be said that the following is true" → Delete
• "What do you think? Let's take a closer look" → Delete

2. Writing Style

Unify sentence endings

Avoid repeating sentence endings

• 〜です / 〜ます / 〜でした / 〜ました (polite endings)
• 〜ません / 〜でしょう (negative/polite conjecture)
• 〜ください / 〜してください (please do ~)
• Noun ending

Convert spoken language to written language

Convert literary style to colloquial style

3. Sentence Structure

Place subjects and predicates close together

Use active voice as a principle

• When the actor is not important (e.g., That act is considered a crime)
• When you want to emphasize the object receiving the action
• When you want to intentionally soften the writing style
• When active voice becomes monotonous due to repetition

Place modifiers close to the words they modify

• A fast ladybug that stopped on the tip of a flower → A ladybug that stopped on the tip of a flower, which is fast

Unify subjects

4. Word Selection

Use simple language

• measures → treatment/handling
• consensus → agreement
• feasibility → experiment
• RFP → Proposal Request Form (add an explanation when first mentioned)

Avoid unnecessary abbreviations

• MTG → meeting
• MGR → manager

Avoid original compound nouns

• time-saving cooking technique → cooking technique that saves time

Avoid ambiguity in pronouns and demonstratives

5. Distinguishing Between Kanji and Hiragana

Words to write in hiragana

• 見た所 → 見たところ (as far as I can see - write in hiragana if not referring to a place)
• その時 → そのとき (that moment - write in hiragana if not referring to time)
• 〜する事 → 〜すること (do ~)
• 〜する為 → 〜するため (for ~)
• 〜する物 → 〜するもの (thing that does ~ - write in hiragana if not referring to an object)

• 調べて見る → 調べてみる (try looking into - write in hiragana if not referring to visual action)
• 行って来る → 行ってくる (go and come back)
• 行きたく無い → 行きたくない (don't want to go)
• 〜して欲しい → 〜してほしい (want someone to do ~)
• 〜して下さい → 〜してください (please do ~)

• however, or, and, also, furthermore

• this, that, our, all
• you, we, here, there

Words to write in kanji

6. Basic Rules for Punctuation

Periods and commas

• Use a period (。) at the end of a sentence.
• Use a comma (、) to avoid misreading (do not overuse).

Ellipsis

• ・・・ → …… (Use two sets of three dots)

Question marks and exclamation points

• Insert a full-width space after a question mark (？).
• Do not use exclamation points (!) in official documents in principle.

Numbers

• Use half-width Arabic numerals for horizontal writing.
• Use kanji for kunyomi readings (one, two), order (first), and adverbs (firstly).

Parentheses

• Use full-width parentheses as a base.
• Be careful not to overuse; consider integrating the content into the main text.

Wave dash (〜)

• Use to indicate a range (e.g., 1〜3 days).
• Connect numbers to numbers or nouns to nouns (「当日〜3日」 is invalid; 「1〜3日」 is correct).

7. Other Important Rules

Parallel Expressions

• Repeat the same grammatical structure.
• Do not omit the second "たり" in a list:
  • It's good to have fun and immerse yourself → It's good to have fun and immerse yourself
• In bullet points, list items with the same grammatical structure.

Particle Usage

• Replace the starting particle "より" with "から":
  • I came from Tokyo → I came from Tokyo
• Replace the conjecture particle "う" with "だろう":
  • I can say → I can say
• Do not omit the parallel particle "と" if the comparison target is ambiguous.

Adverb and Sentence Ending Pairs

Comparative Sentences

• Clearly state what is being compared.
• Do not omit the comparison target.

Detailed References

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