Japanese Notice Words: Limits, Plans and Exceptions
Small words can decide who a notice applies to, when it takes effect, and whether it is settled. These original examples use fictional exhibitions and public facilities, not real business notices.
Eight words that should not become promises
A word is only a clue: read the whole sentence and its exceptions. These are general language distinctions, not interpretations of a real publisher’s rules.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Japanese | Meaning to retain | Do not turn it into |
|---|---|---|
| 限定 | Limited to the stated audience or condition. | Available in every case. |
| 予定 | Planned; read any change notice too. | Already completed or guaranteed unchanged. |
| 当面 | For the time being, without necessarily specifying an end date. | Permanent or ending tomorrow. |
| 順次 | In sequence or stages. | Everything is completed at once. |
| 原則 | The general rule; check stated exceptions. | There are no exceptions. |
| 以降 | From the stated point onward; check its scope. | Only at that one moment. |
| まで | Until the stated deadline; do not invent a time when only a date is given. | Always valid until 23:59 that day. |
| 別途 | Handled, explained, or calculated separately, depending on context. | Necessarily free, included, or already settled. |
Find audience, timing, and exceptions
When splitting a long sentence, keep the nouns and qualifiers first. Before polishing the translation, check whether it lost the audience, start date, or excluded cases.
Who or what is covered?
Everyone, a subset, a particular session, or a particular audience?
When does it apply?
Already in effect, planned, temporary, or a deadline?
What else qualifies it?
Exceptions, limits, separate instructions, or unresolved details?
One sentence can contain several limits
Retain the date, scope, and the fact that something is planned. Do not keep only the simplest-looking outcome.
Keep the original beside the unresolved question
Do not turn ‘until Friday’ into midnight when no time is given, or invent exceptions to ‘in principle.’ Save the public original, its date, and the precise uncertainty rather than generating a more confident translation.
Spotted an error?
Send the page URL, disputed text, proposed correction, and a public source. Please leave out identity documents and anyone’s private information.
- The full page URL on this site
- The field or wording at issue
- Your proposed correction
- A public source URL and its stated date, if available