Your Gmail user interface can be set to use Japanese. This page lists the reading and meaning of the user interface elements. It also explains the coding options.
- Note that "する" is often omitted from button titles for brevity.
Interface translations
Sidebar
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| メールを | Compose message |
| Inbox (literally "incoming message tray") | |
| スターあり | Starred (literally "has a star") |
| Sent mail | |
| Draft | |
| すべてのメール | All messages |
| Spam (literally "nuisance mail") | |
| ゴミ | Trash (literally "trash can") |
| Contacts | |
| ラベル | label |
| ラベルを | Edit label |
Top area
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Settings | |
| ヘルプ | Help |
| ログ アウト | log out |
| show search options | |
| フィルタを作成 | create filter |
Kanji list
|
作 Meaning: make, create |
音読み： さく | |
| 訓読み： | ||
|
成 Meaning: become; form; turn into |
音読み： せい | |
| 訓読み： | ||
|
受 Meaning: receive |
音読み： じゅ | |
| 訓読み： | ||
|
信 Meaning: here: news, tidings |
音読み： しん | |
| 訓読み： | ||
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| search | |
| to create, compose | |
| to receive (a message) | |
| to introduce | |
| to send | |
| acquaintance | |
| to show, display | |
| to edit | |
| friend (tends to be used in writing) | |
| cancel |
Loan words
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| メール | |
| トレイ | tray |
| スター | star |
| ゴミ | trash |
| ラベル | label |
| プレビュー | preview |
| ヘルプ | help |
| ログ | log |
| アウト | out |
| オプション | option |
| フィルタ | filter |
Coding issues
While UTF8 is gradually becoming more common as the code/encapsulation for Japanese emails, the most common coding is still ISO-2022-JP (known in the past as JIS). If you go to the Setting menu, set the "Gmail display language" to Japanese, then go to the bottom of the menu and set the "Outgoing message encoding" to the upper option (Use default text encoding), emails will be in ISO-2022-JP.
In general it is best to use ISO-2022-JP for Japanese emails, as this can be handled by most mail clients; even old ones. Gmail sends UTF8-coded emails in a Base64 block, which is gibberish to older non-MIME mail clients.