住所 vs 所在地 vs 宛先 vs 送付先: Japanese Address, Location, Mailing Address, Shipping Address, and Form-Filling Words Explained

You finally find the Japanese online store you have been looking for. You add an item to your cart, click checkout — and then comes the form. There is a field labelled 住所（じゅうしょ）, another labelled 送付先（そうふさき）, and one more labelled 宛先（あてさき）. You are pretty sure they all have something to do with “address.” But which one is which? And why does Japanese need so many words for the same idea?

This is one of the most practical problems English-speaking Japanese learners face — not in a textbook, but in real life. Whether you are booking a hotel, ordering from an EC site, filling out a company registration form, or addressing an envelope, you will encounter these terms constantly. Getting them wrong means packages sent to the wrong place, forms rejected, or messages failing to reach their recipient.

This guide breaks down the four core address-related words — 住所（じゅうしょ）, 所在地（しょざいち）, 宛先（あてさき）, and 送付先（そうふさき）— along with eight supporting vocabulary items that show up on real Japanese forms. By the end, you will know exactly which word belongs in which field.

Quick Answer: 住所 vs 所在地 vs 宛先 vs 送付先

Before diving into the details, here is a side-by-side snapshot of the four core words:

The key insight: 住所 describes where someone or something is. 所在地 is the formal official location of an organization or facility. 宛先 focuses on the recipient’s side of a letter, package, or email. 送付先 is the instruction field on a form telling you where to send something.

住所（じゅうしょ）— Address

住所（じゅうしょ）is the general, all-purpose word for “address.” It refers to the specific location where a person resides or where a property is registered. It is the word you will see most often on everyday forms — memberships, delivery services, hotel bookings, and personal identification documents.

Example:
ご住所をご記入ください。（ごじゅうしょをごきにゅうください。）
Please fill in your address.

所在地（しょざいち）— Location of a Company or Building

所在地（しょざいち）means the location or registered address of an organization, facility, or property — not a person’s home. You will see it on business cards, company websites, official registration documents, and government forms for corporations.

Example:
会社の所在地を教えていただけますか？（かいしゃのしょざいちをおしえていただけますか？）
Could you tell me the location of your company?

宛先（あてさき）— Recipient’s Address / Mail Destination

宛先（あてさき）refers to where something is addressed — the destination written on a letter, package, or email. It is the “To” side of correspondence. Think of it less as a physical location and more as the target of the communication or shipment.

Example:
封筒に宛先を書き忘れた。（ふうとうにあてさきをかきわすれた。）
I forgot to write the recipient’s address on the envelope.

送付先（そうふさき）— Where to Send Something

送付先（そうふさき）is an instruction-oriented term. It answers the question “Where should this be sent?” You see it on forms asking for a shipping address for documents, goods, or official correspondence — particularly in business and EC contexts.

Example:
書類の送付先はどちらになりますか？（しょるいのそうふさきはどちらになりますか？）
Where should we send the documents?

A note for English speakers: in English, “address” covers all four of these concepts. Japanese splits them based on whose address it is, what kind of entity it belongs to, and what role it plays in communication or delivery. That precision is what makes Japanese forms feel complex at first — but once you understand the logic, it becomes very consistent.

Yuka

I was filling out a Japanese EC site form and there were three separate fields that all seemed to mean “address.” I just copied my address into all of them — was that wrong?

Rei

Not necessarily wrong, but the fields probably had different purposes. 住所 is your home address. 送付先 is where the order gets shipped — which might be your home, your workplace, or a convenience store pickup point. And 請求先 is the billing address for your payment method. They can all be the same address, but they do not have to be!

What Does 所在地（しょざいち）Mean?

所在地（しょざいち）combines 所在（しょざい, the place where something exists or is located) and 地（ち, land/place). Together, they describe the formal, registered location of a non-personal entity — a company, shop, school, government office, or facility.

You will encounter 所在地 in several specific contexts:

• 会社所在地（かいしゃしょざいち）— company location / registered address of a business
• 店舗所在地（てんぽしょざいち）— location of a shop or branch
• 施設の所在地（しせつのしょざいち）— location of a facility
• 本店所在地（ほんてんしょざいち）— location of the head office

On a company profile page or business registration form, 所在地 is the official entry field for the corporate address. On a government portal asking businesses to register, 所在地 is the equivalent of “registered office address” in English legal documents.

Example 1:
弊社の所在地は東京都渋谷区です。（へいしゃのしょざいちはとうきょうとしぶやくです。）
Our company is located in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Example 2:
この施設の所在地を確認してから向かいます。（このしせつのしょざいちをかくにんしてからむかいます。）
I will confirm the location of this facility before heading there.

所在地 vs 住所 — when to use each: If the subject is a person or a private home, use 住所. If the subject is a company, organization, building, or official facility, use 所在地. A sole trader filling in a business registration form would use 所在地 for the business address even if it is their home — in that context, the form treats it as a business entity’s location, not a personal residence.

What Does 宛先（あてさき）Mean?

宛先（あてさき）is built from 宛（あて, addressed to) and 先（さき, destination/direction). It refers to the address of the recipient — the person or organization to whom a letter, package, or email is being sent. Think of it as what you write in the “To” field.

Common phrases with 宛先:

• 宛先を書く（あてさきをかく）— to write the recipient’s address
• 宛先不明（あてさきふめい）— address unknown / undeliverable (stamped on returned mail)
• メールの宛先（メールのあてさき）— the To: field in an email
• 宛先を間違える（あてさきをまちがえる）— to get the recipient’s address wrong

Note the difference between 宛先 and 宛名（あてな）. They look similar and are often used near each other, but they mean different things:

• 宛先（あてさき） = the destination address (the full street address of where the mail is going)
• 宛名（あてな） = the recipient’s name written on the envelope (the name of the person it is addressed to)

On a Japanese envelope, you need both: 宛名 for the name, and 宛先 for the address. On an email compose screen in Japanese, 宛先 is the entire “To:” field including both the name and email address.

Example 1:
この手紙の宛先が読めなかったので、配達できませんでした。（このてがみのあてさきがよめなかったので、はいたつできませんでした。）
The recipient’s address on this letter was illegible, so it could not be delivered.

Example 2:
メールの宛先を間違えて、別の人に送ってしまった。（メールのあてさきをまちがえて、べつのひとにおくってしまった。）
I got the email recipient wrong and accidentally sent it to the wrong person.

Example 3:
郵便局から「宛先不明」と書かれた封筒が返ってきた。（ゆうびんきょくから「あてさきふめい」とかかれたふうとうがかえってきた。）
An envelope stamped “address unknown” came back from the post office.

What Does 送付先（そうふさき）Mean?

送付先（そうふさき）combines 送付（そうふ, the act of sending or dispatching something — typically documents, goods, or official materials) and 先（さき, destination). It is the destination to which something should be dispatched.

Where 宛先 focuses on the recipient side, 送付先 is instruction-oriented — it is the answer to “where should I send this?” on a form or in a business communication. You see it most in:

• EC checkout pages — 商品の送付先（しょうひんのそうふさき）, the shipping address for an order
• Business documents — 書類の送付先（しょるいのそうふさき）, the address to which a contract or invoice should be mailed
• Official applications — 申請書類の送付先（しんせいしょるいのそうふさき）, where to post your application
• Change of address forms — 送付先を変更する（そうふさきをへんこうする）, to change the send-to address

Example 1:
ご注文の商品は、登録された送付先に発送いたします。（ごちゅうもんのしょうひんは、とうろくされたそうふさきにはっそういたします。）
Your ordered items will be shipped to the registered shipping address.

Example 2:
契約書の送付先は本社になります。（けいやくしょのそうふさきはほんしゃになります。）
The contract will be sent to our head office.

Example 3:
送付先住所を変更したい場合は、こちらのフォームから手続きしてください。（そうふさきじゅうしょをへんこうしたいばあいは、こちらのフォームからてつづきしてください。）
If you would like to change the shipping address, please use this form.

住所 vs 所在地 — Personal vs Organizational

The boundary between 住所 and 所在地 is primarily about who or what the address belongs to. 住所 is personal; 所在地 is institutional.

Yuka

What if I am a freelancer working from home? Do I put my home address under 住所 or 所在地 on a business registration form?

Rei

Good question! On a business registration form, even if your home is your office, the form treats you as a business entity — so it will use 所在地 for the business address. The same physical address, but the label changes based on the context. Think of it as: 住所 is “where you live,” and 所在地 is “where the business officially operates from.”

Here is a practical comparison:

Common mistake: Some learners write their home address in a field labelled 所在地 on an application for a company certificate. In that context, 所在地 specifically asks for a business entity’s registered location — entering a personal address may cause the form to flag an error or a reviewer to ask for clarification.

住所 vs 宛先 — Where You Live vs Where Mail Goes

住所 and 宛先 can refer to the same physical address — but they are used in different communicative roles.

• 住所を教える（じゅうしょをおしえる） — to give someone your address (sharing your residence information)
• 宛先を書く（あてさきをかく） — to write the recipient’s address on mail (performing the act of addressing correspondence)

When you write your friend’s address on an envelope, that address is simultaneously their 住所 (where they live) and the 宛先 (the destination you are writing on the envelope). The difference is perspective and function, not location.

宛先不明（あてさきふめい） deserves special attention. This phrase — “address unknown” — is stamped on mail or packages that cannot be delivered because the recipient’s address is incorrect, incomplete, or the person has moved. You might see it on a package that comes back to you, or in a notification from a courier. It is specifically a 宛先 concept because it describes a failure in the addressing/delivery chain, not a problem with where someone actually lives.

Example 1:
彼女の住所を知らないので、手紙を送れない。（かのじょのじゅうしょをしらないので、てがみをおくれない。）
I do not know her address, so I cannot send a letter.

Example 2:
封筒に宛先をきれいに書いてください。（ふうとうにあてさきをきれいにかいてください。）
Please write the recipient’s address neatly on the envelope.

Common English speaker mistake: Translating both 住所 and 宛先 as “address” and treating them as interchangeable. Remember: 住所 answers “where does this person/place exist?”, while 宛先 answers “who is this being sent to and where?”

宛先 vs 送付先 — Mailing Destination vs Sending Destination

These two are easy to confuse because both involve the concept of “sending somewhere.” The distinction comes down to whose perspective the word takes:

• 宛先（あてさき） is the recipient’s side — what is written on the letter, package, or email identifying the recipient. It is the label of the destination already encoded in the communication itself.
• 送付先（そうふさき） is the sender’s instruction — “where should I send this?” It is a field on a form or a line in a message that specifies the send-to location as a direction for action.

On a practical form: if a field says 書類の宛先（しょるいのあてさき）, it is asking who the document is addressed to. If a field says 書類の送付先（しょるいのそうふさき）, it is asking where you want the document sent.

In email software, 宛先 is the To: field visible to the recipient. In a business instruction manual, 送付先 is the designated office or address where completed forms must be returned.

Example 1:
このメールの宛先を確認してから送信してください。（このメールのあてさきをかくにんしてからそうしんしてください。）
Please check the email recipient before sending.

Example 2:
申請書類の送付先は、以下の住所までお願いします。（しんせいしょるいのそうふさきは、いかのじゅうしょまでおねがいします。）
Please send your application documents to the address below.

Address Form Vocabulary: Full Reference Table

Japanese forms contain many more address-related fields beyond the four core words. Here is a complete reference for everything you are likely to encounter:

届け先 vs 送付先: Both refer to delivery destinations, but 届け先 is used more in consumer-facing contexts (courier apps, food delivery, package tracking) while 送付先 leans toward business and document-sending contexts. They often appear in the same place on EC forms — some sites use one, some use the other.

請求先 vs 送付先 on EC forms: Many EC sites show both. 請求先（せいきゅうさき）is your billing address — linked to your payment method. 送付先（そうふさき）is where the physical item will be delivered. They default to the same address but can be different, for example when you are ordering a gift to be sent to a friend.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

These are the most frequent address-related errors made by English-speaking learners on Japanese forms and documents:

1. Entering a personal home address under 所在地

On a business or organizational form, 所在地 asks for the registered location of a company or entity. If you are a student filling in a school application with your home address, the field will likely say 住所 — not 所在地. Entering your home address under 所在地 on a corporate registration document implies you are running a sole trader business or that the entity is based at your home, which has legal implications.

2. Confusing 宛名 and 宛先

On an envelope or invoice form, 宛名（あてな）is the name field and 宛先（あてさき）is the address field. Swapping them — writing your street address in the 宛名 field — will confuse the recipient and may cause delivery problems or form validation errors.

3. Confusing 請求先 and 送付先 on EC forms

When ordering from a Japanese site, 請求先（せいきゅうさき）is your billing address (matching your credit card or payment account) while 送付先（そうふさき）is the shipping destination. Entering your workplace address in 送付先 but leaving 請求先 as your old address is fine. But reversing them — entering your card-holder address in 送付先 and your current home in 請求先 — can cause payment verification to fail.

4. Forgetting マンション名 or 部屋番号

In Japan, apartment buildings (マンション or アパート) are referred to by a specific building name. Delivery forms often have a dedicated field for マンション名（マンションめい）and 部屋番号（へやばんごう）separate from the main address field. Skipping the building name or room number is a very common reason packages get returned or delayed — couriers cannot find the exact apartment without both.

5. Translating every address field as 住所 when writing in Japanese

When writing Japanese forms or composing documents in Japanese, do not default to 住所 for every address concept. A field asking where to mail documents should say 送付先, not 住所. An envelope needs a 宛先 written on it, not a 住所 label. Using the right word for the right context signals that you understand how Japanese administrative and business language works.

Decision Flowchart

Not sure which word to use? Work through this flowchart:

Is this the address of a PERSON or private property?
  YES → Does it matter that the address is their CURRENT place of residence?
           YES → 現住所 (current address, for formal applications)
           NO  → 住所 (general personal address)
  NO  → Is this the registered location of a COMPANY or ORGANIZATION?
           YES → 所在地
           NO  → Is this the address WRITTEN ON mail, a package, or an email?
                    YES → Is it the name of the recipient?
                              YES → 宛名 (recipient name)
                              NO  → 宛先 (recipient address / destination)
                    NO  → Is this a FORM FIELD asking where to SEND something?
                              YES → Is it for BILLING (linked to payment)?
                                        YES → 請求先
                                        NO  → Is it for final DELIVERY to consumer?
                                                  YES → 届け先
                                                  NO  → 送付先 (documents / goods dispatch)

Quick Quiz

Fill in the blank with the correct word from the box: 住所 / 所在地 / 宛先 / 送付先 / 宛名 / 請求先

1. 封筒に___を書くのを忘れてしまった。
I forgot to write the _____ on the envelope.
(Hint: what goes on the outside of a letter, indicating where it is going)

2. この会社の___は大阪市北区です。
This company’s _____ is in Kita Ward, Osaka.
(Hint: the official location of an organization)

3. ご注文の___を変更したい場合は、出荷前にご連絡ください。
If you wish to change the _____ for your order, please contact us before shipment.
(Hint: where the ordered goods will be dispatched)

4. クレジットカードの___と配送先が異なる場合があります。
The _____ for your credit card may differ from the delivery address.
(Hint: the address linked to your payment method)

5. 封筒の___にはフルネームを書いてください。
Please write the full name in the _____ on the envelope.
(Hint: the recipient’s name, not address)

6. 現在の___をフォームに入力してください。
Please enter your current _____ on the form.
(Hint: where a person currently lives — the most basic, general word)

Answers:
1. 宛先（あてさき）
2. 所在地（しょざいち）
3. 送付先（そうふさき）
4. 請求先（せいきゅうさき）
5. 宛名（あてな）
6. 住所（じゅうしょ）

Have you ever filled out a Japanese address form online? Which field confused you most — 住所, 宛先, 送付先, or 所在地? Share your experience in the comments!

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