通知 vs お知らせ vs 連絡 vs 案内: Japanese Notifications, Announcements, Messages, Contact, Guidance, and Business Communication Words Explained

You open a Japanese app and see a red badge labeled 通知（つうち）. You scroll a website footer and spot お知らせ. Your Japanese colleague sends an email starting with ご連絡いたします. An event invitation arrives with the header ご案内. Four different words — all loosely meaning “information” or “message” in English — and all used in completely different situations.

If you have ever sent a business email using 通知 when 連絡 was expected, or written お知らせ when ご案内 was more appropriate, you are not alone. These four communication words are among the most commonly confused in Japanese — and getting them right makes a real difference in how natural and professional you sound.

This guide breaks down 通知（つうち）, お知らせ, 連絡（れんらく）, and 案内（あんない）one by one, shows you exactly where each word appears in the real world, and gives you a clear decision rule so you always reach for the right word.

Quick Answer — 通知 vs お知らせ vs 連絡 vs 案内

The fastest way to separate these four words is to ask two questions: Who is sending it? and Who is receiving it?

通知 means notification or system notice

通知（つうち）is generated automatically by a system, device, or authority. The sender is often not a specific person — it is an app, a platform, a government office. The content is factual: something happened, and you are being informed. Think of smartphone push notifications, delivery tracking alerts, and official government documents.

お知らせ means announcement or public notice

お知らせ is a notice written by a person or organization and posted somewhere for a general audience to read. It is broadcast rather than targeted. A company posts お知らせ on their website telling all visitors that the office will be closed during Golden Week. A school prints お知らせ on paper for all parents. No one person is the intended recipient — everyone is.

連絡 means contact or direct communication

連絡（れんらく）always involves a specific sender reaching out to a specific recipient. It is the Japanese word for “getting in touch.” When your boss says 後で連絡します, they mean they will personally contact you. When a customer service representative writes ご連絡ありがとうございます, they are acknowledging that you, specifically, reached out to them.

案内 means guidance, information, or directions

案内（あんない）has a sense of leading someone toward something — whether that is a physical place, an event, or a service. It can mean literal directions (道案内, みちあんない), a facility guide (施設案内, しせつあんない), or an event invitation (イベントの案内). The key nuance is that 案内 helps the reader do something or go somewhere — it is not just informing, it is guiding.

Why English speakers mix these up

In English, a single word like “notice,” “message,” or “notification” can cover all four situations. Your phone gives you a notification (通知), a store posts a notice about its hours (お知らせ), a friend sends you a message (連絡), and a hotel gives you an information card (案内) — but English speakers often use “notice” or “message” for all of these. Japanese keeps them strictly separate, with each word signaling a different relationship between sender, recipient, and purpose.

Yuka

So 通知 is more like what my phone does automatically, but 連絡 is when a real person actually writes to me?

Rei

Exactly right. A system sends 通知, a person sends 連絡. That distinction alone will solve most of the confusion.

What Does 通知 Mean?

通知（つうち）is built from 通（つう, passing through / communicating) + 知（ち, knowing). Literally it carries the sense of “making something known through a channel.” In modern Japanese it covers everything from smartphone push notifications to formal government announcements. The defining feature is that it is dispatched by a system or authority to inform the recipient of a fact or event.

通知 as system notification or official notice

On your smartphone, 通知 is the word for every push notification you receive — a new message badge, a delivery alert, a calendar reminder. In formal contexts, 通知 also refers to official documents sent by government offices, schools, or institutions: the tax office sends a 納税通知書（のうぜいつうちしょ）, a university sends an 合格通知（ごうかくつうち）. Both meanings share the idea of an official, system-initiated message.

プッシュ通知 / 通知設定

プッシュ通知（プッシュつうち）is the direct Japanese equivalent of “push notification.” You will see it in every app’s settings screen. 通知設定（つうちせってい）means “notification settings” — the menu where you turn alerts on or off. 通知をオフにする means to turn off notifications. 通知が来た（つうちがきた）is the natural way to say “I got a notification.”

Related terms you will see in app settings:

• 通知をオンにする — turn on notifications
• 通知をオフにする — turn off notifications
• 通知許可 (つうちきょか) — notification permissions
• 通知音 (つうちおん) — notification sound
• 通知バッジ (つうちバッジ) — notification badge (the red number circle)

配送通知 / 重要な通知

配送通知（はいそうつうち）is a shipping notification — the automated email or SMS sent when your package is dispatched or out for delivery. 重要な通知（じゅうような つうち）means “important notification” and appears as a label for high-priority alerts in apps and email subjects. 告知（こくち）is a close relative of 通知 that appears in broadcast contexts, such as announcing a new product launch or an event — it has a more public, advertising-adjacent feel than 通知.

Common example sentences

1. App notification arrived:
スマートフォンに通知が来た。
Sumātofon ni tsuuchi ga kita.
A notification arrived on my smartphone.

2. Turning off push notifications:
このアプリのプッシュ通知をオフにしたい。
Kono apuri no pusshu-tsuuchi wo ofu ni shitai.
I want to turn off push notifications for this app.

3. Important official notice:
市役所から重要な通知が届きました。
Shiyakusho kara juuyou na tsuuchi ga todokimashita.
An important notice arrived from the city hall.

4. Delivery notification:
配送通知のメールを確認してください。
Haisou-tsuuchi no mēru wo kakunin shite kudasai.
Please check the shipping notification email.

What Does お知らせ Mean?

お知らせ is made up of the honorific prefix お + 知らせ, the noun form of 知らせる（しらせる）, meaning “to inform” or “to let someone know.” The word has a warm, human quality that 通知 lacks — it sounds like someone is personally sharing news, even if the actual audience is very large. お知らせ is the standard label for the announcements section on Japanese company websites, school notice boards, and community bulletins.

お知らせ as public announcement or notice

Scroll to the footer of almost any Japanese business website and you will find an お知らせ section listing recent announcements: service updates, system maintenance windows, holiday schedules. Unlike 通知 — which is pushed to you — お知らせ sits somewhere waiting to be read. You go to it; it does not come to you. In school communications, a paper sent home to all parents is typically called an お知らせ or プリント, never a 連絡.

重要なお知らせ / 休業のお知らせ

重要なお知らせ（じゅうようなおしらせ）means “important announcement” and is a common email subject line or website banner label. 休業のお知らせ（きゅうぎょうのおしらせ）means “notice of closure” and appears on storefronts, restaurant doors, and service websites during holidays or renovations. システムメンテナンスのお知らせ is the standard heading for maintenance downtime announcements from Japanese web services and apps.

お知らせを確認する / お知らせいたします

お知らせを確認する（おしらせをかくにんする）means “to check the announcement” — common in phrases like “最新のお知らせをご確認ください” (Please check the latest announcements). お知らせいたします（おしらせいたします）is the polite business form of “we would like to inform you” and appears at the start of formal announcements: 〇〇についてお知らせいたします — “We would like to inform you about ○○.”

Common example sentences

1. Website announcement section:
弊社のウェブサイトのお知らせページをご確認ください。
Heisha no uebusaito no oshirase pēji wo gokakunin kudasai.
Please check the announcements page on our company website.

2. Holiday closure notice:
年末年始の休業についてお知らせいたします。
Nenmatsu-nenshi no kyuugyou ni tsuite oshirase itashimasu.
We would like to inform you about our year-end and New Year closure.

3. System maintenance announcement:
システムメンテナンスのお知らせをご確認ください。
Shisutemu mentenansu no oshirase wo gokakunin kudasai.
Please check the system maintenance announcement.

4. Checking for new notices:
新しいお知らせが届いていないか確認しました。
Atarashii oshirase ga todoite inai ka kakunin shimashita.
I checked whether any new announcements had arrived.

What Does 連絡 Mean?

連絡（れんらく）is made up of 連（れん, connect / link) + 絡（らく, entangle / tie). Together they suggest the image of linking two people together. This word is all about human-to-human contact — you reach out to someone, or they reach out to you. It is arguably the most versatile of the four words, used constantly in daily life, business emails, and casual conversation alike.

連絡 as contact or direct communication

Any time you contact someone — by phone, email, message app, or in person — the Japanese word is 連絡. 連絡する means “to contact / to get in touch.” 連絡を取る（れんらくをとる）means “to make contact” or “to get in touch.” You can 連絡 your friend, your boss, your client, a school, a hospital — any specific entity you are reaching out to directly.

連絡する / ご連絡ありがとうございます

ご連絡ありがとうございます（ごれんらくありがとうございます）is one of the most common opening lines in formal Japanese business emails. It means “Thank you for contacting us” or “Thank you for getting in touch.” The ご prefix makes it polite — you use ご連絡 when talking about the other person’s action of contacting you, or when describing your own action to them in humble form: ご連絡いたします means “I will contact you.”

Key 連絡 patterns to memorize:

• 後ほどご連絡いたします (のちほどごれんらくいたします) — I will contact you later
• ご連絡をお待ちしております (ごれんらくをおまちしております) — I look forward to hearing from you
• 折り返しご連絡いたします (おりかえしごれんらくいたします) — I will contact you back shortly
• ご連絡ください (ごれんらくください) — Please contact us / Please let us know

連絡先 / 連絡が取れない

連絡先（れんらくさき）means “contact information” — a phone number, email address, or any way to reach someone. You will see it on forms (緊急連絡先, きんきゅうれんらくさき — emergency contact), business cards, and sign-up sheets. 連絡が取れない（れんらくがとれない）means “I can’t get in touch” or “I can’t reach them” — a very common phrase when someone is not answering their phone or returning messages.

Business and daily examples

1. Starting a business email:
お世話になっております。ご連絡ありがとうございます。
Osewa ni natte orimasu. Gorenraku arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for contacting us.

2. Promising to follow up:
詳細については、後ほどご連絡いたします。
Shousai ni tsuite wa, nochihodo gorenraku itashimasu.
I will contact you later with the details.

3. Providing contact information:
お問い合わせの際は、こちらの連絡先にご連絡ください。
Otoiawase no sai wa, kochira no renrakusaki ni gorenraku kudasai.
For inquiries, please contact us at the contact information below.

4. Can’t reach someone:
昨日から彼女と連絡が取れない。
Kinou kara kanojo to renraku ga torenai.
I haven’t been able to reach her since yesterday.

Yuka

I keep seeing ご連絡 at the start of every business email. Is it wrong to just write 連絡 without the ご?

Rei

In a business email, dropping ご would sound blunt or rude. With friends or in casual messages, plain 連絡して is totally fine. Always match the ご to the situation.

What Does 案内 Mean?

案内（あんない）is made of 案（あん, plan / proposal / guiding idea) + 内（ない, inside / within). The original sense is “bringing someone inside a plan or place.” Today it covers a wide range of guiding situations: telling someone where to go, inviting them to an event, orienting them to a facility, or leading them through a service. If 連絡 connects two people, 案内 leads one person to a destination.

案内 as guidance, invitation, or directions

案内 is the word for any communication that guides the reader toward something. Hotel reception desks have 施設案内（しせつあんない）brochures showing all the facilities. Train stations have 乗り換え案内（のりかえあんない）screens showing transfer routes. Event organizers send イベントの案内（あんない）— invitations with details about location, time, and program. A welcome email explaining how to use a service is a サービスのご案内.

ご案内します / イベントの案内

ご案内します（ごあんないします）is one of the most common service phrases in Japanese. Hotel staff say it when showing you to your room. Department store staff say it when leading you to the right floor. Call center agents say it when guiding you through a process. The polite form ご案内いたします（ごあんないいたします）is the keigo version used in formal business contexts and printed materials.

案内 phrases you will encounter frequently:

• ご案内いたします — I will guide / inform you (formal service phrase)
• 詳細については下記をご覧ください (しょうさいについてはかきをごらんください) — For details, please see below (often follows ご案内 in written communications)
• 開催のご案内 (かいさいのごあんない) — Notice of event / invitation to an event
• ご利用案内 (ごりようあんない) — Usage guide / service information

施設案内 / 道案内

施設案内（しせつあんない）means a facility guide — a brochure or signage explaining what services or rooms are available in a building. You find it at hotels, hospitals, libraries, and government offices. 道案内（みちあんない）means giving directions — the act of guiding someone to a destination on foot or by car. If someone stops you on the street and asks for directions, you are giving them a 道案内. Online map apps describe turn-by-turn directions using the same concept.

Service and travel examples

1. Hotel staff guiding a guest:
お部屋までご案内いたします。
Oheya made goannai itashimasu.
I will show you to your room.

2. Event invitation:
セミナー開催のご案内をお送りいたします。
Seminā kaisai no goannai wo ookuri itashimasu.
We are sending you an invitation to our seminar.

3. Service information page:
ご利用案内をご確認のうえ、お申し込みください。
Goriyou-annai wo gokakunin no ue, omōshikomi kudasai.
Please check the usage guide before applying.

4. Asking for directions:
駅への道案内をしていただけますか？
Eki e no michi-annai wo shite itadakemasu ka?
Could you give me directions to the station?

Pairwise Comparisons

Now that you have a solid understanding of each word individually, let’s look at the pairs that trip people up most often.

通知 vs お知らせ — app/system alert vs public announcement

Both words inform someone of something, but their delivery method and audience are very different. 通知 is pushed to a specific recipient — your phone buzzes, a badge appears, an official letter arrives at your address. お知らせ is posted for anyone who looks — it is a broadcast, not a targeted message. Additionally, 通知 often comes from a system or authority automatically, while お知らせ is always written by a human and published in a readable location.

お知らせ vs 連絡 — general notice vs direct contact

お知らせ goes out to everyone at once. 連絡 goes to one specific person or a defined group. A company can post an お知らせ for all its website visitors AND send 連絡 to individual clients — these are two separate actions. In school communications, the monthly newsletter sent to all parents is an お知らせ, but the teacher calling a specific parent to discuss their child is 連絡. The rule is simple: if it is addressed to “everyone,” it is お知らせ; if it is addressed to “you specifically,” it is 連絡.

お知らせ vs 案内 — informing vs guiding/inviting

Both お知らせ and 案内 can appear on a company’s website, but they carry different intents. お知らせ is purely informational — it tells you something that has happened or will happen, with no expectation that you do anything in particular. 案内 has an action component — it is guiding you somewhere, inviting you to do something, or directing you to a resource. A notice saying “Our office will be closed Monday” is an お知らせ. A page saying “Here is how to use our service / Here is where our office is” is an 案内.

連絡 vs 案内 in business emails

In business emails, choosing between 連絡 and 案内 in the subject line or opening signals your intent. 連絡 signals that you are sharing information directly with this person — it could be anything: a status update, a question, a response. 案内 signals that you are giving the person specific guidance or an invitation — “here is the venue,” “here is how to register,” “here is the schedule.” A routine check-in email uses 連絡. An event invitation or a service introduction email uses 案内.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

Using 通知 in business email too broadly

A common error is writing 通知いたします in a business email when the writer simply wants to say “I would like to inform you.” 通知 in email sounds bureaucratic and cold — as if you are an automated system issuing a formal notice. The natural phrase is お知らせいたします (for a general announcement to a broad audience) or ご連絡いたします (for a direct message to a specific person). Save 通知 for actual system notifications and official documents.

Confusing お知らせ and 連絡

Students sometimes write お知らせします when they mean 連絡します, especially in casual or semi-formal emails to a single person. お知らせ sounds like you are posting a public announcement addressed to no one in particular. If you are writing to your teacher to say you will be absent tomorrow, write 連絡します — not お知らせします. The personal, direct-contact nuance of 連絡 is exactly what is needed.

Using 案内 when no guidance is involved

案内 requires an element of guiding or inviting. Writing ご案内いたします at the start of a routine follow-up email where you are not directing the reader anywhere or inviting them to anything can feel odd or inflated. Use ご連絡いたします for updates and follow-ups. Reserve ご案内いたします for event invitations, how-to explanations, directions, and service introductions.

Missing ご案内 as polite business wording

On the flip side, beginners who are not yet aware of 案内 often write less elegant alternatives when ご案内いたします would be the perfect phrase. If you are introducing a new service to a client, guiding them through a process, or sending them an event invitation, ご案内いたします is the natural, polished choice that native business Japanese speakers expect. Swapping it for a simpler phrase like 教えます (I will tell you) in a formal context will stand out as informal.

Confusing 通知設定 and 連絡先

These two compound words look similar to beginners but mean completely different things. 通知設定（つうちせってい）is the settings menu for app notifications — whether your phone buzzes for this app. 連絡先（れんらくさき）is your contact information — phone number or email address. Confusing them on a form can lead to filling in your phone number under notification settings, or navigating to the wrong part of an app.

Decision Rule: Which Communication Word Should You Use?

Use this flowchart to pick the right word every time:

Is the message generated automatically by a system, device, or official authority?
  ├─ YES → Use 通知 (tsuuchi)
  │          Examples: push notification, delivery alert, official government notice, 合格通知
  │
  └─ NO → Is the message addressed to a specific person (one-to-one contact)?
              ├─ YES → Use 連絡 (renraku)
              │          Examples: business email to a client, calling a friend, texting a colleague
              │          Polite form: ご連絡いたします / ご連絡ありがとうございます
              │
              └─ NO → Is the message posted for a general audience to read?
                          ├─ YES → Does it guide, invite, or direct the reader to do/go something?
                          │          ├─ YES → Use 案内 (annai)
                          │          │          Examples: event invitation, facility guide, directions, service onboarding
                          │          │          Polite form: ご案内いたします
                          │          │
                          │          └─ NO → Use お知らせ (oshirase)
                          │                     Examples: business closure notice, service update, maintenance announcement
                          │                     Polite form: お知らせいたします
                          │
                          └─ NOT SURE → Ask: does the reader need to go somewhere or do something?
                                           ├─ YES → 案内
                                           └─ NO  → お知らせ

Here is a quick reference summary table for all four words:

Quick Quiz

Test your understanding. Choose the best word from the box: 通知 / お知らせ / 連絡 / 案内 / 連絡先 / ご案内いたします

1. Your phone buzzes with a red badge. The app screen shows “新着メッセージの ______.”
(Hint: automatic, system-generated alert)

2. A restaurant puts a sign on its door: “年末年始休業の ______.”
(Hint: public notice for all passersby, informational only)

3. You write an email to a specific client: “先日のご面談について ______いたします.”
(Hint: direct, person-to-person contact)

4. A hotel employee walks toward your table and says: “レストランの方へ ______.”
(Hint: guiding you to a specific place)

5. A sign-up form asks for 緊急 ______（きんきゅう______）— who to call in an emergency.
(Hint: a person’s phone number or email address for reaching them)

6. A company emails all newsletter subscribers: “システムメンテナンスの ______をご確認ください.”
(Hint: broadcast to all subscribers, no specific action required)

Answers:
1. 通知（つうち）— automatic system notification
2. お知らせ — public announcement posted for all readers
3. ご連絡（ごれんらく）— direct contact to a specific person
4. ご案内いたします — guiding/directing the guest to the restaurant
5. 連絡先（れんらくさき）— contact information
6. お知らせ — announcement broadcast to all subscribers

If you got all six right, you are ready to use these words confidently in emails, apps, and travel situations. If any tripped you up, go back and re-read the pairwise comparison section — the decision flowchart is especially useful for borderline cases.

Have a question about any of these words? Leave a comment below — we read every one and are happy to help.

Keep Learning

These articles are a natural next step after mastering Japanese communication vocabulary:

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