お返事お待ちしております
ohenji omachi shite orimasu
In Japanese, お返事お待ちしております (ohenji omachi shite orimasu) is used to say "I look forward to hearing from you".
This phrase is a polite way to end a message to indicate that you are waiting for a reply. It is typically placed at the very end of a message, just before the sign-off. Depending on the specific nuance you want to convey, other formal variations include お返事を心待ちにしております to express that you are awaiting a response with anticipation or ご連絡お待ちしております to express that you are awaiting contact.
Which one should you use?
While お返事お待ちしております specifically refers to a reply (henji), the variation ご連絡お待ちしております is slightly broader because renraku means "contact".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お返事お待ちしております is a formal and polite way to end a business email or letter. For much more casual situations, such as speaking to a friend, you might use 返事を楽しみにしているよ, 返事を待ってるよ or 返事待ってるね.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the humble auxiliary verb orimasu to lower the speaker's status and show respect to the recipient.
How do you pronounce it?
ohenji omachi shite orimasu
Did you know?
- While English uses 'hearing' to describe receiving a message, the Japanese concept of 'contact' in ご連絡 is visually rooted in the idea of tying a knot or connecting two ends of a string.
- The humble verb orimasu in お待ちしております is so formal that using it in a casual setting can sound sarcastic or mockingly polite to a Japanese native speaker.
- In very formal Japanese correspondence, the phrase お返事お待ちしております might be replaced by a request for the recipient's 'guidance' or 'instructions' ご指示, even if the sender is simply asking for a basic answer.
Examples in context
- 詳細についてのお返事お待ちしております。Shousai ni tsuite no ohenji omachi shite orimasu.I look forward to hearing from you regarding the details.
- 明日までにお返事お待ちしております。Ashita made ni ohenji omachi shite orimasu.I look forward to hearing from you by tomorrow.
Example conversation
Himari sends an email to Kenta about a business proposal.
- 陽葵 Himari資料を送りました。Shiryou o okurimashita.I have sent the documents.
- 健太 Kenta確認します。Kakunin shimasu.I will check them.
- 陽葵 Himariお返事お待ちしております。Ohenji omachi shite orimasu.I look forward to hearing from you.
- 健太 Kenta承知いたしました。Shouchi itashimashita.Understood.
