切手
kitte[kʲit̚te̞]
The Japanese word for "stamp" is 切手 (kitte).
切手 refers to any small piece of paper bearing a design on one side and adhesive on the other.
Meaning: any small piece of paper bearing a design on one side and adhesive on the other (noun)
Which one should you use?
Inkan (印鑑) specifically refers to a personal or official seal used in Japan for important documents. Hanko (ハンコ) is a colloquial term used to refer to a personal seal or stamp.
How do you pronounce it?
kitte
Did you know?
- While 切手 is for mail, Japanese people use a personal seal called an 印鑑 as a legal signature for banks and government contracts.
- The word 切手 is a linguistic hybrid, combining elements of 'ticket' and 'commercial paper' to describe a simple piece of postage.
- While 切手 refers to postage, a rubber stamp used for crafts or marking is called スタンプ (sutanpu), which is a loanword from English.
Examples in context
- 封筒に切手をはります。I will stick a stamp on the envelope.This sentence shows how to use 切手 when sticking a stamp onto an envelope.Tatoeba #10961264 by small_snow, translation #13693340 by terrywallwork
- ７円の切手ありませんか。Have you got a seven-yen stamp?This sentence is useful for asking if a specific denomination of 切手 is available.Tatoeba #235008 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #72385 by sundown
- 80円切手を1枚下さい。Please give me one 80-yen stamp.This sentence demonstrates how to request a specific amount of 切手.Tatoeba #2901187 by tommy_san, translation #2922472 by CK
- Kore wa totemo kawaii hanko da ne! (これはとても可愛いハンコだね！)This is a very cute stamp, isn't it!
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himari and Ren are preparing a letter at home.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮、切手はある？Ren, kitte wa aru?Ren, do we have any stamps?
- 蓮 Ren引き出しの中にたくさんあるよ。Hikidashi no naka ni takusan aru yo.There are plenty in the drawer.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう。切手がないと出せないもんね。Arigatou. Kitte ga nai to dasenai mon ne.Thanks. We can't send it without stamps, right?
- 蓮 Renそうだね。さあ、はろう。Sou da ne. Saa, harou.That's true. Come on, let's stick them on.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 切手, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 切手, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
