メアド

• Reading: メアド
• Romaji: meado
• Kanji breakdown: From English 'mail address' → メールアドレス → abbreviated to メアド (メ + アド)
• Pronunciation: /me.a.do/

Meaning

Abbreviated form of メールアドレス (mēru adoresu, 'mail address/email address'). Used to refer to someone's email address.

メアド was extremely common during the Japanese mobile email (ケータイメール) era of the 2000s, when exchanging email addresses was a key social interaction. While less central now that LINE has replaced email for personal communication, メアド is still widely understood and used when referring to email addresses. In the mobile email era, asking for someone's メアド was comparable to asking for their LINE ID today.

Examples

1. メアド変えたから新しいの送るね。 I changed my email address, so I'll send you the new one.
2. メアド教えてもらってもいいですか？ Would it be OK if I got your email address?
3. 昔のメアド、今見ると恥ずかしすぎるw Looking back at my old email address is so embarrassing lol

Usage Guide

Context: conversation, text messages

Tone: casual, practical

Do Say

• メアド教えて！ (Give me your email address!)
• 会社のメアドに送っといたよ。 (I sent it to your work email.)

Don't Say

• ビジネスメールで「メアド」と書く (Don't write 'meado' in business emails — use メールアドレス)

Common Mistakes

• Using メアド in formal contexts — it is casual and should be replaced with メールアドレス in professional settings
• Not realizing メアド feels slightly dated to younger users who primarily use LINE instead of email

Origin & History

Abbreviated from メールアドレス (mēru adoresu, 'mail address'). Became ubiquitous in the 2000s Japanese mobile phone culture when carrier email (docomo, au, SoftBank) was the primary personal communication method.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s mobile email culture

Generation: Millennials and older (Gen Z less likely to use it)

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across Japan. Slightly nostalgic for the ケータイメール era but still commonly understood.