リマインド

• Reading: リマインド
• Romaji: rimaindo
• Kanji breakdown: From English 'remind' → リマインド (katakana transliteration)
• Pronunciation: /ɾi.ma.iɴ.do/

Meaning

A reminder or follow-up nudge, typically sent to confirm deadlines, meetings, or pending tasks.

リマインド has become essential workplace vocabulary as business communication shifted to email and chat. Sending a リマインド is considered professional and necessary, not nagging — unlike in some cultures where reminders might be seen as passive-aggressive. Japanese workers often soften リマインド messages with phrases like '念のため' (just to be safe) to avoid seeming pushy.

Examples

1. 明日の会議について、リマインドのメール送っておいたよ。 I sent a reminder email about tomorrow's meeting.
2. リマインドするの忘れてたら、先方も忘れてたみたいで大変だった。 I forgot to send a reminder, and it turned out the other party had forgotten too — it was a mess.
3. 提出期限のリマインド、もう一回お願いしてもいいですか？ Would it be okay to send one more reminder about the submission deadline?

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, email, chat

Tone: professional, courteous

Do Say

• 念のためリマインドさせていただきます。 (Just sending a reminder to be safe.)
• リマインドありがとうございます、すぐ対応します。 (Thanks for the reminder, I'll get on it right away.)

Don't Say

• 何度もリマインドすると催促がましくなるので注意 (Sending too many reminders can come across as nagging — keep it measured)

Common Mistakes

• Being too direct with reminders without softening phrases — Japanese business culture expects cushioning like 念のため or 恐れ入りますが
• Confusing リマインド with リマインダー — both are used, but リマインド is more common as a verb/action

Origin & History

From English 'remind/reminder.' Adopted into Japanese business communication as email culture and digital project management tools became standard in the 2000s-2010s.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s-2010s with email and chat culture

Generation: All working-age adults

Social background: Office workers across industries

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. An essential part of polite Japanese business communication.