Japanese Immersion/Gmail interface

Your Gmail user interface can be set to use Japanese. This page lists the reading and meaning of the user interface elements. It also explains the coding options.

Note that "する" is often omitted from button titles for brevity.

Interface translations

Sidebar

Japanese	English
メールを作成(さくせい)	Compose message
受信(じゅしん)トレイ	Inbox (literally "incoming message tray")
スターあり	Starred (literally "has a star")
送信(そうしん)済(ず)みメール	Sent mail
下書(したが)き	Draft
すべてのメール	All messages
迷惑(めいわく)メール	Spam (literally "nuisance mail")
ゴミ箱(ばこ)	Trash (literally "trash can")
連絡先(れんらくさき)	Contacts
ラベル	label
ラベルを編集(へんしゅう)	Edit label

Top area

Japanese	English
設定(せってい)	Settings
ヘルプ	Help
ログ アウト	log out
検索(けんさく)オプションを表示(ひょうじ)	show search options
フィルタを作成	create filter

Kanji list

作 Meaning: make, create	音読み： さく
	訓読み：

成 Meaning: become; form; turn into	音読み： せい
	訓読み：

受 Meaning: receive	音読み： じゅ
	訓読み：

信 Meaning: here: news, tidings	音読み： しん
	訓読み：

Vocabulary

Japanese	English
検索(けんさく)	search
作成(さくせい)する	to create, compose
受信(じゅしん)する	to receive (a message)
紹介(しょうかい)する	to introduce
送信(そうしん)する	to send
知人(ちじん)	acquaintance
表示(ひょうじ)する	to show, display
編集(へんしゅう)する	to edit
友人(ゆうじん)	friend (tends to be used in writing)
取消し(とりけし)	cancel

Loan words

Japanese	English
メール	mail
トレイ	tray
スター	star
ゴミ	trash
ラベル	label
プレビュー	preview
ヘルプ	help
ログ	log
アウト	out
オプション	option
フィルタ	filter

Coding issues

While UTF8 is gradually becoming more common as the code/encapsulation for Japanese emails, the most common coding is still ISO-2022-JP (known in the past as JIS). If you go to the Setting menu, set the "Gmail display language" to Japanese, then go to the bottom of the menu and set the "Outgoing message encoding" to the upper option (Use default text encoding), emails will be in ISO-2022-JP.

In general it is best to use ISO-2022-JP for Japanese emails, as this can be handled by most mail clients; even old ones. Gmail sends UTF8-coded emails in a Base64 block, which is gibberish to older non-MIME mail clients.