Onsha, Kisha and Heisha: Japanese Business Usage with Examples

In Japanese business communication, onsha (御社) usually refers respectfully to the other person’s company in speech, while kisha (貴社) serves that role in formal writing. Heisha (弊社) refers humbly to your own company. It does not mean the employer you are applying to. Start by identifying whose company you mean, then choose the form for the situation.

Four terms at a glance

These are practical conventions, not a reason to infer a hiring decision from one slip. A company may use tousha in public statements, so “external communication always requires heisha” is too rigid. See doda’s Japanese usage guide for the basic distinction.

Separate the prospective employer from your work history

These are original illustrative sentences, not claims about your experience. Replace the duties with real work. Saying “experience gained at kisha” implies experience at the recipient’s company; it is misleading if you have never worked there. Heisha can also obscure whether you mean a current or former employer, so plain descriptions are often clearer.

A short application email

株式会社〇〇

採用担当 △△様

貴社の営業職に応募したく、ご連絡いたしました。

募集要項に従い、履歴書と職務経歴書を添付いたします。

ご確認のほど、よろしくお願いいたします。

氏名

The example says that you are applying for a sales role and attaching the documents requested in the vacancy. Use the actual organization, contact, role and submission method. Do not claim that documents are attached if the employer instead requires an application form. Onsha and kisha already express respect; adding sama directly to them is unnecessary.

Recruiters create a different reference point

If an email goes only to a recruitment agency, kisha normally refers to that agency, not automatically to a company it introduced. Write the introduced employer’s name: “ご紹介いただいた株式会社〇〇の営業職について” means “regarding the sales role at Company X that you introduced.” In a mixed email thread, make the intended recipient of each question explicit.

Other organizations and accidental slips

Banks, schools and hospitals may use organization-specific forms, such as kikou, kikou and kiin in writing, represented by different Japanese characters: 貴行, 貴校 and 貴院. When uncertain, verify the formal organization and contact name rather than inventing an honorific. Sole proprietors may also trade under business names; legal form alone does not resolve every conversational choice.

If you say kisha during an interview, briefly correct yourself if needed and continue. Do not stop for a long apology or assume that the slip determines the outcome. Rehearse a clear account of your work, using current and previous employer labels consistently. Correct company references cannot substitute for a truthful answer.

A final reference check

1. Identify whose company each sentence describes.
2. Use the spoken or written convention consistently.
3. Name the introduced employer when writing to an agency.
4. Replace every sample duty and attachment reference with your actual circumstances.

Practice content first and terminology second. For example, write a truthful account of an improvement you made at work before turning it into a polished Japanese interview response. That sequence makes it easier to answer follow-up questions without reciting a generic script.

Related guides

• Choosing an interview weakness
• Building an interview response

Related Otame4 guides currently link to Japanese pages.

Sources and further checks

Public information checked on September 30, 2026. Some sources are in Japanese; verify current requirements for your situation.

• doda：会社の呼び方