Shōchi Itashimashita: Meaning, Politeness and Work Email Examples

承知いたしました (shōchi itashimashita) is a courteous Japanese response acknowledging or understanding a message or request. It can also accompany accepting work, so using it alone when feasibility is unknown may sound like a commitment. Separate understanding from the scope and deadline you can actually promise.

How the phrase works

The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists itasu under humble type II, also called teichōgo. Combining it with a polite ending does not by itself make this inappropriate double honorific language. Equally, the explanation is not that the phrase contains only one honorific element.

Choose meaning, not a universal politeness ranking

Do not assume an absolute official ban on ryōkai toward every senior person. For formal external communication, shōchi itashimashita is often a convenient choice; shorter internal exchanges may use other wording. With ryōshō, take care not to imply approval when you only mean that a document arrived.

When you can carry out the request

The following Japanese examples and dates are fictional. State the actual deliverable and deadline only after checking the work involved.

資料修正の件、承知いたしました。金曜日15時までに共有フォルダへ提出いたします。

Romanisation: Shiryō shūsei no ken, shōchi itashimashita. Kin’yōbi jūgo-ji made ni kyōyū foruda e teishutsu itashimasu.

Natural English: “I understand the requested revisions. I will submit them to the shared folder by 3 p.m. Friday.” The deadline sentence conveys the commitment; “understood” alone does not reproduce it.

Add the version and pages when they matter. If the request expands, adjust the scope or time rather than silently promising everything within the old deadline.

When you still need clarification

変更内容を確認いたします。締切は金曜日15時でよろしいでしょうか。確認後、本日17時までに対応可否をご連絡いたします。

Romanisation: Henkō naiyō o kakunin itashimasu. Shimekiri wa kin’yōbi jūgo-ji de yoroshii deshō ka. Kakunin-go, honjitsu jūshichi-ji made ni taiō kahi o gorenraku itashimasu.

Natural English: “I will check the changes. Is the deadline 3 p.m. Friday? After checking, I will let you know by 5 p.m. today whether I can handle them.” This promises an answer, not completion of the revisions.

When the deadline or scope is not feasible

ご依頼内容は承知いたしましたが、金曜日15時までの全範囲の修正は難しい状況です。数値の修正を先に提出する案ではいかがでしょうか。

Romanisation: Goirai naiyō wa shōchi itashimashita ga, kin’yōbi jūgo-ji made no zenhan’i no shūsei wa muzukashii jōkyō desu. Sūchi no shūsei o saki ni teishutsu suru an de wa ikaga deshō ka.

Natural English: “I understand the request, but completing all revisions by 3 p.m. Friday is difficult. Would submitting the numerical corrections first work for you?” Acknowledge the request and offer a feasible adjustment without inventing a commitment.

Receipt, understanding, approval and action

A short shōchi response from someone else is not always a formal approval. If your process requires approval, confirm who authorised which scope. In email, keep the subject, deadline and unresolved points visible. In a clear chat thread, a shorter reply can still include the delivery time.

Spelling and everyday use

The hiragana form いたしました is commonly used for this supporting expression; follow any house-style rule that applies. Shōchi shimashita is also polite, with a different degree of formality. The practical aim is a reply that makes the next action clear: what arrived, what you understand, and what you can do by when.

Related guides

• How to Say You Are Leaving a Job in Japanese: Resignation and Farewell Phrases (Japanese)
• What Is a Task? Clear Assignments and a Simple Tracking Template (Japanese)
• Evidence in Japanese Business: Understanding Ebidensu, Records and Claims (Japanese)

The linked Otame4 guides are in Japanese.

Sources and further reading

• Agency for Cultural Affairs: Basics of honorific language (Japanese)