Within two weeks of moving to Japan, every foreign resident makes the same pilgrimage: the city hall (市役所) or ward office (区役所) to register an address. You will meet numbered ticket machines, counters with kanji signs, and forms that ask for the same information in slightly different orders. The vocabulary is formal but wonderfully repetitive — the same twenty words cover address registration, national health insurance, and every certificate you will ever request. The JFT-Basic reading section loves official notices and forms for the same reason: they are the paperwork of daily life.
Paperwork and procedure words
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 市役所 | しやくしょ | city hall |
| 区役所 | くやくしょ | ward office |
| 住所 | じゅうしょ | address |
| 名前 | なまえ | name |
| 生年月日 | せいねんがっぴ | date of birth |
| 国籍 | こくせき | nationality |
| 在留カード | ざいりゅうカード | residence card |
| 引っ越し | ひっこし | moving house |
| 届け | とどけ | notification, report (form) |
| 転入届 | てんにゅうとどけ | move-in notification |
| 証明書 | しょうめいしょ | certificate |
| 住民票 | じゅうみんひょう | residence certificate |
| 国民健康保険 | こくみんけんこうほけん | national health insurance |
| 窓口 | まどぐち | service window / counter |
| 番号 | ばんごう | number |
| 印鑑 | いんかん | personal seal (hanko) |
| 手数料 | てすうりょう | processing fee |
| 書く | かく | to write, fill in |
Phrases that do the work
| Say this | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 住所を 変えたいです。 じゅうしょを かえたいです。 | I want to change my address. |
| 先週 引っ越しました。 せんしゅう ひっこしました。 | I moved last week. |
| 住民票を 一枚 お願いします。 じゅうみんひょうを いちまい おねがいします。 | One residence certificate, please. |
| どこに 書きますか。 どこに かきますか。 | Where do I write it? |
| この 漢字が 読めません。 この かんじが よめません。 | I can't read this kanji. (staff will help) |
| 英語の 説明は ありますか。 えいごの せつめいは ありますか。 | Is there an explanation in English? |
| 番号札を 取ってください。 ばんごうふだを とってください。 | (Staff) Please take a numbered ticket. |
| もう一度 お願いします。 もういちど おねがいします。 | One more time, please. |
Registering a new address
Read it aloud twice — once for meaning, once for rhythm. Then cover the English and try again.
職員こんにちは。今日は どのような ご用件ですか。Hello. What can we help you with today?
あなた先週 この 町に 引っ越しました。転入届を お願いします。I moved to this town last week. I'd like to file a move-in notification.
職員かしこまりました。在留カードは お持ちですか。Certainly. Do you have your residence card with you?
あなたはい、これです。Yes, here it is.
職員では、この 用紙に 名前と 新しい 住所を 書いてください。Then please write your name and new address on this form.
あなたすみません、ここは 何を 書きますか。Excuse me, what do I write here?
職員そこは 生年月日です。年、月、日の 順番で お願いします。That's your date of birth — year, month, day, in that order.
Signs to recognise on sight
| Sign | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 受付 | うけつけ | Reception / information |
| 住民課 | じゅうみんか | Residents' affairs section — address registration |
| 保険年金課 | ほけんねんきんか | Insurance and pension section |
| 記入台 | きにゅうだい | Writing desk (forms and sample entries here) |
| お呼び出し中 | およびだしちゅう | Now serving (number display) |
| 本日の受付は終了しました | ほんじつの うけつけは しゅうりょうしました | Reception closed for today |
Things nobody tells you
Take the numbered ticket first. Nearly every city hall runs on ticket machines (番号札). Take one, watch the display, and go to the 窓口 (window) whose screen shows your number.
The 記入台 has sample forms. The writing desk usually displays a filled-in example (記入例) of every form. Copy its structure — it answers most "what goes in this box?" questions before you have to ask.
Dates use the year-month-day order, and sometimes the Japanese era calendar (令和・れいわ). If a form says 令和, ask the staff — they convert it instantly and are used to the question.
City halls close early. Most operate weekdays until 17:00 only. The sign 本日の受付は終了しました ("today's reception has ended") is one worth recognising before you travel across town.
Check yourself
1. Which form do you file when you move INTO a new city?
転入届 (てんにゅうとどけ) is the move-in notification. 住民票 is the certificate that proves your registration afterwards; the 在留カード is your residence card; 手数料 is just the fee.
2. 生年月日 on a form asks for your ___.
生年月日 (せいねんがっぴ) = birth year, month, day. It appears on virtually every Japanese form, so it is one of the highest-value kanji compounds a resident can learn.
3. Staff say 「この 用紙に 住所を 書いてください」. They want you to…
書いてください = "please write" (Lesson 14's てください). 用紙 is the form/sheet, 住所 the address — a sentence you will hear at every counter in Japan.
Study the grammar behind this situation
- N5 Lesson 14: て-form requests — the 書いてください pattern used at every counter
- JFT kanji by category — the forms-and-documents kanji group
- JFT-Basic roadmap — official-notice reading is a JFT core skill
More situation guides
- Japanese at the Hospital and Clinic
- Japanese at the Workplace
- Japanese at the Train Station
- Japanese for Shopping and the Konbini
- Japanese for Emergencies
Written by Rahul Kumar Singh. Published 17 July 2026. All dialogues and example sentences are original. Vocabulary readings are checked against standard dictionaries — if you spot an error, report it and I will fix it.