6.4 表現読解: Business Set Phrases in Writing

BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test BJTビジネス日本語能力テスト

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 About the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test 1.2 Test Structure, Scoring, and Levels (J5–J1+) 1.3 How to Use This Study Guide

2 Keigo Foundation: The Honorific System

2.1 The Three Keigo Categories: Sonkeigo, Kenjougo, Teineigo 2.2 Sonkeigo (Respectful Language) — Forms and Use 2.3 Kenjougo (Humble Language) — Forms and Use 2.4 Teineigo (Polite Language) and Business Set Phrases

3 Business Vocabulary and Grammar

3.1 Core Business Vocabulary: 役職, 部署, 会社生活 3.2 Honorific Prefixes お/ご, Counters, and Suffixes 3.3 Key Grammar Patterns for Business (～てまで, ～による, ～かねる, ～次第, ～際) 3.4 Fixed Business Expressions and Email Formulae (頭語, 結語, クッション言葉)

4 Part 1: Listening Comprehension (聴解)

4.1 場面把握問題: Photo Scene Comprehension 4.2 発言聴解問題: Keigo Greetings and Replies 4.3 総合聴解問題: Workplace Dialogues and Meetings 4.4 Listening for Numbers, Dates, and Decisions — Traps and Strategies

5 Part 2: Listening & Reading Comprehension (聴読解)

5.1 状況把握問題: Situation Comprehension (Photo + Audio) 5.2 資料聴読解問題: Graphs, Charts, and Tables 5.3 資料聴読解問題: Schedules, Advertisements, and Quotations 5.4 総合聴読解問題: Long Document/Audio Pairs and Time Management

6 Part 3 Reading: Vocabulary, Grammar, and Expressions

6.1 語彙・文法: Vocabulary in Context 6.2 語彙・文法: Grammar in Business Sentences 6.3 表現読解: Choosing the Right Honorific Form 6.4 表現読解: Business Set Phrases in Writing

7 Part 3 Reading: Comprehensive Reading

7.1 総合読解: Business Emails 7.2 総合読解: Internal Notices, Memos, and Meeting Minutes 7.3 総合読解: Reports and News Articles 7.4 Reading Strategy: Skim, Locate, Infer

8 Test-Day Strategy and Final Review

8.1 CBT Test-Day Logistics, ID, and NDA 8.2 Pacing Across the Three Parts 8.3 Common Traps and Distractor Patterns 8.4 Three-Month Study Plan and Final Review

6.4 表現読解: Business Set Phrases in Writing

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Section 2 expression items require matching four conditions simultaneously: relationship, function (request/refusal/apology/report/thanks/closing), register, and fixed pairings.

Request strength scales from お願いいたします (neutral) through お願い申し上げます (formal) to 何卒お願い申し上げます (very formal) and 心よりお願い申し上げます (desperate).

Cushion words such as 恐れ入りますが and お忙しいところ恐縮ですが must be followed by a request — using one without a following request is a structural error.

拝啓 pairs with 敬具, 前略 pairs with 早々; mixing these pairs (拝啓 without 敬具, 前略 with 敬具) is a fixed-pairing trap.

ご尽力 is sonkeigo for someone else's effort — using it for the speaker's own effort (×自分がご尽力いたします) is a subject-mismatch trap.

Last updated: July 2026

6.4 表現読解: Business Set Phrases in Writing

Section 2 of Part 3 also tests fixed business expressions: 依頼 (requests), 断り (refusal), 謝罪 (apology), 報告 (reporting), 感謝 (gratitude), 結び (closing), and クッション言葉 (cushion words). Like the keigo items, these are single-sentence fill-in-the-blank items with four options. The skill is to recognize the function of the surrounding sentence and pick the set phrase that matches register, strength, and pairings.

Expression Categories and Their Functions

Function Typical set phrases Register
依頼 (request) お手数をおかけしますが, 恐れ入りますが, お忙しいところ恐縮ですが, ご対応いただけますと幸いです, 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます formal email
断り・辞退 (refusal) 残念ながら, せっかくのお誘いですが, 今回は見送らせていただきます, 心苦しいのですが formal email
謝罪 (apology) 申し訳ございません, 大変申し訳ございません, 心よりお詫び申し上げます, お詫びの申し上げようもございません formal email
報告 (reporting) 〇〇の件、ご報告申し上げます, おかげさまで無事に終了いたしました formal internal
感謝 (gratitude) お時間をいただきありがとうございます, ご対応いただきありがとうございます, ご尽力いただき感謝いたします formal email
結び (closing) 引き続き、何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます, 今後ともご愛顧を賜りますようお願い申し上げます formal closing
クッション言葉 (cushion) 恐れ入りますが, お手数ですが, 失礼ですが, 申し訳ありませんが, 厚かましいお願いですが softens request

依頼の強さ (request strength) お願いいたします → お願い申し上げます → 何卒お願い申し上げます → 心よりお願い申し上げます neutral → formal → very formal → desperate

Selection Criteria

A set phrase is correct only if four conditions are met.

Relationship. Customer / boss / colleague / subordinate. A customer-facing request needs 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます; an internal colleague request can use よろしくお願いいたします.

Tone / function. Request, refusal, apology, report, thanks, closing. The phrase must match what the surrounding sentence is doing. A sentence that reports a delay cannot end in ありがとうございます; it needs 申し訳ございません.

Register. Formal email vs casual email vs spoken. 拝啓 and 敬具 are written-letter markers; 失礼ですが is spoken-friendly; 恐れ入りますが is email-formal.

Set-phrase compatibility (fixed pairings). Some pairings are fixed: 拝啓 ↔ 敬具, 前略 ↔ 早々. 拝啓 without 敬具 is wrong; 前略 with 敬具 is wrong. 恐縮ですが pairs with a request, not a thank-you.

Trap Patterns

Register mismatch. A casual じゃありません or じゃありませんか in a formal context is wrong; the formal equivalent is ではございません / ではございませんか.

Wrong pairing. 拝啓 without 敬具; 前略 with 敬具; 拝啓 followed by 早々.

Wrong strength. お願いいたします (neutral) for a serious customer request that needs 何卒お願い申し上げます (very formal). Or the reverse: 心よりお願い申し上げます (desperate) for a routine request — overkill reads as sarcastic.

Wrong subject. ×「自分がご尽力いたします」— ご尽力 is sonkeigo for someone else's effort, not the speaker's. ×「ご尽力いただきありがとうございます」is correct because it honors the customer's effort toward the speaker.

Wrong collocation. ×「お詫びいたします」when the speaker is apologizing for a serious error — the formal 心よりお詫び申し上げます is required. ×「ありがとうございます」for a customer's significant effort without ご尽力いただき or ご対応いただき — too plain.

Cushion word without a request. 恐れ入りますが must be followed by a request. ×「恐れ入りますが、本日は雨天でした」 — a cushion word with no request to soften is structurally wrong.

Worked Examples
Example 1 (request to a customer). 「お忙しいところ恐縮ですが、今週末までに資料をご返信[ ]」

Correct: いただけますと幸いです. The cushion お忙しいところ恐縮ですが must be followed by a request softened with いただけますと幸いです. ください is too direct for a customer; いただきます is wrong verb form (request form is いただけます).

Trap: ください (too direct), いただきます (statement, not request), しております (irrelevant action).

Example 2 (refusal). 「せっかくのお誘いですが、今回は[ ]」

Correct: 見送らせていただきます. The phrase せっかくのお誘いですが already signals polite refusal; the matching closing is 見送らせていただきます (humble let me pass on this occasion). 参加します would contradict せっかくですが. 辞退します is too blunt. 断ります is plain and impolite.

Example 3 (apology to a customer). 「納期が1日遅れることとなり、[ ]」

Correct: 大変申し訳ございません. A delay affecting a customer requires a formal apology. すみません is too casual. 申し訳ありません is borderline; for a customer, 大変申し訳ございません or 心よりお詫び申し上げます is required. ごめんなさい is personal, not business.

Example 4 (report to a boss). 「〇〇プロジェクトの件、[ ]」

Correct: ご報告申し上げます. The internal report frame is 〇〇の件、ご報告申し上げます. 報告します is too plain. ご報告いたします is acceptable but less formal. 申し上げます (kenjougo for 言う) is the standard.

Example 5 (closing). 「[ ]、今後ともご愛顧を賜りますようお願い申し上げます。」

Correct: 引き続き. The closing frame 引き続き + 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます is fixed. 今後とも already appears in the sentence, so 今後とも as the blank is redundant. ずっと is casual. これから is too plain for a customer-facing closing.

Reference Table of Common Set Phrases

Function Phrase Strength / Register
クッション恐れ入りますが formal, standard
クッションお手数をおかけしますが formal, very polite
クッションお忙しいところ恐縮ですが formal, acknowledges busy status
クッション失礼ですが spoken-formal
クッション厚かましいお願いですが formal, self-deprecating
依頼ご対応いただけますと幸いです formal, softened
依頼お願いいたします neutral
依頼お願い申し上げます formal
依頼何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます very formal
依頼心よりお願い申し上げます desperate / heartfelt
断り残念ながら neutral-formal
断りせっかくのお誘いですが formal acknowledgement
断り今回は見送らせていただきます formal humble refusal
断り心苦しいのですが formal, soft refusal
謝罪申し訳ございません standard formal
謝罪大変申し訳ございません strong formal
謝罪心よりお詫び申し上げます heartfelt formal
謝罪お詫びの申し上げようもございません extreme formal
報告〇〇の件、ご報告申し上げます formal internal
報告おかげさまで無事に終了いたしました formal thanks-report
感謝お時間をいただきありがとうございます standard formal
感謝ご対応いただきありがとうございます formal
感謝ご尽力いただき感謝いたします very formal
結び引き続き、何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます formal, ongoing
結び今後ともご愛顧を賜りますようお願い申し上げます formal customer-facing
結び敬具 written letter close (pairs with 拝啓)
結び早々 written note close (pairs with 前略)
Practice Strategy

Build a one-page cheat sheet organized by function (request, refusal, apology, report, thanks, closing, cushion) with three columns: phrase, strength, and required pair. When drilling, read the surrounding sentence first, identify the function, identify the relationship (customer vs internal), then select the strength. The most common error is jumping to a phrase that sounds polite without checking whether the strength and pairing match the surrounding context — formal but wrong-strength phrases are the test's favorite trap.