How to write a letter or email in Esperanto

An Esperanto letter has the usual parts: a dated heading, a greeting, the message, a closing and your name. Open with Kara… (KA-ra) "dear" to a friend or Estimata… (es-ti-MA-ta) "esteemed" in a formal letter, and close with Amike (a-MI-ke) or Kun amikaj salutoj (kun a-MI-kaj sa-LU-toj). The date looks like la 8-an de Oktobro 2026, with a capital letter for the month. Email follows the same pattern with a few extra words. In pronunciation guides the stressed syllable is in capitals; it is always the second-to-last.

#The parts of a letter

For the date, PMEG gives the usual letter pattern as weekday and day, both with the accusative -n: merkredon la 26-an de Novembro 1997. The weekday can be dropped (la 8-an de Oktobro 2026), and you may put your town first, as in the model letters below. Month names are proper names, so PMEG recommends a capital (Oktobro) and never la before them. It also advises against all-number dates such as 9.3.01, which countries read differently, and prefers the month as a word or abbreviation (8 Okt. 2026); the ISO form 2026-10-08 is recommended in principle, though not everyone knows it. More in days and months.

#Greetings: from formal to warm

ReVo notes that kara is often used to address someone, above all at the start of a letter. Estimata is the participle of estimi "to hold in high regard". PMEG says an address is separated by a comma or stands as its own sentence, and that you never put la before it: Estimata prezidanto… David Jordan adds that the exclamation mark is the more usual ending, and the comma less common.

#Titles and "you"

Titles stand before the surname without la: sinjoro Novak. There is no formal "you" (pronouns), so respect comes from the greeting, the closing and polite requests (polite phrases).

#Opening lines and requests

#Closings

Jordan explains that a closing is technically a sentence with the signer as its subject: Elkore salutas plus your name means "(name) greets you warmly". Vikipedio's list of closings also has Brakume "with a hug" and Ame "lovingly".

#Why Bonan tagon! has -n but Kara Maria has none

Greetings and wishes are shortened sentences. PMEG shows that Bonan matenon! stands for Mi deziras al vi bonan matenon!; the accusative -n stayed after the verb disappeared.

No -n follows kun or ĝis (kun koraj salutoj, ĝis baldaŭ), and none belongs in the address itself: PMEG says an address always has no role marker, so write Kara Maria, never Karan Marian. See the greetings page for the same rule in speech.

#Writing an email

Email is retpoŝto, also retletero, retmesaĝo or e-poŝto (Vikipedio). More words are on the technology and internet page.

If a recipient's program cannot show ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ and ŭ, write them with the x-system (cx, gx). On paper, an envelope needs adreso, strato "street", poŝtkodo "postcode", urbo "town" and lando "country", with a poŝtmarko "stamp" on the koverto.

#Three model letters

#A formal letter to an organisation

#A personal letter to a friend

#An email asking for information

For first words and short messages, see basic phrases.

#Common questions

#How do you end a letter in Esperanto?

With a closing line and your name: Kun amikaj salutoj or Amike to friends, Sincere via or Kun afablaj salutoj in formal letters. Jordan says the simplest closing is Salutas or Elkore salutas before your signature.

#How do you start a formal letter in Esperanto?

With Estimata sinjoro Novak, or Estimata sinjorino Novak, to a named person, and Estimataj gesinjoroj, when you do not know the reader. Do not put la before the title.

#How do you write the date in an Esperanto letter?

As la 8-an de Oktobro 2026: the day as an ordinal, then de and the month with a capital. PMEG's letter pattern adds the weekday, both with -n: ĵaŭdon la 8-an de Oktobro 2026.

#How do you say email address, subject and attachment in Esperanto?

Retpoŝta adreso, temo and aldonaĵo (also kunsendaĵo). The @ sign is read ĉe, so maria@ekzemplo.org is maria ĉe ekzemplo punkto org.

#Is it Kara Maria or Karan Marian?

Kara Maria. A greeting is an address, and PMEG says an address takes no role marker, so there is no -n. Fixed wishes such as Bonan tagon! do end in -n.

#Sources

• PMEG: Datoj – how a date is written at the start of a letter
• PMEG: Alvoko – addressing someone, no la before an address
• PMEG: Mallongigitaj frazoj – Bonan matenon!, Saluton!, Dankon!, Ĉion bonan al vi kaj via familio!
• PMEG: Fraztipoj kaj frazfunkcioj – Ĉu vi povus…?, Mi pardonpetas
• PMEG: I-verboj kun rolvortetoj – por + infinitive
• PMEG: Majuskloj ĉe propraj nomoj – month names
• ReVo: kara, estimi, sinjoro, sinjorino, doktoro, letero, adreso, temo, kunsendaĵo
• Vikipedio: Retpoŝto, Adiaŭo, Listo de mallongigoj en retletera temo
• David K. Jordan, Being Colloquial in Esperanto: Writing Letters
• Wiktionary: amike, kore
• Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR), used to check that these phrases occur in real sentences: #630293, #1069767, #2503769, #2051593, #9622140, #4827819, #1554154, #554050, #4452080, #507094, #10324050 (example)