Meru-tomo (メール友達) is a blend of the Japanese word for email (‘meeru’) and ‘tomo’ (short for ‘tomodachi,’ meaning friend). It refers to a person with whom one exclusively or primarily communicates via email or digital messaging, often without having met in person. While the rise of instant messaging apps like LINE has evolved communication, this term remains a nostalgic staple of the early Japanese mobile internet era.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, before social media dominated, Japanese teens and young adults used ‘meru-tomo’ to describe friends they found on community websites, message boards, or through mutual acquaintances. It captures the unique intimacy of long-form, text-only digital friendships.
Example:
A: 最近、新しいメール友達ができたんだ。
B: へえ、どんな人？
Translation:
A: I recently made a new email friend (meru-tomo).
B: Oh really? What kind of person are they?
While the term feels retro today, it is still understood by many as a charming way to describe a digital-only connection. It highlights a time when the anticipation of receiving an email notification was the peak of excitement for young people in Japan.
