Before there were cellphones like today, letters were used to provide information to people who were far away. Some people may still use letters to convey information, are you one of them? One type of letter that is still used is an official letter.
So, do you know what is meant by an official letter? So, on this occasion, we will discuss further about official letters and examples. However, before discussing that, it would be a good idea for us to discuss the meaning of the letter itself.
Understanding Letters
Letters are written communication media used to convey information. There are several parts of a letter that are usually in the letter writing format, especially for official letters, such as letterhead, date of letter, letter number, letter address, contents of the letter, name of the sender of the letter and a copy.
There are many types of letters ranging from personal letters, official letters, institutional letters, commercial letters, notification letters or even anonymous letters. Electronic mail is called email or electronic mail .
Apart from that, letters are also a formal communication medium which is usually carried out by institutions, agencies, organizations and companies or are usually referred to as official letters. In official letters, there are rules and formats that must be met, including parts of the letter that must be present, for example, letterhead or letter number.
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Types of Letters
The types of letters are as follows:
1. Personal Letter
Personal letters are a type of letter whose contents relate to personal interests. This type of letter is written using non-standard language.
2. Official Letter
An official letter is an official letter made and issued by a government agency or institution for various official purposes.
3. Commercial Letter
A commercial letter is a letter made by a company or individual for business or trade purposes.
4. Official Letter
An official letter is a letter that is written and used for official purposes. Writing official letters can be done by agencies, individuals, institutions and organizations.
Various Forms of Letters
Forms of letters as the arrangement or location of parts of the letter (lay out). The letter section has the most important role as identification material and guidance in the process itself. Sometimes each company or institution is not the same in terms of using the form of a letter, depending on existing policies. The form of letters is also always used in work, official and organizational matters. Not only that, letters also have a form of arrangement or structure that is different from others.
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Following are several types of letters, namely:
1. Full Block Style Letter (Full Straight Shape)
The full block style has a straight arrangement from top to bottom. So, the letter looks like a block where the writing from the neck of the letter, body, to the foot of the letter looks aligned right and left and there are no incoming or outgoing paragraphs. Therefore, everything looks even. Even though it is flat, letters with this model still have the appropriate structure or arrangement.
2. Semi Block Style Letter (Half Straight Shape)
The semi block style is a form of letter where all parts of the letter, except the contents of the letter, are typed in the same way as straight form. The end of each new paragraph is typed after 5 taps from the left margin pin. Usually, this form of letter is in wedding invitation letters.
3. Block Style Letter (Straight Shape)
The block style form is almost the same as the full block style form , namely the number, destination address, opening greeting, attachment and copy are placed on the left margin, the beginning of the paragraph starts from the left margin. However, to write this block style , it lies in placing the date, closing remarks, name of the signer and position of the signer on the right side of the letter.
4. Indented Style Letter (Indented Shape)
Meanwhile, for the indented style letter , the difference is that the destination address is written jaggedly. This model means that the first line of the letter form has an indented style starting from the left margin. Then for the youngest row it indents five steps. Then for the next line, enter another five beats and so on.
In this form, there are distinctive characteristics, namely the place and date characters, name, position and closing are typed on the right. Meanwhile, in the contents of the letter, at each new paragraph, the typing takes five strokes. This indented style is only suitable for letters with short addresses. So, not all letters can use this letter form, grameds.
5. Hanging Paragraph Style Letter (Hanging Paragraph Form)
This form of hanging paragraph is also called hanging paragraph style . Each paragraph in a hanging letter is written hangingly. So, only at the beginning of the paragraph starts from the left margin. In the following lines, it starts indenting five strokes from the left margin.
6. Official Style Letter (Official Form)
The form of the official style has changed, so that there are two types of letter forms, namely the old form of official letter and the new form of official letter. In the old style of writing, the address is aligned with the subject and the place is indented five spaces. Then, the contents of the letter are indented five spaces and the signing position is on the right.
For the new style, the destination address and contents of the letter are written under the first letter of the number, attachments and items are on the left indented five spaces. To write the name of the position, closing greeting, name of the signatory, signature and NIP, you can start from the middle of the paper.
Parts of a Letter
The following is an explanation of the parts of an official letter:
1. Letter Head (Letterhead)
The top part of the letter is the letterhead or letterhead. The letterhead contains information regarding the name, logo, identity and office address of the institution sending the letter. The function of letterhead is also as a promotional medium for the sending institution or company, or as a marker for the name and address of the agency’s office, providing information about the business field, type of activity and as a means of introducing the institution to the public.
2. Place and Date of Letter
The purpose of including the place and date of the letter is to provide information about when and where the letter was sent. The location of the letter is also sometimes not included again if it has been written in the agency address on the letterhead, although sometimes it is also included again. The location for writing the place and date of the letter is generally in the upper right corner in line with the letter number. The name of the place is written before the date of the letter. Writing place names and dates is separated by commas and ends with a period.
Example: Jakarta, 28 May 2020.
3. Letter Number
This letter numbering is carried out by official letters sent by officially registered institutions, agencies, companies or organizations. The use of letter numbers usually includes the sequence number for writing the letter, letter code, date, month and year when the letter was written.
The function of the letter number is to make it easier to organize and store letters and to find out the number of letters issued by an institution. Each institution or agency usually has its own letter numbering system. This numbering makes it easier to record and categorize the administration of letter archives.
Example: 422/ 17/ SDN108/ IX/ SBP/ 2020
This number means that the letter is the 17th letter issued by the SDN 108/ IX Sebapo institution in 2020.
4. Attachments included
The attachment section is an explanation that provides information that there are files or other documents included in the letter. If there are no files or documents attached, then the attachment section is omitted. The attached attachments can include the number of sheets, copies or simply the number of files in letter form. If it is more than ten then it is written in numerical form.
Example :
Attachments: 1 file
5. Matter/Subject
The function of the subject section is to provide guidance to the reader about the importance and main content of the letter. The thing or subject is almost the same as the title in the letter. The procedure for writing things or matters is that they are not written in all capital letters, but only in the first letter of the main word. There is no need to put a period at the end of a thing or matter.
Example: Application for permission to carry out competition activities
6. Destination / Recipient Address
The destination address is one part of the letter, namely the address to which the letter is sent. There are two destination addresses written, namely the external address written on the cover of the letter and the internal address written on the inside of the letter paper. The address on the cover must be written in full, while on the inside the destination address can only be written in part. Usually, the person or agency addressed is written using words such as ‘Mr/Mrs’ or ‘Dear.’
Example :
Dear. Mr/Mrs Principal of
SDN Suka Maju
on Jalan Merdeka
Jambi
7. Opening Greetings
The function of the opening is to open the conversation in the letter according to polite etiquette. The opening greeting contains general greetings. Writing opening greetings begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.
Example: Good afternoon, Assalamu’alaikum, Respectfully and so on.
8. Contents of the Letter
The body of the letter is the main part of the letter. The contents of the letter contain what the sender needs to convey to the person or institution addressed. Like the general form of an essay, the contents of a letter consist of 3 parts, namely the opening greeting, the main part and the closing part. The explanation is as follows:
a. Opening Aline
The opening sentence serves to guide the reader before entering the main discussion. The opening letter can also contain a reference to the core issue that will be conveyed to the recipient of the letter.
For example :
- We hereby inform you that…
- We regret to inform you that…
- Regarding your letter dated..No..
- We attach herewith…
b. Fill the tree
This body part usually contains the intent, purpose or desires of the letter maker in writing the letter. The presentation in this section must also be clear, not long-winded and easy to understand.
c. Closing
The closing part of the letter contains reaffirmation, conclusions, hopes and also thanks. The closing marks that the main explanation you wish to convey in the letter has been completed.
Example :
- For your attention, we thank you.
- Hopefully our considerations are useful for you.
- We really hope that this request will be granted and for that we thank you.
9. Closing Greetings
The closing greeting section is at the end of the letter. A closing greeting is used as a final greeting to add politeness to sending a message, although it doesn’t have to be there. The writing begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.
For example, good afternoon, wa’alaikumsalam, thank you and so on.
10. Sender’s Name and Signature
At the bottom of the letter, there must be the sender’s name along with a signature. The name listed is the full name or clear name of the sender or person responsible for sending the letter. Apart from that, it is equipped with a signature from the sender.
Example :
Surabaya, 17 June 2021
Principal of SD Merdeka
Budi Hartono
11. Copy
The copy section is the part of the letter that indicates the party or other person who is entitled to receive the letter. However, not all letters have copies.
Example:
Copy:
- Minister of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia;
- Governor of West Java;
- Mayor of Bandung;
- Village head;
- Head of RT.
12. Footnotes
Footnotes are notes at the bottom of an official letter. Usually, this part is called the foot (letter) which is taken from the word “footer” in English. This note contains an explanation if what is written requires a more detailed explanation.
Not all official letters have footnotes, because they are not mandatory, they are only necessary. The location of this footnote is below the copy. For example :
*Notes :
- Statements are written without any coercion;
- Proof of illness certificate administered by the representative concerned;
- Proof of ownership is in the form of a certificate of ownership ratified by the court.
13. Initials
Initials are an abbreviation of a name which is usually taken from the first letter of the name of the author of the letter which serves to identify who wrote/typed the letter.
Example :
VN/ MA
- VN stands for Viani Setianingsih (Typist).
- MA stands for Misca Aida (Conceptor).
Examples of Formal and Informal Letters
1. Example of an official invitation letter
GOVERNMENT OF CENTRAL JAVA PROVINCE EDUCATION
SERVICE TOURISM AND CULTURE
BANJARNEGARA DISTRICT
Jl. Nusantara No. 12 Banjarnegara 54431
Banjarnegara, 12 October 2022
Number:
Attachment:
Subject:
Dear. Mr/Madam Head of Banjarnegara Industry and Trade Department
Jl. Sukma Jaya No 12 Banjarnegara 54431
Yours faithfully,
In connection with the implementation of the Banjarnegara Regency Mas and Ma’am activities, with this letter we intend to invite the Head of the Banjarnegara Industry and Trade Service to attend the event which will be held on:
Day/Date: Monday, 25 October 2022
Place: Hotel Mexolie Banjarnegara
Event: Activities of Mas and Ma’am Banjarnegara
Thus, we have created this invitation letter in the hope that you can participate. We thank you for your attention and time.
Sincerely,
Head of the Tourism and Culture Education Department,
(Sender’s Name)
2. Informal Letter
Apart from official letters, there are also informal letters which are generally used by someone for their personal matters. Even though traditional correspondence has been transformed into digital form, it does not rule out the possibility that some people still use letters to convey something to friends or relatives with personal intentions, for example by writing informal letters.
In writing, informal letters can be said to have no particular rules. The sender can also freely explore language and sentences to propose something to the person being addressed as long as the recipient can understand the meaning and purpose of the letter.
Informal letters are written for various purposes, ranging from birthday wishes, inviting friends to visit, apologizing and so on. The following is an example of an informal letter:
Yogyakarta, 14 November 2021
Shinta Putri Jasmine
Jalan Pasar Minggu, No. 25
Depok
Hey, how are you, Shin? I hope you are fine and always healthy! Thank God I’m fine here, Shin.
Shin, next month I plan to go to my grandmother’s house in Medan. If I have time, I can stop by your house, okay? Yes, right? I’ll bring you special food here later! Shin, that’s already a letter from me. Don’t forget to reply. I’m waiting for your reply, you know!
From your friend,
Ayu Dewi
Thus the discussion regarding the meaning and parts of an official letter. Hopefully all the discussion above makes it easier for you to differentiate between official and unofficial letters. If you want to find various kinds of books about letters, you can get them at mudabicara.com