拝啓

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Written 拝啓 and read はいけい, it is a respectful salutation placed at the beginning of a formal Japanese letter.
• Basic usage: It is used to open correspondence and conventionally pairs with a formal closing.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A framing formula
  • It opens the letter format rather than functioning as part of the message body.