「連絡を取る」と「連絡する」の違いと使い方｜Common Mistakes and Natural Usage

Introduction

「あとで先生と連絡します。」
I’ll contact the teacher later.

At first glance, this sentence may seem perfectly fine. You may even wonder, “What’s wrong with it?”

The meaning is understandable. However, if what you mean is simply “I will contact the teacher and tell them something,” the more natural Japanese is:

「あとで先生に連絡します。」
I’ll contact the teacher later.

Now compare that with this sentence:

「旅行中も家族と連絡を取っています。」
I stay in touch with my family even while traveling.

Here, 「連絡を取る」 (renraku o toru / to get in touch, stay in contact) fits the situation very naturally.

「連絡する」 (renraku suru / to contact) and 「連絡を取る」 (renraku o toru / to get or stay in touch) are very close in meaning. That is exactly why Japanese learners often mix them up.

The basic difference can be understood like this:

• 「連絡する」: focuses on the act of contacting, informing, calling, or sending a message
• 「連絡を取る」: focuses more on establishing contact or communicating with the other person

There are situations where both expressions can be used, so this is not always a simple question of “correct” or “incorrect.”

The important point is to understand what the speaker is focusing on.

Let’s start with some common mistakes.

A Common Mistake

Consider this sentence:

「遅刻しそうだったので、会社と連絡を取りました。」
Because I thought I might be late, I got in touch with my company.

This sentence is not completely wrong.

If you actually communicated back and forth with someone at the company, 「会社と連絡を取りました」 can work.

However, if you simply mean that you informed your company that you would be late, this is more natural:

「遅刻しそうだったので、会社に連絡しました。」
Because I thought I might be late, I contacted my company.

Now look at another example:

「日本にいる間も、家族に毎日連絡を取っています。」
I stay in touch with my family every day while I’m in Japan.

The meaning is understandable, but when using 「連絡を取る」, this form is more natural:

「日本にいる間も、家族と毎日連絡を取っています。」
I stay in touch with my family every day while I’m in Japan.

Notice that this difference also involves the particles 「に」 and 「と」.

Why Does It Sound Unnatural?

「連絡する」 and 「連絡を取る」 can appear in similar situations, but they often highlight different aspects of communication.

「連絡する」 tends to focus on the action itself: calling someone, sending an email, sending a message, or informing someone of something.

For example:

「先生に連絡する」
to contact the teacher

「会社に連絡する」
to contact the company

「家族に連絡する」
to contact one’s family

The person or organization being contacted is often marked with 「に」.

By contrast, 「連絡を取る」 often emphasizes making contact with someone or communicating with them.

For example:

「先生と連絡を取る」
to get in touch with the teacher

「会社と連絡を取る」
to establish contact with the company

「家族と連絡を取る」
to stay in touch with one’s family

The other party is often marked with 「と」 because the expression presents communication more as a connection between two sides.

A useful way to feel the difference is:

「Aに連絡する」
Contact A.

The focus is often on your action of contacting A.

「Aと連絡を取る」
Get in touch with A / stay in contact with A.

The focus is more on establishing or maintaining communication with A.

If you simply replace one expression with the other without changing the surrounding grammar or thinking about the situation, the sentence can sound slightly unnatural even though the general meaning is still understandable.

Natural Ways to Say It

Let’s correct the earlier examples.

When You Want to Inform Someone That You Will Be Late

Less natural for the intended meaning:

「遅刻しそうだったので、会社と連絡を取りました。」
Because I thought I might be late, I got in touch with my company.

More natural:

「遅刻しそうだったので、会社に連絡しました。」
Because I thought I might be late, I contacted my company.

Here, the main purpose is to tell the company, “I may be late.”

The focus is on the act of informing the company rather than on an ongoing exchange, so 「連絡しました」 is the natural choice.

When You Keep Communicating With Your Family

Less natural:

「日本にいる間も、家族に毎日連絡を取っています。」
I stay in touch with my family every day while I’m in Japan.

More natural:

「日本にいる間も、家族と毎日連絡を取っています。」
I stay in touch with my family every day while I’m in Japan.

Here, the speaker is not simply sending one piece of information.

They may call, send messages, receive replies, and continue communicating with their family.

That is why 「家族と連絡を取る」 sounds natural.

The Basic Difference Between the Two Expressions

「連絡する」 means to contact someone or communicate information to someone.

For example:

「詳しい時間はあとで連絡します。」
I’ll let you know the exact time later.

Here, 「連絡します」 means that the speaker will provide the information later.

「連絡を取る」, on the other hand, is often used when the focus is on establishing contact with someone or keeping communication going.

For example:

「卒業後も高校時代の友達と連絡を取っています。」
I still keep in touch with my high school friends after graduation.

This does not describe just one message. It suggests that the relationship and communication have continued after graduation.

Another example is:

「担当者と連絡を取って確認します。」
I’ll get in touch with the person in charge and confirm it.

Here, the speaker is not merely sending information to the person in charge. They will contact that person and communicate with them in order to confirm something.

A useful shortcut is:

「知らせる・電話する・メッセージを送る」
inform someone, call someone, send a message
→ 「連絡する」

「相手とつながる・やり取りする・連絡関係を保つ」
get in touch, communicate, maintain contact
→ 「連絡を取る」

However, real Japanese is not always divided this neatly.

There are many situations where both expressions are possible. Rather than memorizing an absolute rule, pay attention to what the sentence is trying to emphasize.

Learn the Difference Through Examples

Example 1

「電車が遅れているので、会社に連絡します。」
The train is delayed, so I’ll contact my company.

「連絡する」 is natural here because the speaker wants to inform the company that there is a delay.

Example 2

「詳しい日程が決まったら、こちらから連絡します。」
Once the detailed schedule is decided, we’ll contact you.

Again, 「連絡する」 is natural because the focus is on giving the other person information later.

Example 3

「問題があったら、すぐに警察に連絡してください。」
If there is a problem, please contact the police immediately.

This is also a typical use of 「連絡する」.

The focus is on contacting the police by phone or another means and informing them of the problem.

Example 4

「旅行中も家族と連絡を取っていました。」
I stayed in touch with my family while I was traveling.

「連絡を取る」 works naturally here because the sentence describes maintaining communication with the family during the trip.

Example 5

「最近、大学時代の友達とはあまり連絡を取っていません。」
I haven’t been in touch much with my college friends lately.

This sentence describes the current state of communication between the speaker and their friends.

It does not simply mean that the speaker failed to send one message.

Because the focus is on communication and connection with those friends, 「連絡を取る」 fits well.

Example 6

「まず担当者と連絡を取って、詳しい状況を確認してください。」
First, get in touch with the person in charge and confirm the details of the situation.

Here, the purpose is not simply to send information.

The speaker expects some communication with the person in charge in order to understand the situation, so 「連絡を取る」 is natural.

Example 7

「担当者に連絡して、詳しい状況を確認してください。」
Please contact the person in charge and confirm the details of the situation.

This sentence is also completely natural.

Compared with the previous sentence, this version places slightly more focus on the initial action of contacting the person.

In other words, both of these can be correct:

「担当者に連絡する」
contact the person in charge

「担当者と連絡を取る」
get in touch with the person in charge

The difference is mainly in what the speaker chooses to emphasize.

This is an important point when learning similar Japanese expressions. Not every difference can be reduced to “one is correct and the other is wrong.”

Pay Attention to 「に」 and 「と」

When learning these expressions, it is useful to learn the particles together with them.

Common patterns are:

• 「人に連絡する」: contact someone
• 「人と連絡を取る」: get or stay in touch with someone

For example:

「先生に連絡します。」
I’ll contact the teacher.

This tends to present the speaker as initiating the contact by calling, emailing, or messaging the teacher.

Compare:

「先生と連絡を取ります。」
I’ll get in touch with the teacher.

This focuses more on establishing communication with the teacher.

There are other grammatical patterns in real Japanese, but for JLPT N3–N2 learners, remembering these two basic combinations will help in many situations.

How This Can Trick You on the JLPT

Expressions such as 「連絡する」 and 「連絡を取る」 can be difficult in JLPT vocabulary and reading questions because their meanings are very close.

If you look only at an English translation such as “contact,” both may seem possible.

Consider this example:

「電車が止まって会社に遅れそうなので、すぐ会社に（　　　　）。」
The train has stopped and it looks like I’ll be late for work, so I will immediately ______ the company.

Suppose the choices include:

• 「連絡する」
• 「連絡を取る」

Both involve communication, so it is tempting to hesitate.

However, the purpose here is to inform the company that you will be late.

Therefore:

「すぐ会社に連絡する。」
I’ll contact the company immediately.

is the natural choice.

Now compare this:

「海外に住んでいる兄とは、今でも定期的に（　　　　）。」
Even now, I regularly ______ with my older brother who lives overseas.

In this context:

「連絡を取っている。」
I keep in touch with him.

is very natural because the sentence describes continuing communication with the brother.

When you see similar expressions on the JLPT, do not look only at the dictionary meaning.

Ask yourself:

• Is someone simply giving information to another person?
• Is the sentence describing communication between two people?
• Is the focus on one act of contacting someone?
• Is the focus on establishing or maintaining contact?

JLPT distractors are often not completely unrelated words.

A wrong choice may have a very similar meaning but not fit the context as naturally as the correct answer.

When two choices seem almost identical, that is exactly when you should slow down and examine the surrounding context carefully.

Summary

「連絡する」 and 「連絡を取る」 both involve communication, so they are easy to confuse.

A useful basic distinction is:

• Inform, call, or send a message to someone → 「連絡する」
• Get in touch, communicate, or maintain contact with someone → 「連絡を取る」
• Also pay attention to the common patterns 「人に連絡する」 and 「人と連絡を取る」

However, there are also situations where both expressions are possible.

Instead of asking only, “Which one is grammatically correct?”, ask what the speaker wants to emphasize: the action of contacting someone, or the communication and connection with that person.

This kind of distinction is especially important on the JLPT. Vocabulary and reading questions often test whether you can choose the expression that fits the context most naturally, not simply whether you know its dictionary meaning.

RJT (Rapid Japanese Training) gives you practice with vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening in real contexts. By working through similar-looking choices and checking why one expression fits better than another, you can develop the judgment you need for both the JLPT and natural Japanese communication.

RJT (Rapid Japanese Training) — Practice Japanese in Context