How to Say Happy New Year in Japanese

In Japan, greeting people with appropriate Japanese words is very important. The New Year, in particular, is the most important time of the year in Japan, equal to the Christmas or the yuletide season in the West. So, knowing how to wish someone Happy New Year in Japanese is an important and quite useful phrase to learn if you plan to visit the country around New Year's.

Japanese New Year Background

Before learning the myriad of ways to say Happy New Year in Japanese, it's important to understand the significance the new year has in this East Asian country. The Japanese new year is celebrated for the first three days—or up to the first two weeks—of ichi-gatsu (January). During this time, businesses and schools close, and people return to their families. The Japanese do a deep house cleaning and then decorate their homes.

Saying Happy New Year in Japanese can involve giving good wishes on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1, but it can also cover greetings for the coming year that you might express until mid-January, and it can even include phrases you would use when reconnecting with family or acquaintances after long absences.

How to Say Happy New Year in Japanese

Use the following phrases for saying Happy New Year on Jan. 1 through Jan. 3, and even up to the middle of January. The transliteration for the following phrases, which mean "Happy New Year," is listed on the left, followed by an indication as to whether the greeting is formal or informal, and then the greeting written in Kanji, the most important Japanese alphabet. Click on the transliteration links to hear how to correctly pronounce the phrases.

• Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. (formal): あけましておめでとうございます。
• Akemashite omedetou. (casual): あけましておめでとう。

New Year's Celebration

At the end of the year, on Dec. 31 or even up to a few days beforehand, use the following phrases to wish someone a Happy New Year in Japanese. The phrases literally translate to, "I wish you will have a good new year."

• Yoi otoshi wo omukae kudasai. (formal):よいお年をお迎えください。
• Yoi otoshi wo! (casual): よいお年を！

Seeing Someone After a Long Absence

As noted, the new year is a time when family and friends reunite, sometimes even after years or decades of separation. If you are seeing someone after a long period of separation, you should use a different Japanese New Year's greeting when you see your friend, acquaintance, or family member. The first phrase literally translates to, "I haven't seen you in a long time."

• Gobusata shite imasu. (very formal): ご無沙汰しています。

The following phrases, even in formal usage, translate as, "Long time, no see."

• Ohisashiburi desu. (formal): お久しぶりです。
• Hisashiburi! (casual): 久しぶり！

To reply to Gobusata shite imasu use the phrase kochira koso (こちら こそ), which means "same here." In casual conversations—such as if a friend is telling you Hisashiburi!—simply repeat Hisashiburi! or Hisashiburi ne. The word ne (ね) is a particle, which translates roughly into English as "right?" or "don't you agree?"