Nengajo “年賀状” is a greeting card to be sent on New Year’s day. Greeting of Nengajo is for celebration of New Year and expressing great appreciation for familiar relatives and acquaintances in the previous year (if New year assumes this year ) and also reporting how you are getting along.
There are also the same customs in Korea, Chinese and Taiwan. In contrast, Christmas card is equivalent to Japanese Nengajo “年賀状”. In western countries, Christmas and New Year greetings are a set of Christmas card in Western countries.
Contents
- 1 How to write Nengajo “年賀状”
- 2 How to write your address on the surface of Nengajo
- 3 Nengajo’s posting season
How to write Nengajo “年賀状”
- Write greetings largely on the initial position of sentence
- Write simply your current status, appreciation of friendship and words that pray for safely seeing the old year out
- Write your hope of usual friendship and warm support to your familiar people
- Write your hope of health, happiness and prosperity to your familiar people
- Year and date starts to be written from Japanese unique era name
- The last short message shall be one or two sentences.
No. | How to read | Translation |
---|---|---|
1 | 恭賀新年 “Kyoga-Shinnen” | Cerebration for New Year |
2 | 旧年中は “kyunenchu-wa”, たいへん”Taihen”, おせわになりました。”Osewaninarimashiuta” | Thank you very much for your support during last year |
3 | 本年も”honnen-mo”, yoroshiku“よろしく”, お願い申し上げます“onegaimoushiagemasu” | I am looking forward to getting along well with you this year. |
4 | 皆様の”minasama-no”, ご健康と“gokenkou-to”, ご多幸“gotakou-wo”, お祈り申し上げます”oinorimoushiagemasu” | I pray for your health, happiness and prosperity |
5 | 平成三十年”heisei Sanju-nen” 元旦”gantan” | Heisei 30, New Year’s Day |
6 | 今春”konshun”, お嬢様は“ojosama-wa”, いよいよ小学校へ“iyoiyo-shogakkou-e”, ご入学ですね”gonyugaku-desune“, 楽しみです。“Tanoshimi-desu” | Your daughter go on to elementary school this spring, I am looking forward to it. |
Expressions that pray for warm support and unchangeable friendship from your familiar people (No.2)
- 本年も一層お引き立てのほどよろしくお願いいたします。
- 本年も変わらぬお付き合いのほどよろしくお願い致します。
- 本年もご指導・ご鞭撻のほどよろしくお願い申し上げます
How to read | Translation |
---|---|
本年も”honnen-mo”, お引き立てのほど”ohikitate-nohodo”, よろしくお願いいたします。”yoroshiku-onegai-itashimasu” | Thank you very much for your continuous support. I am looking forward to your continued good will in the coming year. |
本年も”honnen-mo”, 変わらぬ“kawaranu”, お付き合いのほど“otsukiai-nohodo”, よろしくお願いいたします”yoroshiku-onegai-itashimasu” | I am looking forward to getting along well with you in the coming year as usual. |
本年も”honnen-mo”, ご指導、ご鞭撻のほど“gobentatsu-nohodo”, よろしくお願い申し上げます“yoroshiku-onegai-moushiagemasu” | I am looking froward to your guidance and support in the coming year. |
Expressions that pray for your familiar people’s health, happiness and prosperity(No.4)
- 皆様のご多幸と繁栄をお祈り申し上げます。
- 皆様のご多幸と健康をお祈り申し上げます。
- 貴社のますますのご発展と社員皆様のご活躍を祈念いたします。
How to read | Translation |
---|---|
皆様の”minasama-no”, ご多幸と“gotakou-to”, 繁栄を“hanei-wo”, お祈り申し上げます”oinori-moushiagemasu” | I pray for your happiness and prosperity. |
皆様の”minasama-no”, ご多幸と“gotakou-to”, ご健康を“gokenkou-wo”, お祈り申し上げます”oinori-moushiagemasu” | I pray for your happiness and health |
貴社の”kisha-no”, ますますの”masumasu-no”, ご発展と”gohatten-to”,社員皆様の”shain-minasama-no”, ご活躍を祈念いたします。”gokatsuyaku-wo-kinen-itashimasu” | I wish your company many more successful years |
Gashi “賀詞”
Gashi “賀詞” is cerebration greeting words not only for New Year’s Day but also for usual cerebrating occasion. Nowadays, Gasi “賀詞” indicates words used to Nengajo “年賀状” as cerebration for New Year.
Gashi expressed with only one Kanji letter or two Kanji letters like Geishun “迎春” is the simplified one and this kind of Gashi is used by a senior to a junior. You have to pay attention to this.
If you write Nengajo to a senior, you should use 4 full Gasho words that includes the meaning of condescending and respect
How to read | Translation |
---|---|
謹 “Kin” | Respect |
敬 “Kei” | Respect and Gratitude |
恭 “Kyo” | Polite and Humble |
Gashi “賀詞” expressions used to a senior
Gashi “賀詞” (4 letters Kanji style) | meaning |
---|---|
謹賀新年 “kinga-shinnen” | We cerebrate New Year humbly |
恭賀新年 “kyoga-shinnen” | We cerebrate New Year respectfully |
謹賀新春 “Kinga-shinshun” | We cerebrate New Spring humbly |
恭賀新春 “Kyoga-shinshun” | We cerebrate New Spring respectfully |
Gashi “賀詞” (sentence style) | How to read | meaning |
---|---|---|
謹んで初春のお慶びを申し上げます | 謹んで “tsutsushinde”, 初春 “shoshun”, お慶び “oyorokobi”, 申し上げます “moushiagemasu” | We humbly cerebrate new spring |
謹んで年頭の御祝詞を申し上げます。 | 謹んで “Tsutushinde”, 年頭の “nentou-no”, 御祝詞を “Goshukushi-wo”, 申し上げます “moushiagemasu”。 | We respectfully cerebrate the beginning of the year |
Gashi “賀詞” expressions used to a junior
Gashi “賀詞” (one kanji letter style) | meaning |
---|---|
寿 “Kotobuki” | Cerebration |
福 “Fuku” | Happiness |
春 “Haru” | Start of New Year |
賀 “Ga” | Cerebration |
禧 “よろこび” | enjoyment |
Gashi “賀詞” (two kanji letter style) | meaning |
---|---|
賀正 “Gashou” | Cerebration for New Year’s Day |
迎春 “Geishun” | Greet the new year |
寿春 “Jushun” | Cerebration for the new year |
初春 “Shoshun” | the begging of the year |
頌春 “Shoushun” | Praise the new year |
Gashi “賀詞” (sentence style) | how to read | meaning |
---|---|---|
あけましておめでとうございます | Akemashite-Omedeto-Gozaimasu | Congratulations for the new year |
新年おめでとうございます | Shinnen-Omedeto-Gozaimasu | Congratulations for the new year |
新春のお慶び申し上げます | Shinshun-no-Oyorokobi-Moushiagemasu | Cerebration for the new year |
新年の御祝詞を申し上げます | Shinnen-no-Goshukushi-wo-Moushiaemasu | Cerebration for the new year |
An expression which you would rather avoid using
去年 “kyonen” is a word that indicates last year but the first letter “kyo(去)” is not really good to use on Nengajo. Kyo means passing, which is reminded of death.
Instead of Kyonen “去年”, you would rather use 昨年 “sakunen”or 旧年 “Kyunen” , which means the same last year.
How to write your address on the surface of Nengajo
Address
It is good balance to see if assigning address under the right end of two squares for postal code.
You just start writing from the prefecture name. Don’t remove the prefecture name even if nobody doesn’t know apparently which prefecture a city belongs to if you start writing the name of the city. You probably give a rude impression to a receiver.
All the number needs to be written in Kanji.
Honorific Title
Receiver’s title is the one showing social position and what kind of relationship you and a receiver are.
Formally, honorifics title comes to the top of receiver’s name and you just add 様 “sama” at the end of receiver’s name
If you send a letter to no a person but a section of a company, you just add 御中 “onchu” at the end of section name.
For example
平塚産業株式会社(company name) 営業部 (section name) 部長(title) 平塚太郎様(receiver’s name)
平塚産業株式会社(company name) 営業部(section name)御中(Onchu)
平塚産業株式会社(company name)御中(Onchu)
Joint names
If you send a letter to more than two people, two people’s name need to be written in the center of a letter. If you send a letter to husband and wife, generally, husband’s full name is written in the center as a representative and wife’s family name is omitted and just her first name is placed left next to husband’s name.
The number of people to whom you send a letter is too many to write on a letter, you just write representative person’s family name and add “御一行様” at the end of the name.
How to write sender’s address and name
Sender’s information area is left side under the stamp square. Usually, there are 7 square boxes for postal code where a sample postal code is written on an example letter illustration.
If all sender’s information is adjusted within width of 7 square boxes of postal code, it looks neatly. Sender’s address and name is write smaller than receiver’s name and address.
You may be confused whether you should write only your name or your name and other family members. In this case, you should judge if a receiver has connection with your family members or not.
If you get married in the previous year…
You should write your name and your wife’s name as well in sender’s information area with feeling of gratitude to your friends and acquaintances who attend your wedding in the last year.
Of course, you should also write joint names on a letter to send to people to whom you want to report your marriage.
However, you don’t need to write joint names if you send a Negajo to a person who is not really familiar with you and just business relation.
If you send a letter to a teacher of school your child goes to
Main receiver is a teacher who takes care of your child in school. Generally, sender’s information needs to have parent’s name as a representative sender and your child’s name.
Nengajo’s posting season
Reception season of Nengajo mail by a post office generally starts from 15th December.