正月 – How to say New Year in Japanese
New Year is a big time of the year all over the world and especially in Japan. There are several traditions that follow this holiday and time of year. This is a big part of the year in Japan. So it is good to know how to take about the New Year if you are learning Japanese. Let’s take a look
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How do you say New Year in Japanese?
In Japanese, there are a few different words you can say for New Year. The Japanese language makes a distinction for the actual new year day, the new year as in compared to last year, and so on.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/元日 – New Year’s Day
元日 is the Japanese word for the first day of the year. That would be of course January 1st. You can also say 元旦 which actually means the morning of New Year’s day but some people may say this to mean the whole day.
新年 – The New Year
新年 is what you say for the new year. That is in comparison with the old year that just passed. This word literally means new year. Which 2022 will be the Year of the Tiger.
寅年 – Tora Doshi 2022 is the Year of the Tiger
The 新 Kanji means new and 年 means year. If you want to talk about the year that just passed, that would be 旧年. Here 旧 means old, so this word translated to old year.
正月 – The New Year Season
正月 or お正月 is the most commonly used word to refer to New Years or the New Year season. This word can mean the actual first day of the year, the entire month, or just the season around the new year.
Resources from Weblio (Japanese)
