【年末年始（ねんまつねんし）】”NENMATSU-NENSHI”
Meaning:
the New Year’s holidays
Usage:
「年末年始は家族で集まって過ごします。」
（ねんまつねんしはかぞくであつまってすごします。）
(Nenmatsu-nenshi wa kazoku de atsumatte sugoshimasu.)
”During (the year-end and) New Year’s holidays, families get together and spend time together.”
- 「年末年始 (ねんまつねんし / nenmatsu nenshi)」 literally means “the year-end and new year”. Therefore, strictly speaking, it does not necessarily mean holidays for schools and companies.
- 「年 (ねん / nen)」= “year”
- 「末 (まつ / matsu)」 = “end”
- 「始 (し / shi)」 = “beginning”
Glossary:
- 年末年始（ねんまつねんし）: the New Year’s holidays
- 家族（かぞく）: family
- 集まる（あつまる）: to get together
- 過ごす（すごす）: to spend time
【仕事納め（しごとおさめ）】”SHIGOTO-OSAME”
Meaning:
the last business day of the year
Usage:
「多くの会社では12月28日前後が仕事納めの日です。」
（おおくのかいしゃではじゅうにがつにじゅうはちにちぜんごがしごとおさめのひです。」
(Ōku no kaisha dewa jū-ni gatsu nijū-hachi nichi zengo ga shigoto-osame no hi-desu.)
“For many companies, the last business day of the year is around December 28th.”
- On this day, in most companies, employees clean their offices. After the office cleaning is over, around 4:00 pm, all the employees gather in the cafeteria or a large conference room to eat catered meals and drink to finish the year’s work. (This gathering for eating and drinking is called 「納会 (のうかい / nōkai)」.)
Glossary:
- 多くの～（おおくの～）: many […]
- 会社（かいしゃ）: company
- ～前後（～ぜんご）: around […(date)]
- 仕事納め（しごとおさめ）: the last business day of the year
- ～の日（～のひ）: the day of […]
【冬休み（ふゆやすみ）】”FUYU-YASUMI”
Meaning:
winter holidays
Usage:
「冬休みには書き初めの宿題がよく出ました。」
（ふゆやすみにはかきぞめのしゅくだいがよくでました。）
(Fuyuyasumi niwa kakizome no shukudai ga yoku demashita.)
“During winter holidays, we often had homework of (Japanese traditional) First Writing of the year.”
- 「書き初め (かきぞめ / kakizome)」is the first calligraphy of the New Year. We write our New Year’s resolutions on a long piece of paper with a brush. In the case of school homework, the words to be written are often specified.
Glossary:
- 冬休み（ふゆやすみ）: winter holidays
- 書き初め（かきぞめ）: the first calligraphy of the year
- 宿題（しゅくだい）: homework
- よく～する: to do frequently
- 出る（でる）: to come out
【大掃除（おおそうじ）】”Ō-SŌJI”
Meaning:
year-end cleaning
Usage:
「日本では大掃除を一年の一番最後にして、新しい年を気持ちよく迎える準備をします。」
（にほんではおおそうじをいちねんのいちばんさいごにして、あたらしいとしをきもちよくむかえるじゅんびをします。）
(Nihon dewa ōsōji o ichinen no ichiban saigo ni shite, atarashī toshi o kimochi-yoku mukaeru jumbi o shimasu.)
“In Japan, we do spring cleaning at the end of the year to prepare to welcome the new year with a fresh start.”
- In Japan, there is a traditional belief that the god of the new year will come to your house at the beginning of the year. In order to welcome the gods in the new year, the custom of year-end cleaning began.
Glossary:
- 日本（にほん）: Japan
- 大掃除（おおそうじ）: year-end cleaning
- 一年（いちねん）: a year
- 一番（いちばん）: number one; the best; the most
- 最後（さいご）: last
- する: to do
- 新しい（あたらしい）: new
- 年（とし）: year
- 気持ちよく（きもちよく）: pleasantly; comfortably
- 迎える（むかえる）: to welcome
- 準備（じゅんび）: preparation
- 準備をする（じゅんびをする）: to prepare
【大晦日（おおみそか）】”Ō-MISOKA”
Meaning:
New Year’s Eve
Usage:
「大晦日には、そばを食べるのが日本の風習です。」
（おおみそかには、そばをたべるのがにほんのふうしゅうです。）
(Ōmisoka ni wa, soba wo taberu noga nihon no fūshū-desu.)
“It is a Japanese custom to eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve.”
- 「晦日（みそか / misoka)」 means the last day of the month. 「大晦日 (おおみそか / ōmisoka)」 is the last 「晦日」 of the year, so the kanji of 「大」, meaning big, is added.
- There are many theories as to why soba noodle is eaten on New Year’s Eve, such as “soba is thin and easy to cut, so it cuts off the bad luck of the year and moves on to the new year” or “eat it to have a long and thin life (a long and healthy life) like soba”. It seems that this custom started in the 18th century at the latest.
Glossary:
- 大晦日（おおみそか）: New Year’s Eve
- そば: soba noodle
- 食べる（たべる）: to eat
- 日本（にほん）: Japan
- 風習（ふうしゅう）: custom
【明けましておめでとうございます（あけましておめでとうございます）】”AKEMASHITE OMEDETŌ-GOZAIMASU”
Meaning:
Happy New Year!
Usage:
「明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。」
（あけましておめでとうございます。ことしもよろしくおねがいします。）
(Akemashite omedetōgozaimasu. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku-onegai-shimasu.)
“Happy New Year!”
- These two phrases are Japanese New Year’s clichés. 「明けましておめでとうございます。」alone means Happy New Year. 「今年もよろしくお願いします。」does not have the same expression in English. As far as I know, Korean is the only language that has the same expression (잘 부탁드립니다).
If I dare to explain it, it means, “Please treat me well this year as well”, “Please be good friends with me this year as well”, “I hope there will be a good relationship between us this year as well”, “I look forward to working with you this year as well”, “May it be another good year for us” and so on, wishing for good things in the relationship.
Glossary:
- 明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。（あけましておめでとうございます。ことしもよろしくおねがいします。）: Happy New Year!
【お年玉（おとしだま）】”OTOSHIDAMA”
Meaning:
New Year’s cash gift for children
Usage:
「お年玉で新しいゲームを買いたい！」
（おとしだまであたらしいげーむをかいたい！）
(Otsohidama de atarashī gēmu o kaitai!)
“I want to buy a new game with my New Year’s cash gift!”
- 「お年玉 (おとしだま / otoshidama)」 is a cash gift given by adults to children on New Year’s and is given in a special envelope. It varies from family to family, but you can get money from your parents or other adults in your relatives until around the time you start college.
For more about Otoshidama and other New Year traditions here, read this article:
New Year Traditions in Japan
Glossary:
- お年玉（おとしだま）: New Year’s cash gift for children
- 新しい（あたらしい）: new
- ゲーム（げーむ）: video game
- 買う（かう）: to buy
- ～したい: to want to do […]