How Do You Say Merry Christmas in Japanese

Whether youre visiting Japan for the holidays or just want to wish your friends the best of the season, its easy to say Merry Christmas in Japanese—the phrase is literally a transliteration or adaptation of the same phrase in English: Merii Kurisumasu. Once you master this greeting, its easy to learn how to address people on other holidays such as New Years  Day. You simply need to remember that some phrases cannot be translated literally word-for-word into English; instead, if you learn what the phrases mean, youll be able to quickly learn them. Christmas in Japan Christmas isnt a traditional holiday in Japan, which is a predominantly Buddhist and Shinto nation. But like other Western holidays and traditions, Christmas started becoming popular as a secular holiday in the decades after World War II. In Japan, the day is considered a romantic occasion for couples, similar to another Western holiday, Valentines Day. Christmas markets and holiday decorations spring up in major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, and some Japanese exchange gifts. But these, too, are Western cultural imports. (So is the quirky Japanese habit of serving KFC on Christmas).   Saying Merii Kurisumasu (Merry Christmas) Because the holiday is not native to Japan, there is no Japanese phrase for Merry Christmas. Instead, people in Japan use the English phrase, pronounced with a Japanese inflection:  Merii Kurisumasu.  Written in katakana script, the form of writing Japanese use for all foreign words, the phrase looks like this:  Ã£Æ' ¡Ã£Æ' ªÃ£Æ' ¼Ã£â€š ¯Ã£Æ' ªÃ£â€š ¹Ã£Æ'žã‚ ¹ (Click the links to listen to the pronunciation.) Saying Happy New Year Unlike Christmas, observing the new year is a Japanese tradition. Japan has observed Jan. 1 as New Years Day since the late 1800s. Prior to that, the Japanese observed the new year at the end of January or beginning of February, much as the Chinese do based on the lunar calendar. In Japan, the holiday is known as  Ganjitsu.  It is the most important holiday of the year for the Japanese, with stores and businesses closing for two or three days in observance. To wish someone a happy new year in Japanese, you would say  akemashite  omdetou. The word omedetou (㠁Šã‚ Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ ) literally means congrats, while akemashite  (明㠁‘㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦is derived from a similar Japanese phrase, toshi ga akeru (a new year is dawning). What makes this phrase culturally distinct is the fact that it is only said on New Years Day itself. To wish someone a happy new year before or after the date itself, youd use the phrase  y oi otoshi o omukae kudasai è‰ ¯Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ Å Ã¨ ¿Å½Ã£ Ë†Ã£  Ã£   Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€ž), which literally translates as Have a good year, but the phrase is understood to mean, I wish that you will have a good new year. Other Special Greetings The Japanese also use the word  omedetou  as a general way of expressing congratulations. For example, to wish someone a happy birthday, you would say tanjoubi omedetou  (è ªâ€¢Ã§â€Å¸Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£ Å Ã£â€š Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ ). In more formal situations, Japanese use the phrase omedetou gozaimasu (㠁Šã‚ Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€Ã£ â€"㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢). If you want to give your regards to a newly married couple, you would use the phrase go-kekkon omedetou gozaimasu (㠁”å â€™Ã¦ ¥ ­Ã£ Å Ã£â€š Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ ), which means congratulations on your wedding.