Welcome to our Japanese lesson blog. Every week or so, a JOI teacher posts a new entry,
covering a range of Japanese and Japan-related topics. Try reading the Japanese version first,
then scroll down to check your understanding with the English translation.
New Japanese vocabulary, phrases, and usage patterns appear in blue,
with translation and usage notes at the bottom of the text. For a Kanji reading challenge, click the
blue icon below to turn off furigana (the small hiragana above the Kanji). Please enjoy, and check back often
for the latest topic.
The end of year season in Japan has so many events and functions including End of Year parties, Christmas parties, end of year cleaning, etc. so its a really busy time.
One more event of this season is New Year Cards.
New Year's cards are written greetings that include feelings that celebrate the New Year, express thanks for all we were indebted to from last year, and look forward to the New Year together.
As it gets to the end of the year, people choose from their favorite designs and fonts, and either order them from a print shop, or use their computers to be creative and add their own photos or illustrations and make their own cards.
Most of the cards feature pictures or words showing the symbol from the sexagenary cycle ( the animal of the year). This year was the Year of the Ox and next year is going to be the Year of the Tiger.
In English, you say Happy New Year, but on New Year's cards we have a variety of different greetings.
Akemashite Omedetou (congratulations for the start of the New Year)/ Kin Ga Shin Nen( best wishes for the New Year) / Ga Shou ( a Happy New Year! )/ Kyou Ka Shin Nen (Respectful greetings for the New Year)/ Gei Shun ( welcoming spring of the New Year)/ Tsutsunde Shin Shun no Oyorokobi moushiagemasu ( respectfully sending best wishes for the spring of the New Year)/ Hatsu Haru no Oyorokobi wo moushi agemasu (hoping you enjoy the coming new spring) etc
New Year's cards are mailed at the end of the year and are delivered all at once on the first day of the year. Receiving different cards are one of the things that Japanese people look forward to on the first day of the year. We can get to hear about the current status of various friends who we usually cannot meet.
Have you ever received or sent any New Year's cards ?
Why not try to send out some new year's cards this year or maybe next year ?
The receiver will undoubtedly be pleased.
今週の語彙 This week's vocabulary
■忘年会 year-end party ■大掃除 major cleanup, spring cleaning ■お祝い celebration ■お世話になる to be indebted ■込める with, to include, to put into ■挨拶状 greeting card ■絵柄 design ■印刷 printing ■注文 order ■創意工夫 being imaginative and creative, creative originality ■自作 one's own work ■干支 sexagenary cycle, Chinese astrology ■投函 mailing, posting ■一斉に all at once ■配達 delivery ■普段 usually, habitually, ordinarily, always ■お互い each other ■近況 recent state, current status ■喜ばれる be pleased
To post your comment, 