How to Write a Japanese New Year Card (Nengajō)
A Japanese New Year card (年賀状, nengajō) is a postcard that opens with a New Year greeting such as あけましておめでとうございます, thanks the reader for their kindness over the past year, asks for their continued goodwill in the new one, and ends with the date written as 元旦 (New Year’s Day). Cards sent inside Japan are posted in the second half of December so they arrive on 1 January; from abroad, post them in early December. If the person has had a death in the family that year, don’t send one: send a 寒中見舞い (winter greeting) in January instead.
The structure of a nengajō
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greeting | あけましておめでとうございます / 謹賀新年 | Happy New Year / Respectful New Year greetings |
| 2. Thanks for last year | 昨年は大変お世話になりました。 | Thank you for all your kindness last year. |
| 3. Wishes for this year | 本年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。 | I look forward to your continued goodwill this year. |
| 4. A personal line | 今年こそ日本でお会いしたいです。 | I hope to see you in Japan this year. |
| 5. Date | 令和九年 元旦 / 二〇二七年 元旦 | New Year’s Day, 2027 |
The handwritten personal line is what makes a card feel warm, even if the rest is printed. A short sentence about your year or a hope to meet is enough.
Greetings for different readers
| Japanese | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 謹んで新年のお慶びを申し上げます | tsutsushinde shinnen no oyorokobi o mōshiagemasu | Very formal: for teachers, clients, your partner’s parents |
| あけましておめでとうございます | akemashite omedetō gozaimasu | Polite: for most people |
| あけおめ！今年もよろしく！ | akeome! kotoshi mo yoroshiku! | Very casual: close friends only, often by message |
| 皆様のご健康とご多幸をお祈り申し上げます | minasama no go-kenkō to go-takō o oinori mōshiagemasu | Wishing you all good health and happiness |
Four-character greetings such as 謹賀新年 and 恭賀新年 are respectful and fine for superiors. Short ones such as 賀正 or 迎春 are better kept for friends and family, as some people see them as slightly too brief for a superior.
Mistakes Japanese readers notice
- 去年 for “last year”. The kanji 去 means “leave”, which feels unlucky at New Year. Use 昨年 or 旧年.
- 一月元旦. 元旦 already means the morning of 1 January, so just write 元旦 or 一月一日.
- Doubling up greetings. 謹賀新年 followed by あけましておめでとうございます says the same thing twice. Choose one.
- Gloomy news. Keep illness, failures and other bad news for another time.
- Sending to someone in mourning. If you received a mourning card (喪中はがき) in November or December, send a 寒中見舞い after the New Year period (from around 8 January) instead.
Sending from abroad
Inside Japan, cards marked 年賀 and posted in the second half of December are held and delivered on New Year’s Day. That system doesn’t apply to international mail, so from abroad just post your card early enough to arrive around 1 January, usually in early December. Address it in Japanese if you can. See how to address an envelope to Japan. Many people now also send New Year greetings by message or email, which is fine for friends and colleagues who do the same.
Business New Year cards
Companies traditionally send nengajō to clients and partners, though many now send emails or have stopped. Follow what your Japanese partners do. See Japanese business gifts and seasonal greetings and seasonal greetings for letters.
How Hanabuddies can help
Our native Japanese team can write or check your New Year cards, from a single card to your host family or your partner’s parents to a set for business contacts, with the right greeting for each reader and an English version so you know what each one says. If you’d like to write them yourself, our tutors can help you in one-to-one online lessons. See also handwriting a Japanese letter.