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Learning Japanese

Japanese Seasonal Greetings for Letters: Month-by-Month Phrases

By the Hanabuddies team · · 3 min read

Most polite Japanese letters open with a seasonal greeting (時候の挨拶, jikō no aisatsu), a short line about the weather or season that comes right after the opening word 拝啓. Formal letters use set phrases ending in の候 (no kō, “in the season of”), such as 新緑の候 (“in the season of fresh greenery”) in May. Warmer letters describe the season in plain words instead. Below are common choices for each month, and the seasonal cards Japanese people send through the year.

Formal or warm?

The 〜の候 phrases are correct but feel official, which suits a professor, a company or someone you met only once. For a host family, a teacher you’re close to or a friend’s parents, a gentle sentence in your own words feels more personal, for example 桜の便りが聞かれる頃となりました (“We are starting to hear news of the cherry blossoms”). After the seasonal line, a polite letter usually adds a wish for the reader’s health, such as 皆様お元気でお過ごしのことと存じます (“I trust you are all keeping well”).

Month by month

Each month has a formal phrase and a softer one. Japan’s seasons follow the traditional calendar, so autumn greetings start in early August.

  • January: 厳寒の候 (severe cold) · 寒さが一段と厳しくなってまいりました (the cold has become even sharper)
  • February: 余寒の候 (lingering cold) · 梅のつぼみもふくらんでまいりました (the plum buds are swelling)
  • March: 早春の候 (early spring) · 日ごとに春めいてまいりました (it feels more like spring every day)
  • April: 陽春の候 (bright spring) · 桜の花が見頃を迎えました (the cherry blossoms are at their best)
  • May: 新緑の候 (fresh greenery) · 若葉の緑がまぶしい季節となりました (the young leaves are dazzling)
  • June: 梅雨の候 (rainy season) · 紫陽花が美しく咲く頃となりました (the hydrangeas are in bloom)
  • July: 盛夏の候 (high summer) · 暑さが日ごとに増してまいりました (it grows hotter every day)
  • August: 残暑の候 (lingering heat) · 暦の上では秋ですが、暑い日が続いております (it is autumn by the calendar, but the heat goes on)
  • September: 初秋の候 (early autumn) · 朝夕はずいぶん涼しくなりました (mornings and evenings are much cooler)
  • October: 秋晴の候 (clear autumn skies) · 木々の葉も色づき始めました (the leaves are starting to change colour)
  • November: 晩秋の候 (late autumn) · 落ち葉が舞う季節となりました (the leaves are falling)
  • December: 師走の候 (the busy last month) · 今年も残りわずかとなりました (only a little of the year remains)

Match the greeting to when the letter will arrive, not when you write it, and to the reader’s region if you can: Hokkaido and Okinawa have very different weather in the same month.

Letters that skip the seasonal greeting

Condolence letters and get-well letters leave out the seasonal greeting and go straight to the point. Opening with remarks about the weather would feel careless at a time like that. See writing a Japanese condolence letter and get-well letters in Japanese.

Seasonal cards through the year

  • New Year cards (年賀状, nengajō), timed to arrive on 1 January.
  • Mid-winter cards (寒中見舞い, kanchū mimai), sent from around 8 January to early February. These are also what you send instead of a New Year card when you or the recipient is in mourning.
  • Mourning notices (喪中はがき, mochū hagaki), sent in November or early December by families who lost someone that year, asking people not to send New Year cards. If you receive one, don’t send a New Year card; a mid-winter card is the kind response.
  • Summer greeting cards (暑中見舞い, shochū mimai) in July and early August, and late-summer cards (残暑見舞い, zansho mimai) after that.

For business versions of these customs, see Japanese business gifts and seasonal greetings.

Why a native writer helps

A seasonal line copied from a list is correct but can feel mechanical. Japanese readers notice when the greeting is fresh and fits the moment, for example mentioning the first snow where they live, or a festival you enjoyed together. AI tools tend to pick the first stock phrase, sometimes for the wrong month. A native writer can choose one that sounds natural for the reader and the relationship.

How Hanabuddies can help

We write and translate letters and seasonal cards in natural Japanese, choosing greetings that suit the reader and the time of year. Tell us who you’re writing to and what you’d like to say. See how to write a letter in Japanese for the full structure.