“Merry Christmas” in Japanese — How the Japanese Celebrate a “Merii Kurisumasu” and Other Winter Holidays
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Do you hope to spend Christmas in Japan, or wish Japanese-speaking friends a happy holiday? This guide covers useful words and phrases for Christmas and New Year, along with traditions you may encounter. Customs vary by family, region, faith and generation, so treat the examples as options rather than a checklist.
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Table of contents
Christmas in Japan
First off, you may be wondering if Japan even celebrates Christmas. Japan’s name for Christmas is クリスマス (Kurisumasu), and it comes from the English word. This is because Christmas is not a traditionally celebrated holiday in Japan.
Christianity is a minority religion in Japan, but Christmas is widely visible as a seasonal cultural and commercial event. December 25 is not a national public holiday, and the way people mark it varies.
For some people Christmas is religious; for many others it is secular. Christmas Eve, クリスマスイブ (Kurisumasu Ibu), is prominent in seasonal advertising and date-night imagery. KFC’s 1970s campaign helped make fried chicken one recognisable part of the modern celebration, but it did not single-handedly introduce Christmas to Japan.
How to Wish a “Merry Christmas” in Japanese
First, I’ll give you a few phrases to use.
The standard greeting is メリークリスマス (merii Kurisumasu), borrowed from English. The phrase itself does not change for the listener’s rank, though the rest of your message can be more or less polite.
You may also already be familiar with the phrase おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu). This phrase means “congratulations,” and it’s used in most other celebratory greetings, such as お誕生日おめでとうございます (otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu) for “Happy birthday,” and 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu) for “Happy New Year.” (We’ll go more in-depth about this last one later.)
Do not build a general Christmas greeting by attaching おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu) to クリスマス. Although isolated examples exist, クリスマスおめでとうございます is not the ordinary equivalent of “Merry Christmas”. Use メリークリスマス instead.
In specifically Christian material, you may encounter 主の御降誕おめでとうございます (Shu no gokoutan omedetou gozaimasu), “Congratulations on the birth of the Lord”. This is a specialised religious expression, not an everyday substitute for メリークリスマス.
But as I said, you’re much more likely to hear the English-inspired Merii Kurisumasu in most cases.
Merry Christmas in Japanese – Phrase List
Here’s a recap of the different ways to say “Merry Christmas” in Japanese:
- メリークリスマス (merii Kurisumasu) – “Merry Christmas”
- 主の御降誕おめでとうございます (Shu no gokoutan omedetou gozaimasu) – “Congratulations on the birth of the Lord” (specialised Christian usage)
How to Celebrate Christmas with Food in Japan
KFC launched its Kentucky for Christmas campaign in Japan in 1974. A widely repeated origin story says a manager heard a foreign customer talking about missing turkey, but contemporary documentation for that conversation is thin. What is well documented is the long-running campaign and the resulting association between Christmas and fried chicken.
The campaign presented fried chicken as a Western-style Christmas meal. As an American, I have sometimes surprised Japanese friends by explaining that KFC is not a universal American Christmas custom.
Other supermarkets, convenience stores and chicken sellers also advertise seasonal meals. If a particular order matters to you, check that year’s reservation dates with the seller rather than assuming a fixed deadline.
(Fun fact: Colonel Sanders is often dressed up in a Santa suit in Japan for marketing. With the white hair, I agree that they do look a bit similar!)
By the way, KFC is most commonly known as “Kentucky” in Japan. In Japanese, this is ケンタッキー (Kentakkii).
Another popular seasonal food is Christmas cake, クリスマスケーキ (kurisumasu keeki). The familiar version is a light sponge with whipped cream and strawberries, though shops sell many variations.
The red strawberries and white cream fit seasonal colours, but that does not by itself explain Japan’s winter strawberry production.
Actually, many KFC Christmas deals include a Christmas cake with the bucket of chicken, and maybe even a bottle of champagne!
How to Celebrate Christmas with a Date in Japan
Japanese advertising and popular culture often frame Christmas Eve as a romantic date occasion. That makes it comparable to some Valentine’s Day imagery, not a rule for everyone.
Japan also marks Valentine’s Day and White Day. A well-known commercial custom has women giving chocolate on 14 February and men reciprocating on 14 March, but expectations and participation are changing and not everyone follows the gendered pattern.
Some couples go on a デート (deeto, “date”) on Christmas Eve. Friends and families may celebrate in other ways, and many people treat it as an ordinary workday.
Around this time, many places host winter illuminations, 冬のイルミネーション (fuyu no irumineeshon). Displays and dates change, so check the organiser before travelling. They can be date spots, family outings or visits with friends.
New Year’s in Japan
You might be wondering if Japan has a traditional holiday greeting. Yes, it does! Whereas Christmas is often the most important winter holiday in many other countries, New Year’s is the most important winter holiday in Japan.
Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar for official use in 1873, and its principal New Year observance now centres on 1 January. This does not mean China and Korea lack Gregorian New Year observances; the comparison is that Lunar New Year remains a major traditional holiday there while it is not a national holiday in Japan.
Happy New Year in Japanese
The word for New Year’s Eve in Japanese is 大晦日 (Oomisoka). The word for New Year’s Day is 元日 (Ganjitsu). The New Year holiday period is お正月 (Oshougatsu), while the general word for the “new year” is 新年 (shinnen).
After the new year begins, the standard polite greeting is 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu). With friends or family, 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetou) is casual. アケオメ (akeome) is a very casual abbreviation suited to close relationships and informal messages, not a boss or formal card.
The 明け in 明けまして comes from 明ける (akeru), which can describe a period ending or a new one beginning. It is distinct in writing and meaning from 開ける (akeru), “to open something”. The greeting congratulates the listener now that the new year has begun.
Do not use 明けましておめでとうございます before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Use it from New Year’s Day and, by convention, when first greeting someone during the early New Year period.
You can reply with the same greeting, then add the polite 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu). With someone close, 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku) is casual. There is no single direct English equivalent; in this setting it asks for the relationship or cooperation to continue well this year.
Happy New Year in Japanese – Phrase List
Here’s a recap of the different ways to say “Happy New Year” in Japanese:
- 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu) – “Happy New Year” (polite)
- 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetou) – “Happy New Year” (casual)
- アケオメ (akeome)! – “Happy New Year” (casual)
- 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) – “I look forward to continuing our good relationship this year” (polite)
- 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku) – “I look forward to continuing our good relationship this year” (casual)
How to Celebrate New Year’s in Japan
New Year is generally more important than Christmas in Japan and is often family-oriented, but households celebrate in different ways. Avoid reducing either Japan or “the West” to one pattern.
Also, while Westerners might engage in “spring cleaning,” Japanese people do their major yearly cleaning (called 大掃除 / oosouji) around this time in preparation for the new year.
Many people eat 年越しそば (toshikoshi soba), “year-crossing soba”, on New Year’s Eve. The long noodles are associated with longevity in one common explanation; other explanations emphasise leaving the old year’s hardships behind.
Another important New Year food is お節料理 (osechi ryouri), an assortment of dishes often packed in tiered boxes called 重箱 (juubako). Its roots are linked to seasonal court observances, while the modern New Year form developed over centuries. Ingredients and meanings vary by region and household.
Mochi, pounded rice cakes, are also common. Their sticky texture is a choking hazard, particularly for older adults and young children: cut mochi into small pieces, eat slowly and chew thoroughly. 鏡餅 (kagami mochi) is a New Year offering usually formed from stacked round mochi and topped with a daidai citrus or a decorative substitute. It is displayed first, then traditionally opened and eaten at kagami biraki; it is not merely inedible decoration.
Some households watch NHK’s 紅白歌合戦 (Kōhaku Uta Gassen), an annual music programme with red and white teams. Line-ups and viewing habits change, so do not treat it as universal.
Some people spend New Year’s Eve at a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple. For 除夜の鐘 (joya no kane), many Buddhist temples ring a bell 108 times around midnight, associated with the 108 worldly afflictions in Buddhist teaching. Practice and timing vary by temple. The first shrine or temple visit of the year is 初詣 (hatsumoude), also called 初参り (hatsumairi).
More Japanese Holiday Greetings
Before the year ends, a polite wish is 良いお年をお迎えください (Yoi o-toshi wo omukae kudasai), “Please welcome a good new year”. どうぞ良いお年をお迎えください (Douzo yoi o-toshi wo omukae kudasai) adds emphasis and is also polite.
The standard shorter version is 良いお年を (Yoi o-toshi wo), “Have a good new year”. It is conventional before New Year and works in many ordinary settings. Do not treat it as a template in which any holiday word can automatically replace o-toshi.
For Christmas, use メリークリスマス. If you need a greeting for Hanukkah or another religious holiday, ask the person or community which expression they actually use rather than translating an English formula word by word.
To say, “Have a good winter break,” you can say, 良い冬休みを (Yoi fuyuyasumi wo)!
良いお年を and 良いお年をお迎えください are usually parting greetings used before the year changes. 明けましておめでとうございます belongs after the new year begins.
Greeting cards are グリーティングカード (guriitingu kaado). Traditional New Year postcards are more specifically 年賀状 (nengajou).
A formal New Year message may include ご健康とご多幸をお祈りいたします (go-kenkou to go-takou wo oinori itashimasu), “I wish you good health and much happiness”. The humble verb お祈りいたします makes it suitable for a formal written wish; “pray” is too narrowly religious as an English gloss here.
You may also see 謹賀新年 (kinga shinnen) or 賀正 (gashou) in cards or on signs. Both are written New Year greetings, not ordinary spoken phrases. 謹賀新年 is the safer of these two for a formal card; brief two-character forms such as 賀正 can be too abbreviated for a superior.
Other written seasonal terms include 初春 (shoshun, “early spring” in a New Year greeting) and 迎春 (geishun, “welcoming spring”). Their seasonal language reflects the older calendar tradition.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Japanese!
The winter holiday season is a wonderful time to be in Japan and experience Japanese culture. Best yet, as you’ve learned, you can experience a mix of both modern and traditional celebrations in one short time frame!
Choose what fits you and the people you are with. You might try a seasonal cake, visit an illumination, share 年越しそば, send a 年賀状 or make a first shrine or temple visit. None of these makes someone more or less “truly” Japanese.
Before the year changes, I hope you have a メリークリスマス (merii Kurisumasu) and 良いお年を (yoi otoshi wo). Once the new year begins, 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu)!
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