Words Used at the End of the Year

・"Have a great new year!"
・Year End Party
・Toshikoshi-Soba
・Joya no Kane

 

The end of the year［年末nenmatsu］means the period when the year comes to an end (around the end of December). In this month's issue, we introduce words we often use at the end of the year.

Have a great new year! – よいYoi お年Otoshiをwo！

This is a greeting exchanged at the end of the year with people you meet at work or with friends. If you do not plan to see the person until January, say "Have a great new year! ［よいYoi お年Otoshiをwo!］" and depart. This means, "Please spend the rest of this year safely and welcome the new year in good health." To someone senior to you, your teacher, or your boss at work, it would be more polite to say "Yoi otoshi wo omukae kudasai."

 

Year End Party – 忘年会BonenKai

忘年会BonenKai is a dining and drinking party that takes place at the end of the year. This party is held at the end of the year for the purpose of "let's forget about the hard things that happened this year and welcome the new year". Most people hold year-end parties with their friends and colleagues.

 

Toshikoshi Soba（年越しToshikoshiそばSoba）

年越しToshikoshiそばSoba is buckwheat noodles eaten on New Year's Eve, the night of December 31st. In most regions, it is eaten before the new year (January 1), but in some regions, it is eaten after January 1. There are many reasons for having Toshikoshi soba. For some, it is a wish to "Live as long as soba noodles," and for others, it is a wish to "Cut off the hardships of the year," because soba noodles may be easily cut.

 

Joya no Kane（除夜Joyaのno鐘Kane）

除夜Joya means the night of New Year's Eve. At many temples, bells（鐘Kane）are rung 108 times on New Year's Eve starting around 11:00 p.m., to wish for a good new year.

 

Thank you all for reading our articles in 2023. Next year, we will be introducing a lot more Japanese, so please look forward to it. よいYoi お年Otoshiをwo！ (Have a great New Year!)