年賀状：New Year’s card

[Learning Japanese and English through English]

[Phrases in New Year’s cards are explained at the end(^^♪]

　時間がたつのって早いですね～。今年はねずみ年ですが、それももうあと残り1か月と6日です。来年2021年（令和３年）は丑年です。

　この時期、年賀状を準備し始めます。最近では「郵便はがき」、「メール（Eメール）」、「SNSメッセージ」の３つから、相手に合わせて選ぶことが多いようです。

　年賀状とは何でしょうか。新年のあいさつのために出す書状で、その年の干支にあたる動物の絵を添えることが多く、元旦に届くように送ります。

　官製のお年玉付き年賀はがきは、抽選で賞品があたるので人気があります。ビジネス上の年賀状は印刷した文面で済ますことも多いのですが、個人の年賀状は工夫をこらしたものも多く見られます。

　懐かしい友人から年賀状が届くこともあり、書くのも受け取るのも楽しいものです。

　今年、何枚年賀状を私が受け取ったと思いますか。２０？　５０？　１００？

　答えは１４枚だけ。抽選で100枚に3枚当たる末等のお年玉切手シートの賞品さえ、当たりませんでした。

　来年は一桁かも。時代の流れですかねぇ～。すごくさみしいです。とほほ。 (´Д⊂ヽ

(English)

Time goes by quickly.  This year is the mouse year, and it has one month left.

Next year, 2021 (Reiwa 3rd year) will be the year of the ox.

At this time, we start preparing New Year's cards. Recently, it seems that people would choose from three types, "postcard", "email", and "SNS message", according to the recipient.

What is a New Year’s card?  This is a card sent as a greeting for the new year.  

It usually has a  picture of an animal appropriately corresponding with that year’s sexagenary cycle (eto) and is sent so that it arrives on New Year’s Day. 

Japan Post official postcards indicating a New Year’s gift are popular, because a prize is awarded by lottery.  Most business nengajo come complete with the printed contents, while writing one’s own nengajo can tax one’s ingenuity. 

Nengajo also arrive from old friends; it is a pleasure both to write such cards and to receive them.

How many New Year's cards do you think I received this year?20? 50? 100?

The answer is only 14.

 I didn't even win the last place prize of the New Year's stamp sheet, which was 3 out of 100 in the lottery. 

Next year it could be a single digit. Isn't it the trend of the times? I’m too lonely. Good grief!(´Д⊂ヽ

★Phrases in New Year’s cards★[Japanese and English]

謹賀新年
皆様のご健康とご多幸をお祈りいたします。
本年もどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。
令和三年　元旦

 

Happy new year
I wish you good health and happiness
I look forward to working with you this year as well
Reiwa 3rd year New Year's Day

 

あけましておめでとうございます
昨年中はいろいろとお世話になりありがとうございました
今年もよろしくお願いいたします
令和三年　元旦

 

Happy New Year
Thank you for all your help during the last year.
I look forward to working with you again this year.
Reiwa 3rd year New Year's Day

You can also check pronunciation of this page content on YouTube.

References:

・「[改訂新版]日本文化を英語で紹介する事典」A Bilingual Handbook on Japanese Culture,

杉浦洋一（Sugiura Youichi）+ John K.Gillespie, ナツメ社(Natsume-sha), 1993.