Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago

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A lot of learners make this mistake in Japanese in this time of the year.　

“Happy New Year” in Japanese is
あけましておめでとうございます.

But —
don’t say this in December.

You can say あけましておめでとうございます
only after midnight, when the New Year begins.
That’s because あけまして means “the New year has begun” and おめでとうございますmeans “congratulations.”

So before that, say
よいお年を！ or よいお年をおむかえください.

It means,
“I hope you have a great New Year.”

Save this so you don’t mix them up.