Christmas in Japanese
The word Christmas translated to Japanese is just the very same word written with- kurisumasu クリスマス
Christmas. - X-masu Xマス
ekkusu-masu エックスマス
Xmas.
Just like in America (and probably the rest of the world, too), in Japanese Christmas is celebrated every year 25th of December. Below is how that date is written in Japanese
- jyuu-ni-gatsu ni-jyuu-go-nichi １２月２５日
Month 12 (December), day 25.
The same is true for that day just before Christmas.
- kurisumasu ibu クリスマス・イヴ
Christmas Eve. - jyuu-ni-gatsu ni-jyuu-yon-nichi １２月２４日
jyuu-ni-gatsu ni-jyuu-yokka １２月２４日
Month 12 (December), day 24.
Time & Planning
- yotei 予定
Plans. - yotei ga nai 予定がない
To not have plans (for Christmas). - jikan to basho 時間と場所
Time and place.
- jiki 時期
Time. Season. (Christmas) - yuuru ユール
Yule. - chigai 近い
Near. - kurisumasu ga chikai クリスマスが近い
Christmas is near. - kurisumasu ga chikadzuku クリスマスが近づく
Christmas approaches ("coming near"). - kurisumasu ga chikadzuiteiru クリスマスが近づいている
Christmas is approaching. - kurisumasu ga chikadzuitekita クリスマスが近づいてきた
Christmas is coming near.
- kurisumasu ga hajimaru クリスマスが始まる
Christmas begins. - kurisumasu ga owaru クリスマスが終わる
Christmas ends
Spending Christmas
- kurisumasu wo sugosu クリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas. To spend Christmas (doing). - kurisumasu wo sugoshita クリスマスを過ごした
To have passed Christmas. To have spent Christmas (doing).
- isshoni kurisumasu wo sugosu 一緒にクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas together. - tomodachi to kurisumasu wo sugosu 友達とクリスマスを過ごす
yuujin to kurisumasu wo sugosu 友人とクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas with your friends - koibito to kurisumasu wo sugosu 恋人とクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas together with your lover. - kareshi to kurisumasu wo sugosu 彼氏とクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas with your boyfriend. - kanojo to kurisumasu wo sugosu 彼女とクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas with your girlfriend. - kazoku to kurisumasu wo sugosu 家族とクリスマスを過ごす
To pass Christmas with your family.
- kuri-bocchi クリぼっち
Lone Christmas. Spending it alone.
Merry Christmas
To say merry Chrstimas in Japanese, you just say:
- merii kurisumasu メリークリスマス
Merry Christmas
There are Japanese words for "merry," "cheerful," like youki 陽気. So do people say youki kurisumasu 陽気クリスマス? No. They don't. It's merii kurisumasu メリークリスマス. It's not really about what it means. It's basically just Japanese people copying what they hear in Hollywood Christmas movies. (no, I'm not even joking. American movies disseminate Christmas culture far better than anything the church has ever done, just like anime does with Japan)
Happy Hanukkah
Japanese people don't know about Hanukkah. Period.
There aren't Home Alone movies about Hanukkah. No movies = no fame. If your holidays are worth caring about you need a couple of worldwide blockbusters about it. Sure there has to be one person at least who celebrates Hanukkah in Japan, but, generally, people don't know about it, so it's just Christmas.
If you do encounter the phrase below, it'll be in a Japanese article talking about fads in America.
- happii hanuka ハッピーハヌカ
Happy Hanukkah.
Happy Holidays
In America there's a weird trend of saying "happy holidays," because... because... I have no idea? It's some stupid phrase someone came up with. What if you commemorate something in July? Nobody says "happy holidays" in July. So what kind of chronological discrimination is this?
Anyway the phrase below is actually used in Japanese (not with the same frequency as merry Christmas, though)
- happii horidee ハッピーホリデー
Happy holiday. (preferred) - happii horideezu ハッピーホリデーズ
Happy holidays.
Christmas Stuff
- kurisumasu kyaroru クリスマスキャロル
Christmas carol. - kurisumasu kaado クリスマスカード
Christmas card. - kurisumasu paatyi クリスマスパーティ
kuripa クリパ
Christmas party. - kurisumasu konseeto クリスマスコンサート
kurikon クリコン
Christmas concert.
Santa
- santa サンタ
Santa.
Yep. Santa.
- santa kuroosu サンタクロース
Santa Claus.
He lives in the:
- kita 北
North. (cardinal directions) - hokkyoku 北極
North pole. The Arctic. - hokkyoku de kurasu 北極で暮らす
Living by the North Pole.
Where he has a:
- koujou 工場
Factory. Workshop.
And employs:
- yousei 妖精
Fairies. (a type of, at least) - erufu エルフ
Elf. Elves. - kurisumasu erufu クリスマスエルフ
Christmas elves.
And then he has a list of:
- iiko 良い子
Good kids. - warui ko 悪い子
Bad kids.
Whom he gives:
- purezento プレゼント
Presents. - sekitan 石炭
Coal.
And let's not forget what he drives:
- sori ソリ
Sled. - sora 空
Sky. - sora tobu 空飛ぶ
Sky-flying. - sora tobu sori 空飛ぶソリ
Sky flying sled.
And how he enters in houses:
- entotsu 煙突
Chimney. - entotsu kara hairu 煙突から入る
Enter by the chimney. "Enter from the chimney."
Reindeer
The names of the Santa Claus's reindeer in Japanese are as follows:
- dasshaa ダッシャー
Dasher. - dansaa ダンサー
Dancer. - puransaa プランサー
Prancer. - vikusen ヴィクセン
Vixen. - kometto コメット
Comet. - kyuupiddo キューピッド
Cupid. - donnaa ダンナー
Donner Dunder. Donder. - burisshen ブリッツェン
Blitzen. Blixem. Blixen. - rudorufu ルドルフ
Rudolph.
Other words and phrases:
- tonakai トナカイ (馴鹿)
Reindeer. - sora tobu sori wo hiku tonakai 空飛ぶソリを引くトナカイ
Reindeer pulling sky-flying sled.
The reindeer that pull the sky-flying sled. - aka hana no tonakai 赤鼻のトナカイ
Red-nose reindeer.
Red-nosed reindeer.
Food
The names of some traditional Christmas foods:
- shichimenshou 七面鳥
Turkey. - furaido chikin フライドチキン
Friend chiken. - kurisum—
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, what?
Fried chicken?
Since when is friend chicken a "traditional Christmas food"? Has the world of fast food capitalism and the world of Christmas capitalism collided so hard fast food chains are now traditional? What is going on here???
Well, you see, why do people eat a turkey in Christmas dinner? That's because... it's tradition. And what is Christmas? A tradition. A religious tradition. The Christmas dinner is a very literally a feast of the religious kind, at least it was, originally. A country that doesn't have a long history of Christian religious traditions, such as Japan, ends up eating whatever sounds good for the dinner. In Japan's case, it is, seriously, fried chicken.
That's right. They eat turkey. They eat friend chicken.
- kurisumasu keeki クリスマスケーキ
Christmas cake. - kurisumasu pudhingu クリスマスプディング
Christmas pudding. - reebukuuhen レープクーヘン
Lebkuchen. (German treat)
Christmas Cake Woman
In Japan, the term "Christmas cake," or kurisumasu keeki クリスマスケーキ, may sometimes refer to an unmarried woman above 25 years old. This is because Christmas cakes are meant to be consumed by Christmas, which is day 25. This idiom implies a woman above 25 years old should have trouble marrying, as she's still "on the shelf" (unmarried) after the best date for purchase.
This term isn't really related to Christmas, it's just a way of saying, but I figured it should be included here anyway.
Presents
There are a couple of words for "present" in Japanese:
- purezento プレゼント
Present. - gifuto ギフト
Gift. - okurimono 贈り物
Given thing. - omiyage お土産
Souvenir. ("produce from earth")
They each have their differences and are used in different circumstances. In the case of Christmas, the word preferred comes from the English "present," purezento.
- kurisumasu purezento クリスマスプレゼント
kuripure クリプレ
Christmas present. - purezento bokkusu プレゼントボックス
Present box. Gift box.
Giving & Receiving
There are a few ways to say you're "giving a present" in Japanese, or "receiving a present." First, let's start with the most basic verb:
- purezento suru プレゼントする
To give a present. To "present."
The above only works because in Japanese the word purezento is also a verb (to present, to gift). The auxiliary suru means "to do," it does not mean "to give."
Another way of saying it is using the verbs kureru, ageru and morau
- purezento wo ageru プレゼントをあげる
To give a present. - purezento wo kureru プレゼントをくれる
To be given a present. (most of the time) - purezento wo morau プレゼントを貰う
To take a present.
Because these are also auxiliary verbs, they can be combined with purezento suru:
- purezento shite ageru プレゼントしてあげる
To present. - purezento shite kureru プレゼントしてくれる
To be presented. (most of the time)
Example Phrases
- purezento shite kurete, arigatou プレゼントしてくれて、ありがとう
[For] presenting [me], thanks.
(very unlikely to be said) - purezento arigatou プレゼントありがとう
Thanks for the present.
(more likely to be said)
- kore, ageru yo これ、あげるよ
This, [I'll] give [to you].
This is for you. *hands present* - purezento wa nani ga hoshii? プレゼントは何が欲しい？
What [do you] want for present?
- kattekureta? 買ってくれた？
[You] bought [it] for [me]? - katteageru 買ってあげる
[I'll] buy [it] for [you].
Buying
- yosan 予算
Budget. "Expected amount." (to buy the present) - kachi 価値
Value. Worth. - nedan 値段
Price.
- kau 買う
To buy. - kattekuru 買ってくる
To go buy and then come back. - kattekita 買ってきた
To have bought and come back.
- en 円
Yen. Anime money! - doru ドル
Dollar.
Receiver
- tomodachi 友達
yuujn 友人
Friend.
- koibito 恋人
Lover. - kareshi 彼氏
Boyfriend. - kanojo 彼女
Girlfriend.
- okusama 奥様
Wife. - dannasama 旦那様
Husband.
Common Gifts
omocha) can be either singular (toy) or plural (toys).The words below are translated to plural, but Japanese plurals don't work the same way they do in English, so the same word () can be either singular (toy) or plural (toys).
Children & Hobbies
- omocha おもちゃ
Toys. - ningyou 人形
Dolls. - geemu ゲーム
Video-games. - hon 本
Books.
- kyarakutaa guzzu キャラクターグッズ
"Character goods." Backpacks, etc. with anime characters. - dizzuni guzzu ヂッズニーグッズ
Disney goods. (same as above, but Disney characters)
- jitensha 自転車
Bicycle. - sanrinsha 三輪車
Tricycle. - supootsu youhin スポーツ用品
Sports goods.
Clothing
- irui 衣類
Clothes. - fasshon ファッション
Fashion.
- baggu バッグ
Bag. - saifu 財布
Wallet. - fasshon komono ファッション小物
Fashion accessories. - akusesarii アクセサリー
Accessories. - ude tokei 腕時計
Wristwatch. - kosume コスメ
Cosmetics.
Other
- pea gifuto ペアギフト
Pair gift.
A matching item, often given from boyfriend to girlfriend or vice-versa so that both of them wear as a pair. - yuumei burando 有名ブランド
Famous brand (of clothing). - yuumei sutoa 有名ストア
Famous store.
Tree
The word for "tree" in Japanese is:
- ki 木
Tree.
However, that's just a normal, everyday tree. The holiday tree is called something else, Englishier:
- tsurii ツリー
Tree. - kurisumasu tsurii クリスマスツリー
Christmas tree.
It also has some less common names, based on Christianity:
- chie no ki 知恵の樹
Tree of knowledge (of good and evil). - seijuu 聖樹
Holy tree.
Concerning the type of tree the Christmas tree is:
- jouryoku shokubutsu 常緑植物
Evergreen plant. "Normally green planted thing." - shin'youjuu 針葉樹
Conifer. - touhi-zoku トウヒ属
Spruces family. Picea. - matsu-zoku マツ属
Pines family. Pinus. - momi-zoku モミ属
Firs family. Abies.
Decorations
The word for decoration in Japanese is:
- kazari 飾り
Decoration. Decorations.
And it comes from a verb, so it has all these sibling words:
- kazaru 飾る
To decorate. - kazari tsukeru 飾り付ける
To decorate. "To attach decorations." - kazari tsuke 飾りつけ
The act of decorating. The attachment of decorations.
Typical Ornaments
- oonamento オーナメント
Ornaments.
- tsurii toppu ツリートップ
Tree-top. Treetopper. - hoshi 星
Star. - tenshi 天使
Angel.
- oonamento booru オーナメントボール
Ornament ball.
Christmas baubles. - gaarando ガーランド
Garland. - mooru モール
Tinsel. - ribon リボン
Ribbon. - beru ベル
Bell.
- ringo リンゴ (林檎)
Apple. - kashirui 菓子類
Pastries. - kyandhi kein キャンディケイン
Candy cane. - men 綿
Cotton. (as fake snow)
- souroku ろうそく (蝋燭)
Candles. - tenshoku 電飾
Decorative illumination. - irumineeshon raito イルミネーションライト
"Illumination light." (yes, really)
Lights of [decorative] illumination. Colored lights. - kurisumasu irumineeshon クリスマスイルミネーション
Christmas illumination.
Weather
Japan is in the northern hemisphere, therefore, in December, when it's Christmas, it is:
- fuyu 冬
Winter.
And the temperature is:
- samui 寒い
tsumetai 冷たい
Cold.
That is, the the weather is samui, while everything you touch is tsumetai. (soto wa samui 外は寒い, but "the wind is cold," can be either kaze wa tsumetai 風は冷たい or kaze wa samui 風は寒い.
When it's cold, it's normal to:
- furueru 震える
To tremble (with cold). To quiver. - kaze wo hiku 風邪を引く
To catch a cold.
So it's better to get something:
- atatakai 暖かいatatakai 温かい
Warm. (暖かい vs. 温かい) - atatakai ie 暖かい家
Warm house. (not cold like outside) - atatakai fuku 暖かい服
Warm clothes. - atatakai ocha 温かいお茶
Warm tea. - atatakai ofuro 温かいお風呂
Warm bath. - atatakai kazoku 温かい家族
Warm family.
That is, the the weather is, while everything you touch is. ( samui vs. tsumetai ). That means "outside is cold,"外は寒い, but "the wind is cold," can be either風は冷たい or風は寒い.When it's cold, it's normal to:
Snow
Since it's cold during Christmas, there's a lot of:
- yuki 雪
sunoo スノー
Snow.
Which is often called:
- shiroi 白い
White. - masshiro 真っ白
Pure white. - shiroi, tsumetai yuki 白い冷たい雪
White, cold snow. - shirokute tsumetai yuki 白くて冷たい雪
White cold snow. - masshiro na yuki 真っ白な雪
Pure white snow. - masshiro de tsumetai yuki 真っ白で冷たい雪
Cold snow that's purely white.
This snow often come from the skies, so:
- furu 降る
To rain. - yuki ga furu 雪が降る
The snow rains. (It's raining snow).
Some more snowy terms:
This snow often come from the skies, so:Some more snowy terms:
- masshiro na yuki no youni 真っ白な雪のように
Like pure white snow. (someone's skin, a character's hair, etc.)
- yukimichi 雪道
Snow-covered road. "Snow road." - yukigumo 雪雲
Snow cloud. - seppen 雪片
sunoo fureeku スノーフレーク
Snow flake. - sunoo buranketto スノーブランケット
Snow blanket. - kousetsu 降雪
Snow fall. "Fall snow." - fubuki 吹雪
Snow storm. "Spew snow."
(also a certain One Punch Man character's name) - hatsuyuki 初雪
"First snow" of the season.
- yukidama 雪玉
Snowball. - yukinage 雪投げ
Snowball fight. "Throwing snow." - marui 丸い
Round. Ball-like.
Snowman
- yukidaruma 雪だるま
sunooman スノーマン
Snowman.
- boushi 帽子
Cap. Hat. - mafuraa マフラー
Muffler. Scarf. - me 目
Eyes. - petto botoru no kyappu ペットボトルのキャップ
Pet bottle's cap. - hana 鼻
Nose. - ninjin ニンジン
Carrot. - kuchi 口
Mouth. - botan ボタン
Buttons. - ishikoro 石ころ
Pebbles.
Religion
As we all know (I think?), Christmas is sort of based on the birth of:
- iesu kurisuto イエス・キリスト
Jesus Christ.
The central idea behind:
- kirisuto-kyou キリスト教
Christianity
Which is a:
- shuukyou 宗教
Religion. - kyoukai 教会
Church. Congregation.
So much that a synonym for "Christmas" in Japanese is:
- seitansai 聖誕祭
"Saint," seijin 聖人
"Birth," tanjou 誕生
"Festival," matsuri 祭
(which is kind of ironic, because seitan pronounced like "Satan," so the word is kind of also "Satan festival." By the way, Satan is just satan サタン in Japanese, the sa is pronounced like sardine.)
By the way, other holy words for Christmas are:
- seiya 聖夜
Holy night. Christmas eve. - seika 聖菓
Holy pastry. Christmas cake. - seijuu 聖樹
Holy tree. Christmas tree.
Which is a:(which is kind of ironic, becausepronounced like "Satan," so the word is kind of also "Satan festival." By the way, Satan is justサタン in Japanese, theis pronounced like sardine.)By the way, other holy words for Christmas are:
Christianity in Japan
Japan isn't a particularly Christian country, but they do celebrate Christmas. Because everybody in the world celebrates Christmas. Not because they are christian or because they care about Christ, of course not.
They celebrate it because it's fun.
And there is food.
And you get presents.
So, in Japan, as well as in many other non-Christian countries, even though they do some Christmas stuff in Christmas, people don't really associate the event and the holidays with Christianity. Because, I mean, who could? What does a fat old man in red clothes breaking into homes going after kids have to do with the bible? I don't really see a connection here.
In practice, this means that, while there's a lot of Christians in Christian countries celebrating the birth of Christ in Christmas, there isn't as many in Japan, so you don't really get to see Christian stuff in Christmas with the same frequency you would see the United States or, for example, in Brazil, where I'm from.
I'm just saying this in case you're wondering why, even though there are so many anime with Christmas episodes, you never see anything Christian related in those episodes, you only see the trees, and decorations, and food, and cake eating, and presents, etc. This would be the why.
Since it's almost Christmas, I figured I should make a list of Japanese words related to the holidays, including some assorted vocabulary and phrases, too.The word Christmas translated to Japanese is just the very same word written with the Japanese alphabet , in a way the Japanese can pronounce
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