1.
New Year's postcard; nengajo postcard
A special postcard sent to friends, relatives, and business contacts to convey New Year's greetings. Sold by Japan Post with lottery numbers printed on them. Tradition calls for them to arrive on January 1st.
年賀はがきを五十枚買った。
I bought fifty New Year's postcards.
年賀はがきの受付は十二月十五日から始まる。
Acceptance of New Year's postcards begins on December 15th.
最近はメールやSNSが増えて、年賀はがきを出す人が減ってきている。
Recently, with the increase in email and social media, fewer people are sending New Year's postcards.
Composed of 年賀 (New Year's greeting) and はがき (postcard). Japan Post sells special 年賀はがき every autumn with a lottery number (抽選番号) on each card — winners are announced in mid-January.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Sending 年賀はがき is one of Japan's most important seasonal customs. Cards are written in December and posted early enough to arrive on 元旦 (January 1st). Japan Post holds them and delivers them all at once on New Year's Day. The custom is declining due to digital communication but remains important for formal and business relationships.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 年賀はがきを出す: to send New Year's postcards
- 年賀はがきを書く: to write New Year's postcards
- 年賀はがきの当選番号: New Year's postcard winning numbers
- 年賀はがきの印刷: printing New Year's postcards
- お年玉つき年賀はがき: New Year's postcard with lottery prize
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 年賀状: New Year's greeting card — the broader term covering all forms of written New Year's greetings, while 年賀はがき specifically refers to the postcard format
- 暑中見舞い: summer greeting card — a similar seasonal card tradition for midsummer