Translation guide
A social gathering to celebrate Christmas, common in Japan as a festive event with friends, coworkers, or family.
To refer to a Christmas party in general, such as a casual gathering or event.
To refer to a Christmas party held at a workplace, often combined with a year-end celebration (忘年会).
To describe a Christmas celebration at home, typically with family, involving cake and fried chicken.
Specifies a Christmas party at home. Often implies a cozy family gathering with traditional Japanese Christmas foods.
今年は家でクリスマスパーティーをしよう。
Let's have a Christmas party at home this year.
Instead of using a set phrase, you can describe what you do: eat cake, eat chicken, etc. This is natural in casual conversation.
クリスマスパーティー is specifically a Christmas-themed party, while 忘年会 is a year-end party that may or may not have Christmas elements. In workplace contexts, 忘年会 is more common and expected. If you want to emphasize the Christmas aspect, use クリスマスパーティー or クリスマス忘年会.
会社の忘年会はいつも12月中旬だ。
The company year-end party is always in mid-December.
A Japanese Christmas party often includes fried chicken (especially KFC), Christmas cake (a sponge cake with strawberries and cream), and sometimes gift exchanges. It is more of a romantic or family event than a religious one.
クリスマスパーティーに行くの？
Are you going to the Christmas party?
会社でクリスマスパーティーをした。
We had a Christmas party at the office.
The most common and direct way to say 'Christmas party' in Japanese. Used for any kind of Christmas celebration.
今週末、クリスマスパーティーを開くんだ。
We're having a Christmas party this weekend.
クリスマスパーティーの準備はできた？
Are you ready for the Christmas party?
Often used for more organized or formal events, such as school or community Christmas parties. '会' means 'gathering' or 'meeting'.
子供たちのクリスマス会は大成功だった。
The children's Christmas party was a great success.
Literally 'year-forgetting party', this is the standard office year-end party in Japan. It often takes place around Christmas and may include Christmas elements, but it is not specifically a Christmas party. Use this if the focus is on the workplace gathering.
今年の忘年会はクリスマスイブに行われる。
This year's year-end party will be held on Christmas Eve.
A blend of Christmas party and year-end party, explicitly combining both themes. Used when the event is clearly both.
部署のクリスマス忘年会でプレゼント交換をした。
We had a gift exchange at the department's Christmas year-end party.
クリスマスは家族でケーキを食べるよ。
On Christmas, we eat cake as a family.