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元日 (がんじつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

元がん日じつ

が

ん

じ

つ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

Refers specifically to January 1st, the first day of the new year in the modern calendar.

元がん日じつには初はつ詣もうでに行いく人ひとが多おおい。
Many people go for hatsumōde (first shrine visit) on New Year's Day.
元がん日じつは家か族ぞくで過すごすのが恒

こう

例れい

だ

。

It's customary to spend New Year's Day with family.

Written forms

元日Usage100%
- がんじつ
  Standard kanji form; the reading がんにち is obsolete.
- がんにち
  out-dated reading
がんにち
out-dated reading

Kanji

元beginning, former time, origin
日day, sun, Japan

Similar words

元がん旦たん
元旦 refers specifically to the morning of New Year's Day, while 元日 can refer to the entire day.
正しょう月がつ
正月 is a broader term for the New Year's holiday period (typically the first few days of January), not just the single day.

Etymology

From 元 (first, origin) + 日 (day). The reading がんじつ is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; がんにち is an older, now obsolete reading.