expression, noun
year-end; end of the year; last days of the year
Refers to the final days of the year, especially the busy period around late December. Often used in contexts of year-end preparations, financial settlements, or seasonal greetings.
年の瀬が近づくと、街は慌ただしくなる。
As the year-end approaches, the streets become bustling.
年の瀬のご挨拶を申し上げます。
I offer you year-end greetings.
年末 is a more neutral, administrative term for the end of the year, while 年の瀬 carries a poetic or traditional nuance, evoking the feeling of the year's final rush.
年の暮れ is similar in meaning but slightly more casual and often refers to the general period of late December, whereas 年の瀬 emphasizes the pressing, busy nature of the year's end.
The expression combines 年 (year) and 瀬 (shallows, rapids), metaphorically likening the end of the year to a swift, narrow passage that must be crossed. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it has been used since at least the Edo period.