Related words 毎まい 年とし 毎年 is the standard, everyday word for 'every year'. 年々歳々 is more emphatic and literary, stressing the continuous passage of many years.
年ねん 々ねん 年々 means 'year by year' and focuses on gradual change. 年々歳々 is more poetic and emphasizes the unchanging repetition over a long span.
Written forms 年ねん 々ねん 歳さい 々さい
Standard kanji spelling using the common 々 repetition marks.
年ねん 年ねん 歳さい 歳さい
Alternate spelling with full kanji repetition; less common but still encountered.
Etymology From the Chinese phrase 年年歳歳 “year after year,” famously found in the line 年年歳歳花相似 from 劉希夷 ’s poem 代悲白頭翁 .
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