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年明け (としあけ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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A new project starts at the beginning of the year.
It looks like it'll be busy right after the New Year.
Usage patterns 年とし 明あ けに 〈 事こと 〉 something happens/starts at the beginning of the new year
The new project will start at the beginning of the new year.
年とし 明あ けから 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to start doing something from the beginning of the new year
I'm planning to start a new job from the beginning of the new year.
年とし 明あ けを 迎むか える to welcome/greet the New Year
The whole family welcomed the New Year together.
年明としあ け 早々そうそう right at the very start of the new year
A major accident happened right at the start of the new year.
Expressions 年とし 明あ ける the new year begins; the New Year dawns Related words 新年 is the formal term for "the New Year" itself, while 年明け specifically points to the short period right after it starts.
年始 and 年明け both mean the start of the year, but 年始 is often used in set phrases like 年始のあいさつ (New Year's greetings) while 年明け is more temporal.
正月 refers to the New Year holiday period itself with its customs and festivities, while 年明け simply marks the point when the new year begins.
新春 is a poetic, formal word for early spring/New Year used mainly in greeting cards, whereas 年明け is a plain, everyday term for the same period.
Etymology Compound of 年 (とし, 'year') and 明け (あけ, 'beginning' or 'opening'), the nominalized form of 明ける (あける, 'to dawn' or 'to begin'). Literally 'the dawning of the year'.