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元日 (ganjitsu) Japanese meaning: New Year's Day | Kotomora

元がん日じつ

が

ん

じ

つ

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

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.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉で元がん日じつを迎むかえるto see in New Year's Day at a place
今こん年ねんは温おん泉せんで元がん日じつを迎むかえた。
This year, I saw in New Year's Day at a hot spring.
元がん日じつを祝いわうto celebrate New Year's Day
家か族ぞくみんなで元がん日じつを祝いわった。
The whole family celebrated New Year's Day together.

Kanji

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

Related words

元がん旦たんN3
元日 covers the entire day of January 1st, while 元旦 refers specifically to its morning.
正しょう月がつN4
元日 is just January 1st, whereas 正月 refers to the broader New Year's holiday period spanning the first few days of January.
年ねん頭とうN1
元日 specifically means New Year's Day (January 1st), while 年頭 more broadly refers to the beginning period of the year.

Opposites

大おお晦日みそかN3
元日 is New Year's Day (January 1st), while 大晦日 is the last day of the year (December 31st) that precedes it.

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  Standard kanji form; the reading がんにち is obsolete.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

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.

out-dated reading