Omedetō: casual, polite and formal
おめでとう (omedetō) comes from the adjective めでたい (medetai), joyful or auspicious. Said on its own, with a smile, it covers any good news among friends and family. Yatta ne, "you did it", or yokatta ne, "that's great", often come just before or after it.
Adding gozaimasu makes it polite: おめでとうございます (omedetō gozaimasu). This is the version for work, for people older than you, for customers and for anyone you are not close to. At ceremonies, in speeches and in formal greetings, people use humble verbs: kokoro yori o-iwai mōshiagemasu, "I offer my heartfelt congratulations".
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おめでとう！ | Omedetō! | Congratulations! |
| 本当におめでとう！ | Hontō ni omedetō! | Congratulations, really! |
| おめでとうございます。 | Omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations. (polite) |
| 心よりお祝い申し上げます。 | Kokoro yori o-iwai mōshiagemasu. | My heartfelt congratulations. (formal) |
| やったね！よかったね！ | Yatta ne! Yokatta ne! | You did it! That's great! |
| Level | Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | おめでとう (omedetō) | Friends, family, younger people |
| Polite | おめでとうございます (omedetō gozaimasu) | Colleagues, seniors, customers |
| Formal | 心よりお祝い申し上げます (kokoro yori o-iwai mōshiagemasu) | Speeches, ceremonies, formal greetings |
Birthdays and anniversaries
For birthdays, put tanjōbi, birthday, in front: tanjōbi omedetō. The polite form adds the honorific o: o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu. Happī bāsudei is also widely used, especially in the birthday song. Among friends you can add a wish for the year ahead.
Wedding anniversaries are kekkon kinenbi. Milestone birthdays for older people have their own names, such as kanreki at sixty, and are celebrated with extra care; o-iwai, celebration, is the key word.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 誕生日おめでとう！ | Tanjōbi omedetō! | Happy birthday! |
| お誕生日おめでとうございます。 | O-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu. | Happy birthday. (polite) |
| 素敵な一年になりますように。 | Suteki na ichinen ni narimasu yō ni. | I hope you have a wonderful year. |
| 結婚記念日おめでとう。 | Kekkon kinenbi omedetō. | Happy wedding anniversary. |
| 還暦おめでとうございます。 | Kanreki omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your sixtieth birthday. |
Weddings and engagements
For a wedding, use the honorific go with kekkon, marriage: go-kekkon omedetō gozaimasu. With a close friend, kekkon omedetō is fine. Engagement is kon'yaku. At the wedding reception itself, guests often say omedetō gozaimasu to both the couple and their families.
Wedding speeches in Japan avoid imikotoba, words associated with separation or repetition, such as wakareru, to part, kiru, to cut, and repeated words like kasanegasane. In casual chat nobody will notice, but in a speech it is worth checking your wording.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ご結婚おめでとうございます。 | Go-kekkon omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your wedding. |
| 結婚おめでとう！お幸せに！ | Kekkon omedetō! O-shiawase ni! | Congratulations on getting married! Be happy! |
| 婚約おめでとう。 | Kon'yaku omedetō. | Congratulations on your engagement. |
| 本日は誠におめでとうございます。 | Honjitsu wa makoto ni omedetō gozaimasu. | Warmest congratulations on this day. (formal) |
| 末永くお幸せに。 | Suenagaku o-shiawase ni. | May you be happy for many years to come. |
Exams, graduation, new jobs and promotions
School and work milestones are big events in Japan. 合格 (gōkaku) means passing an exam or getting into a school, and gōkaku omedetō is what you say to a student who got in. 卒業 (sotsugyō) is graduation, and 入学 (nyūgaku) is starting at a school.
For work, 就職 (shūshoku) is getting a job, especially a first job after school, and 昇進 (shōshin) is a promotion. In polite speech these usually take go: go-shūshoku, go-sotsugyō, go-shōshin. For a colleague who is moving on, go-eiten, a promotion or transfer to a better post, is a formal and flattering word.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 合格おめでとう！ | Gōkaku omedetō! | Congratulations on passing! |
| ご卒業おめでとうございます。 | Go-sotsugyō omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your graduation. |
| ご就職おめでとうございます。 | Go-shūshoku omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your new job. |
| ご昇進おめでとうございます。 | Go-shōshin omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your promotion. |
| 努力が実ったね。 | Doryoku ga minotta ne. | Your hard work paid off. |
| 新しい職場でも頑張ってください。 | Atarashii shokuba demo ganbatte kudasai. | Good luck at your new workplace. |
Babies and other family news
For the birth of a baby, the polite phrase is go-shussan omedetō gozaimasu, from 出産 (shussan), childbirth. Casually, akachan umareta n da, omedetō!, "your baby's arrived, congratulations!", sounds warm. People often ask about the baby's health and the mother's recovery straight after.
Pregnancy news is usually shared only once the parents are ready, so wait until they tell you. Then ninshin omedetō or, more politely, go-ninshin omedetō gozaimasu. Moving into a new home is shinkyo, and shinkyo omedetō is common when visiting.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ご出産おめでとうございます。 | Go-shussan omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on the birth of your baby. |
| 赤ちゃん生まれたんだ、おめでとう！ | Akachan umareta n da, omedetō! | Your baby's here, congratulations! |
| 母子ともに元気ですか。 | Boshi tomo ni genki desu ka. | Are mother and baby both well? |
| ご懐妊おめでとうございます。 | Go-kainin omedetō gozaimasu. | Congratulations on your pregnancy. (very formal) |
| 新居おめでとう。 | Shinkyo omedetō. | Congratulations on your new home. |
Seasonal omedetō: New Year and more
The most common use of omedetō in the whole year is at New Year: akemashite omedetō gozaimasu, literally "congratulations on the year opening". You say it from 1 January for the first days you meet someone, usually with kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu, "I look forward to your support this year too".
Before New Year, the greeting is yoi o-toshi o, "have a good year", not akemashite omedetō. Our guide to the Japanese New Year, oshōgatsu, covers the whole season.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| あけましておめでとうございます。 | Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu. | Happy New Year. |
| あけおめ！ | Akeome! | Happy New Year! (slang) |
| 今年もよろしくお願いします。 | Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. | Here's to another year together. |
| よいお年を。 | Yoi o-toshi o. | Have a good New Year. (before 1 January) |
How it's written, and how to reply
Omedetō is normally written in hiragana, おめでとう. The kanji 御目出度う and お目出度う exist, but they are ateji, characters picked for their sound and lucky meaning, and they look old-fashioned or decorative today. On cards and banners you may also see 祝 (iwai), celebration, as in 祝 ご結婚. For writing longer messages, see our guide to birthday and congratulation messages.
When you are congratulated, thank the person simply. Arigatō with friends, arigatō gozaimasu politely. Okagesama de, "thanks to you", shows that you owe your success partly to others, and it is especially gracious towards teachers, managers and family.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ありがとう！ | Arigatō! | Thank you! |
| ありがとうございます。おかげさまで。 | Arigatō gozaimasu. Okagesama de. | Thank you. It's all thanks to you. |
| 皆さんのおかげです。 | Minasan no okage desu. | It's thanks to all of you. |
| うれしいです。ありがとうございます。 | Ureshii desu. Arigatō gozaimasu. | I'm so happy. Thank you. |
| まだまだですが、頑張ります。 | Madamada desu ga, ganbarimasu. | I still have a long way to go, but I'll do my best. |
Common mistakes when saying congratulations
- Saying omedetō to your manager: it sounds too casual. Use omedetō gozaimasu.
- Forgetting the occasion word: omedetō gozaimasu alone is fine, but naming it, as in go-shōshin omedetō gozaimasu, shows you know what happened.
- Mixing up go and o: most Sino-Japanese words take go (go-kekkon, go-shussan), while tanjōbi takes o (o-tanjōbi).
- Saying akemashite omedetō in December: before the new year, the greeting is yoi o-toshi o.
- Congratulating a pregnancy before the parents announce it: wait until they tell you themselves.
- Writing the kanji 御目出度う in everyday messages: it looks old-fashioned. Use hiragana.