How to Write Merry Christmas in Japanese
While it's self-explanatory that people want to know how to write 'Merry Christmas' in Japanese so they can send cards and greet their friends on email, what you may not know, is that:
- Not only is December 25th NOT a national holiday in Japan (probably because according to Wikipedia, Christians only make up an estimated 1% of the Japanese population),
- Christmas Eve is treated more like how Valentine's Day is treated in the West - as a day for romance and an opportune time to express your love to someone. This is largely due to the media-hype in Japan.
How to Write Merry Christmas in Japanese
There are no Japanese symbols (Kanji) to represent "Merry Christmas". Instead, it's translated into the Japanese pronunciation as "Merii Kurisumasu".
Since it's a non-Japanese expression / foreign word, native Japanese people commonly write this phrase in Katakana or just in plain English as "Merry Xmas" or "Merry Christmas".
Incidentally, most Japanese understand these English words " Merry Xmas" or "Merry Christmas" because they're so well-known all over the world.
Romaji: Merii Kurisumasu
Kanji: None
Katakana: メリークリスマス
Hiragana: めりいくりすます
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