Coming of Age Day
Coming of Age Day is a public holiday that celebrates 20-year-olds, a big day for them and their families. This lesson gives you the words for the ceremony, the kimono and the photos, and for talking about growing up, with the age words from Everyday Japanese 2. Tap to hear any line. The bar at the bottom plays a hands-free drill for walking.
About this festival
Coming of Age Day, , is a public holiday on the second Monday of January. Towns and cities hold a ceremony, , for young people who turn 20 during that school year: speeches in a civic hall, then photos and reunions with old classmates.
The legal age of adulthood dropped from 20 to 18 in 2022, but most places still hold the ceremony at 20, and many now call it . Drinking and smoking are still from 20.
Many women wear a , a long-sleeved kimono, often rented and booked a year or more ahead, with hair and kimono dressing done before dawn. Families often have formal photos taken months before, . Most men wear suits; some wear . In some areas, especially snowy ones, the ceremony is held in summer instead, when young people are home.
25 words for the big day
Each card shows a word and a sentence you'd hear from a family getting ready, or say to one. Seven reuse words from earlier lessons.
Ages and the big day
What 18 and 20 mean, and what happens before and on the day.
| When | What it means | Word |
|---|
- . Twenty years old has its own word. is correct too, but is what people say.
- Turning an age. Use になる: (I've turned 20), (to grow up).
- You'll hear. on banners and from neighbours. A simple おめでとう is fine from you.
Three patterns to use today
Say it in Japanese
Say each one out loud before you reveal the answer. Getting close counts.