Formal to Superior
Workplace · Greeting
You
ご昇進おめでとうございます。今後ますますのご活躍をお祈りしております。
ごしょうしんおめでとうございます。こんごますますのごかつやくをおいのりしております。
Congratulations on your promotion. I wish you continued and ever-greater success in your new role.
Romaji: Go-shōshin omedetō gozaimasu. Kongo masumasu no go-katsuyaku wo oinori shite orimasu. / Reply Romaji: Arigatō gozaimasu. Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Reply
ありがとうございます。これからもよろしくお願いします。
ありがとうございます。これからもよろしくおねがいします。
Thank you. I look forward to continuing to work with you.
Gesture & etiquette
Bow at 30 degrees with genuine warmth; if presenting a congratulatory card, offer it with both hands; your expression should be genuinely happy for them — this is a significant moment in their career.
The phrase 'ますますのご活躍をお祈りしております' (I pray for your ever-greater success) is essentially a formulaic blessing in Japanese professional culture, but it carries genuine warmth when paired with sincere eye contact and a bow. For a written card, adding one personal memory makes the message far more memorable.