Universal
Cultural · Seasonal
今年も大変お世話になりました。よいお年をお迎えください。 — Thank you so much for everything this year. I wish you a wonderful New Year. (Cultural · Seasonal, Universal, JLPT N4)
You
今年も大変お世話になりました。よいお年をお迎えください。
ことしもたいへんおせわになりました。よいおとしをおむかえください。
Thank you so much for everything this year. I wish you a wonderful New Year.
Romaji: Kotoshi mo taihen o-sewa ni narimashita. Yoi o-toshi wo o-mukae kudasai. / Reply Romaji: Kochira koso. Yoi o-toshi wo.
Reply
こちらこそ。よいお年を。
こちらこそ。よいおとしを。
Likewise. Happy New Year to you too.
Gesture & etiquette
A sincere bow of about 15-30 degrees, depending on the relationship. In business settings, this is often accompanied by the final meeting of the year or a 年末の挨拶 (year-end greeting round). Pair with a handshake only in international business contexts.
「よいお年を」is said in the days leading up to December 31st — it acknowledges the year is ending and wishes the other person well for the transition. After January 1st, switch to 「明けましておめでとうございます」. Using 「よいお年を」in January is a timing error that sounds slightly unusual.