Formal to Acquaintance
Cultural · Seasonal
明けましておめでとうございます。本年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。 — Happy New Year! I look forward to working with you this year as well. (Cultural · Seasonal, Formal to Acquaintance, JLPT N4)
You
明けましておめでとうございます。本年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
あけましておめでとうございます。ほんねんもどうぞよろしくおねがいいたします。
Happy New Year! I look forward to working with you this year as well.
Romaji: Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. Honnen mo douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. / Reply Romaji: Kochira koso, honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
Reply
こちらこそ、本年もよろしくお願いいたします。
こちらこそ、ほんねんもよろしくおねがいいたします。
Likewise — I look forward to working with you this year as well.
Gesture & etiquette
Bow at about 30 degrees — slightly deeper than a normal greeting bow; deliver with genuine warmth and eye contact; the exchange of this phrase is often accompanied by a mutual simultaneous bow.
あけましておめでとうございます' is used ONLY at the start of a new year (typically January 1-15); using it after mid-January is considered odd; paired with 'よろしくお願いいたします' it re-establishes the professional relationship for the new year.