あけおめ

• Reading: あけおめ
• Romaji: akeome
• Pronunciation: /a.ke.o.me/

Meaning

Abbreviated form of あけましておめでとう (akemashite omedetō, 'Happy New Year'), used in casual New Year greetings.

あけおめ is the standard casual way to wish someone Happy New Year in text messages and social media. It is almost always paired with ことよろ (short for 今年もよろしくお願いします, 'please be good to me this year too'), forming the set phrase あけおめことよろ. This abbreviation became widespread in the early 2000s with the popularity of New Year's text messages on mobile phones. It is now a cultural fixture of Japanese New Year communication.

Examples

1. あけおめ！今年もよろしくね！ Akeome! Looking forward to another great year!
2. 年明けにLINEであけおめメッセージ送った？ Did you send an akeome message on LINE at midnight?
3. あけおめことよろ！って毎年同じ文面になるよね。 Akeome kotoyoro! You end up sending the same message every year, right?

Usage Guide

Context: LINE, social media, text messages, New Year greetings

Tone: festive, friendly, seasonal

Do Say

• あけおめことよろ！ (Happy New Year, looking forward to another great year!)
• あけおめ～！今年も一緒に頑張ろうね。 (Happy New Year! Let's do our best together this year too.)

Don't Say

• 目上の人に「あけおめ」だけ送る (Don't send just 'akeome' to superiors — write the full あけましておめでとうございます)

Common Mistakes

• Using あけおめ in formal New Year cards (年賀状) to elders or business contacts — the full greeting is required
• Not knowing ことよろ (今年もよろしく) typically follows あけおめ as a set phrase

Origin & History

Abbreviated from あけましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu). Became hugely popular in the early 2000s when sending New Year's text messages (年賀メール) from mobile phones became a national custom.

Cultural Context

Era: Early 2000s with mobile phone texting culture

Generation: All ages (in casual contexts)

Social background: Universal informal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan during the New Year period. あけおめことよろ is one of the most iconic Japanese text abbreviations.