ことよろ

• Reading: ことよろ
• Romaji: kotoyoro
• Pronunciation: /ko.to.jo.ɾo/

Meaning

A texting abbreviation for 'best regards this year too' — short for 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku).

ことよろ compresses the New Year greeting 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu, please be kind to me this year too) into a quick four-character message. It's the kind of message blasted out to many friends at once on New Year's Day via LINE or text. The abbreviation is understood universally but is clearly casual — not for formal New Year cards.

Examples

1. あけおめことよろ〜！ Happy New Year, best regards~!
2. 今年もことよろ！遊ぼうね。 Best regards this year too! Let's hang out.
3. ことよろ！去年はありがとね。 Best regards this year! Thanks for last year.

Usage Guide

Context: texting, LINE, New Year greetings

Tone: festive, quick

Do Say

• あけおめことよろ〜！今年も楽しもう (Happy New Year, best regards! Let's have fun this year too)
• ことよろ！また飲みに行こうね (Best regards this year! Let's go drinking again)

Don't Say

• 上司や取引先への年賀状に「ことよろ」は失礼 (Writing 'kotoyoro' on a New Year card to your boss or business partner is rude — use 本年もよろしくお願い申し上げます)

Common Mistakes

• Using ことよろ in formal New Year's correspondence
• Using it outside of the New Year season — it's specifically a January greeting

Origin & History

An abbreviation of 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku). Became widely used in the 2000s with the spread of mobile New Year's greetings. Often paired with あけおめ (short for あけましておめでとう) in the classic combo あけおめことよろ.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s mobile New Year messaging

Generation: All ages (casual contexts)

Social background: Universal casual

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan for casual New Year greetings. The あけおめことよろ combo is iconic.