年号

• Reading: ねんごう
• Romaji: nengo
• Kanji breakdown: 年 (nen/toshi) — year; 号 (gou) — name, designation, title, number
• Pronunciation: /nen.ɡoː/

Meaning

Era name; Japanese era designation. An official name given to a reign period in the traditional Japanese calendar system.

Japan's 元号 (gengo) system assigns a new era name with each new emperor's reign, making it a uniquely Japanese way of marking time. 年号 and 元号 are effectively synonymous in modern usage, though 元号 is the more formal term. Major era names include 明治, 大正, 昭和, 平成, and 令和. The announcement of a new era name is a major cultural and media event, and many official documents use 年号 alongside the Western calendar.

Examples

1. 新しい年号が発表された日、テレビ局は一日中特別番組を放送した。 On the day the new era name was announced, television stations broadcast special programming all day long.
2. 履歴書に生年月日を書く際、年号で記すか西暦で記すか迷った。 When writing my date of birth on a résumé, I was unsure whether to use the Japanese era name or the Western calendar.
3. 昭和という年号は1926年から1989年まで使われ、激動の時代を象徴している。 The era name Shōwa was used from 1926 to 1989 and symbolises a turbulent age.

Usage Guide

Context: history, official documents, Japanese calendar, journalism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 年 (year) + 号 (name, designation, title). The 元号 (gengo) system was adopted from China in the 7th century and has been used continuously in Japan since.

Cultural Context

Era: 7th century–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal