成人の日Coming of Age Day · Monday, 11 January 2027
Seijin no Hi wishes and messages, with the Japanese
Thirty-three Coming of Age Day wishes to copy, in Japanese with romaji and English, for parents, friends, grandparents and teachers, and for the new adult's own post. Then the day hour by hour, the gifts that go with it, and the 2027 dates.
33 wishes · Japanese with romaji and English · for parents, friends, grandparents, teachers, and the new adult's own post
書き方What to write
What do you write on a Coming of Age Day card?
Three things, in this order: the fixed phrase 成人おめでとう (seijin omedetō, congratulations on coming of age), one personal line about who they are or a memory you keep, and a wish for the road ahead, for instance これからの道に、たくさんの幸せがありますように. Parents and grandparents can be as warm as they like; a teacher or a boss keeps to polite keigo, with ございます on the end.
Keep it short. The card is read on the morning of the ceremony, between the dresser and the taxi. Then sign it with everyone's names, the way the family would sign a nengajō.
お祝いの言葉The wishes · 33 to copy
Seijin no Hi wishes, by who you are to them
To your son or daughter
From parents. The lines most cards in Japan carry, and a few that say more.
成人おめでとう。あなたが生まれた日のことを、今日も思い出しています。
Seijin omedetō. Anata ga umareta hi no koto o, kyō mo omoidashite imasu.
Congratulations on coming of age. Today, as every day, we remember the day you were born.
二十歳のあなたへ。これからは自分の足で、自分の道を歩いてください。いつでも帰る場所はここにあります。
Hatachi no anata e. Korekara wa jibun no ashi de, jibun no michi o aruite kudasai. Itsudemo kaeru basho wa koko ni arimasu.
To you at twenty: from here, walk your own road on your own feet. There will always be a place to come home to.
自分らしく、素敵な大人になってください。
Jibun rashiku, suteki na otona ni natte kudasai.
Become a wonderful adult, in your own way.
Twenty years ago you arrived in the snow. Today you walk out in a furisode as an adult. We are so proud of you, and so excited for everything ahead.
We taught you to walk, to say thank you, and to always take the last train home. The rest you figured out yourself. Happy Coming of Age Day. We love you.
Adulthood comes with one rule from us: you never have to pretend to be fine. Call us. Congratulations, our grown-up.
健康で、笑顔の多い毎日でありますように。成人おめでとう。
Kenkō de, egao no ōi mainichi de arimasu yō ni. Seijin omedetō.
May your days be healthy and full of smiles. Congratulations on coming of age.
To a friend
For the group chat, the furisode photo and the reunion party afterwards.
大人の仲間入り、おめでとう！今日は一緒に乾杯しよう。
Otona no nakamairi, omedetō! Kyō wa issho ni kanpai shiyō.
Welcome to the grown-ups' club! Let's raise a glass together today.
Twenty! Officially too old to blame it on being a teenager. Congratulations, and see you at the reunion party.
Happy Coming of Age Day. Your furisode is going to break the internet; the rest of us are just background.
成人おめでとう！これからも一緒にたくさんの思い出を作ろうね。
Seijin omedetō! Korekara mo issho ni takusan no omoide o tsukurō ne.
Congratulations on coming of age! Let's keep making memories together.
We made it to twenty and I still have all the embarrassing photos. Congratulations, my friend. The first drink is on me.
To the one who always had my back in school: here's to having each other's backs as adults. Happy Seijin no Hi!
From grandparents & relatives
Warm and a little formal, the way an elder's card reads in Japan.
新しい門出を、心からお祝い申し上げます。
Atarashii kadode o, kokoro kara oiwai mōshiagemasu.
Heartfelt congratulations on your new beginning.
成人おめでとうございます。おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんは、いつもあなたを応援しています。
Seijin omedetō gozaimasu. Ojiichan to obāchan wa, itsumo anata o ōen shite imasu.
Congratulations on coming of age. Grandpa and Grandma are always cheering for you.
Watching you grow has been the joy of our later years. Congratulations on coming of age; be kind, be curious, and come for dinner more often.
これからの人生が、幸多きものでありますように。
Korekara no jinsei ga, sachi ōki mono de arimasu yō ni.
May the life ahead of you be full of good fortune.
From your aunt and uncle: we remember you as a toddler in a tiny yukata. Now look at you in a furisode. Congratulations, and welcome to adulthood.
From a teacher, senpai or boss
Polite keigo for a card to a student, a kōhai or a new colleague.
ご成人おめでとうございます。今後のご活躍を心よりお祈り申し上げます。
Go-seijin omedetō gozaimasu. Kongo no go-katsuyaku o kokoro yori oinori mōshiagemasu.
Congratulations on your coming of age. I sincerely wish you every success in the years ahead.
成人おめでとう。社会人としての一歩を、応援しています。
Seijin omedetō. Shakaijin to shite no ippo o, ōen shite imasu.
Congratulations on coming of age. I'm rooting for your first steps as a working adult.
Congratulations on Coming of Age Day. You were a pleasure to teach, and you will be a pleasure to work alongside. Go well.
From your senpai: the only advice I have is to keep asking questions, even when you're the one in the suit. Congratulations.
Short & for status
One-liners for LINE, an Instagram caption or the card's title.
成人おめでとう！
Seijin omedetō!
Congratulations on coming of age!
晴れの日に乾杯！
Hare no hi ni kanpai!
A toast to your big day!
二十歳、おめでとう。
Hatachi, omedetō.
Twenty. Congratulations.
Happy Coming of Age Day. Welcome to the grown-up table.
Twenty looks good on you. 🎌
輝く未来へ、おめでとう。
Kagayaku mirai e, omedetō.
Here's to a bright future. Congratulations.
Furisode on, chapter one done. Congratulations!
For the new adult to post
Captions for the furisode photo and the thank-you to everyone who came.
無事に成人式を迎えることができました。支えてくれた皆さん、ありがとう。
Buji ni seijin-shiki o mukaeru koto ga dekimashita. Sasaete kureta minasan, arigatō.
I made it to my coming-of-age ceremony. Thank you to everyone who supported me.
Twenty years, one furisode, zero regrets. Thank you, Mum and Dad, for everything up to today.
二十歳になりました。これからもよろしくお願いします。
Hatachi ni narimashita. Korekara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
I turned twenty. Thank you for being in my life, and please keep being in it.
Officially an adult. Unofficially still calling home every day. #SeijinNoHi
当日The day
Coming of Age Day, hour by hour
So you know when the card lands best: before the dresser arrives, or at the dinner table with the first toast.
5:00 · 着付け
Dressing
A furisode takes a professional and a morning: the under-layers, the kimono, the obi tied in a taiko or a decorative knot, hair set, kanzashi placed. Salons book out months ahead; many families start before dawn.
9:00 · 写真
Photographs
A studio portrait, or the family's own at the gate, then with grandparents. Many studios shoot the formal photos on a separate day (maedori) to keep the morning calm.
11:00 · 成人式
The seijin-shiki
The city's ceremony, usually in a hall: a welcome from the mayor, a pledge from the new adults, sometimes a performance. Most run about an hour; the crowd outside runs longer.
13:00 · 参拝
The shrine
A visit to the local shrine to give thanks and pray for the road ahead. Omamori charms are bought, photos are taken under the torii.
16:00 · 同窓会
The reunion
Old classmates from primary and middle school meet up, often for the first time in years. This is where the real stories of the day happen.
19:00 · 乾杯
The first toast
Dinner with the family and, at twenty, the first legal drink: a masu of sake, a glass of champagne, whatever the house pours. Cards and gifts come out here.
贈り物What to give
Coming of Age gifts that go with the card
判子A personal hanko
The seal that signs their adult life: contracts, bank forms, the lease. The classic gift from parents.
財布・時計A wallet or a watch
Something that lasts, in leather or steel, for a first salary to go into and a first job to be on time for.
万年筆A fountain pen
For the thank-you letters they are now expected to write by hand.
お祝い金Oiwai money
In a celebratory envelope tied with red-and-white mizuhiki. Relatives commonly give 10,000 yen; closer family more.
達磨A daruma
Paint one eye on the day, the other when the first big goal is reached.
カードA card that plays
The one thing here that costs nothing: a message in their own name, with a photo, that opens on their phone before the ceremony.
いつ？The dates
When is Coming of Age Day?
The second Monday of January, every year, since 2000. Before that it was fixed on 15 January. The ceremony is for everyone who turns twenty between 2 April of the previous year and 1 April of this one, so some are nineteen on the day and some already twenty. Live countdown →
| 2027 | |
|---|---|
| 2028 | |
| 2029 |
カードPut the wish in a card
A card that plays on their phone before the ceremony
Hatachi is a 50-second animated Coming of Age Day card: the sun and the plum blossom, the shrine in the snow, a furisode or hakama on its stand, the daruma and the first toast, and dawn with paper cranes, carrying their name, your wish, a photo and the ceremony details. Free to build and preview; send one link on LINE, WhatsApp or Instagram.
質問Questions
Seijin no Hi wishes, answered
成人おめでとう (seijin omedetō) among family and friends, 成人おめでとうございます (seijin omedetō gozaimasu) to be polite, and ご成人おめでとうございます (go-seijin omedetō gozaimasu) in formal keigo, for a card from a teacher, a senpai or a boss.
Parents usually open with 成人おめでとう, add one memory or one thing they are proud of, and close with a wish: 自分らしく、素敵な大人になってください (become a wonderful adult, in your own way) is the classic. Keep it short enough to read on the morning of the ceremony, and sign it from everyone.
Friends keep it light: 大人の仲間入り、おめでとう！ (welcome to the grown-ups' club!), a line about the furisode photo or the reunion party, and a promise of the first toast. The friends set above has six to copy.
Legal adulthood has been eighteen since April 2022, but the ceremony and the cards still celebrate twenty, hatachi, because that is the age for drinking and smoking and the age most cities kept for the seijin-shiki, often renamed Hatachi no Tsudoi.
The morning of the ceremony, before the dresser arrives, or the night before. If you are at the family dinner, the card is read with the first toast. Coming of Age Day 2027 is Monday 11 January.
Relatives commonly give 10,000 yen; grandparents and parents often give 30,000 to 50,000 yen or a lasting gift such as a hanko, a watch or a suit. It goes in a celebratory envelope tied with red-and-white or red-and-gold mizuhiki, with 御成人御祝 on the front.
Keep reading
The animated Coming of Age Day card
Five scenes, three taps, furisode or hakama: every scene of the card and the glossary of the day.
When is Coming of Age Day?
Dates for 2027, 2028 and 2029 with a live countdown.
Birthday card maker
For the twentieth birthday itself: playable cards with their photo.
成人おめでとう
Copy a wish, or send it as a card
The words are free to take. The card takes three minutes and lands on their phone before the dresser does.
