Learn important but lesser known Christmas vocabulary words in Japanese. Then, let's learn how to sing Silent Night in Japanese. It is called きよしこの夜 kiyoshi kono yoru which means, "This Holy Night."
Christmas Vocabulary
クリスマス
kurisumasu
Christmas
メリークリスマス
meri- kurisumasu
Merry Christmas
聖誕祭
seitansai
Christmas; holy birthday
[聖 (holy) + 誕 (be born; nativity) + 祭 (feast; festival; celebrate; ritual)]
降誕祭
koutansai
Christmas; nativity
[降 (descend; fall; come down) + 誕 (be born; nativity) + 祭 (feast; festival; celebrate; ritual)]
聖歌
seika
hymn; sacred song; chant
[聖 (holy) + 歌 (song)]
クリスマスキャロル
kurisumasu kyaroru
Christmas carol
聖夜
seiya
holy night; Christmas Eve
[聖 (holy) + 夜 (night; evening)]
クリスマスツリー
kurisumasu tsuri-
Christmas tree
賢者の贈り物
kenja no okuri mono
gifts of the wise men
[賢 (intelligent; wise) + 者 (person; someone) + 贈り (presents; send; give to) + 物 (thing; object); this is also the title of O. Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi]
天使
tenshi
angel
[天 (heaven) + 使 (messenger)]
トナカイ
tonakai
reindeer
イルミネーション
irumine-shon
lights; illumination
Silent Night in Japanese
きよしこの夜
星はひかり
救いの御子は
まぶねのなかに
ねむりたもう
いと安く
kyoshi kono yoru
hoshi wa hikari
sukui no miko wa
mabune no naka ni
nemuritamou
ito yasuku
VOCABULARY
- きよし kiyoshi - Holy
- この kono - this
- 夜 yoru - night
- ほしは hoshi wa - as for the stars
- ひかり hikari - shining
- すくいの sukui no - salvation of [the の tells us where the salvation comes from]
- 御子は miko wa - as for the holy baby
- まぶねの mabune no - horse trough
- なかに naka ni - in (the horse trough)
- ねむり nemuri - sleeping
- たもう tamau - to come [honorific or respectful (sonkeigo); an honorific that basically means the same as (~て)いらっしゃる, but even more honorific]
- いと ito - very [old-fashioned word]
- 安く yasuku - peacefully [the kanji 安 can mean "inexpensive" or "easy" or, as in this case, "peaceful" or "calm."]
