明けましておめでとうございます (Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu, Happy New Year)! With the dawn of 令和5年 (Reiwa go-nen, the fifth year of the Reiwa Era ), also known as 2023, one thing on a lot of minds is 新年の抱負 (shinnen no hōfu, new year’s resolutions/aspirations).
While it’s pretty easy to come up with resolutions — 毎日ジムに行くこと (mainichi jimu ni iku koto, going to the gym every day), 1ヶ月に本を一冊読むこと (ikkagetsu ni hon o issatsu yomu koto, reading one book a month), 家族の手紙を書くこと (kazoku ni tegami o kaku koto, writing letters to family) — sticking to them is the hard part.
According to online guides that detail how to stick to your 新年の抱負 past February, one important point is 自分、あるいは他の人に責任を持たされる (jibun, aruiwa hoka no hito ni sekinin o motasareru, to be held accountable by yourself or by others). For that reason, let’s talk about how to stick to your resolutions, and how to talk about sticking to them with others in Japanese.