Japanese Era (Wareki) Converter
Wondering what year Reiwa 7 is? Convert a Gregorian year into its Japanese era and zodiac, or turn an era year back into a Gregorian one. Everything runs in your browser — the year you enter is never sent anywhere.
This is a year-level approximation. It does not account for the month and day within the year an era changed.
How to Use the Japanese Era Converter
New here? Start by clicking one of the Examples (click to try) chips above the input (Year 2024 → Reiwa, Reiwa 6 → year, and so on). The year and direction are set for you and the result appears instantly.
Once you're comfortable, just pick a direction and type a year. The tool converts live as you type, so there's no button to press. Handy for reading documents, certificates, or resumes that use Japanese era years.
- Use the buttons at the top to choose Gregorian → Era or Era → Gregorian.
- For Gregorian → Era, enter the Gregorian year (e.g. 2025). The era name and zodiac sign appear.
- For Era → Gregorian, choose the era and enter the year (e.g. Reiwa 7). The Gregorian year appears.
- Use Copy Result to paste the conversion wherever you need it.
Worked Example
For instance, choose Gregorian → Era and type 2024 — you'll get Reiwa 6 (zodiac: Dragon). Switch to Era → Gregorian and enter Reiwa 6, and you'll get 2024 back.
What Are Japanese Eras (Wareki)?
Japan counts years using era names (wareki) tied to each emperor's reign, alongside the Gregorian calendar. The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began in 2019, so 2019 is Reiwa 1. It follows Heisei (平成, from 1989), Shōwa (昭和, from 1926), Taishō (大正, from 1912), and Meiji (明治, from 1868). Each era restarts the count at year 1, and "year 1" of an era is often written as gannen (元年).
Era Starting Years
- Meiji: Meiji 1 = 1868
- Taishō: Taishō 1 = 1912
- Shōwa: Shōwa 1 = 1926
- Heisei: Heisei 1 = 1989
- Reiwa: Reiwa 1 = 2019
This is a year-level approximation. Because an era can change partway through a year, please check an actual calendar for dates around a transition.
Handy When You Need To
- Fill in a birth year in Japanese era format on a form or resume.
- Work out how long ago a Heisei or Shōwa year was.
- Read an older certificate or contract that uses a Japanese era year.
- Look up the zodiac animal for a given year.