Converter › Heisei era › Heisei 1
Heisei 1 in the Western calendar
平成元年
=
1989
Year 1 (gannen 元年) of the Heisei era is 1989 in the Western calendar.
Western year
1989
Kanji form
平成元年
as stamped on coins
Abbreviation
H1
on licenses & forms
Zodiac
己巳 Earth Snake
Era position
Year 1 of 31
Heisei era (Jan 8, 1989 – Apr 30, 2019)
Age today
Era-change year
Heisei 1 began on January 8, 1989. January 1 – 7, 1989 belongs to Shōwa 64.
How to read it
On coins and formal documents the year is written 平成元年 — the first year of an era is written 元年 (gannen, “origin year”), not 1年.
Quick conversion rule: Heisei year + 1988 = Western year (Heisei 1 + 1988 = 1989).