Chinese New Year Greetings In Different Languages

No matter where you are from, or where you reside, languages connect you with the heart and soul of any culture. Even though Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian cultures and communities in many different languages, it would be a welcomed blessing to wish and greet one another in the native language of their culture as a celebration of togetherness; which is what Lunar New Year is all about.

Here are some key greeting phrases for the Lunar New Year in Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.

Chinese

恭喜发财 (Gōng xǐ fā cái): “Happiness and Prosperity” This is one of the most commonly used greetings in Chinese New Year, which is a wish for one to receive happiness and prosperity.

新年快乐 (Xīn nián kuài lè): “Happy New Year” The “Gōng xǐ fā cái” greeting is usually followed up by this Happy New Year phrase.

大吉大利 (Dà jí dà lì): “Lots of luck and profits”

身体健康 (Shēn tǐ jiàn kāng): “Enjoy good health”

阖家幸福 (Hé jiā xìng fú): “Happiness for the whole family”

工作顺利(Gōng zuò shùn lì): “May your work go smoothly”

吉祥如意 (jí xiáng rú yì): “Good fortune according to your wishes”

Vietnamese

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (chook-moong-numb-moi): “Happy New Year” This is the easiest and most commonly used greeting during Tết.

An khang thịnh vượng (ang khang tinh vuoung): “Security, good health, and prosperity” This phrase is usually added onto Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Sức khỏe dồi dào (suok kwea yoi yao): “Plenty of health”

Vạn sự như ý (vant-su-nhu-ee) “May all your wishes go according to your will”

Korean

새해복많이받으세요(sae hae bok manhi bah doo seh yo): “Happy New Year” To be more specific, this phrase means “Please receive lots of luck this New Year”, but it is generally understood among Koreans as the standard Lunar New Year greeting. 희망찬새해되세요 (hee mang chan sae hae dwe se yo): “May your New Year be filled with hope”

새해에는가정에행복이가득하길바랍니다 (sae hae e neun ga jeong e haeng bok i ga deuk ha gil ba ram ni da): “Wishing you abundant happiness within your family”