Happy New Year in Chinese: Bring the Festive Mood to Your Home

New Year is a favorite holiday for millions; the festive atmosphere and amazing mood usually cheer everyone up. While the whole world celebrates New Year on the night of December 31st, according to the Gregorian calendar, the inhabitants of China prefer the Eastern one. Greeting each other is essential for residents, so knowing about Happy New Year in Chinese will be beneficial.

Learning Chinese is not easy, and it takes a lot of work and perseverance to succeed. A unique system consisting of a thousand characters and a radically different mentality are the real challenges for learners. However, nothing is impossible for someone who strives for their goals.

Chinese New Year greeting is the topic of today’s lesson. This holiday is valued in the country and far beyond its borders. According to statistics, around 1.5 billion people globally celebrate it. Are you ready to learn more about the country’s holiday traditions and get acquainted with the most popular congratulations? Stay tuned, as it’s time to replenish your New Year vocabulary!

History and Peculiarities of the Chinese New Year

While most of the planet considers the New Year a winter event, things are drastically different in China. Residents of the country call this day the “Spring Festival.” Interestingly, it has no fixed date; Chinese New Year is celebrated annually from January 21st to February 20th. 

Calculating the date is sometimes difficult because you must refer to the lunar calendar. The New Year is celebrated on the day of the winter new moon after the solstice. Of course, it’s enough to Google the holiday date if you don’t want to keep track of all natural processes.

Traditionally, the Chinese celebrate the New Year for 15 days. They are considered official weekends – no one is working, and most people prefer spending time with their families and friends. It’s a perfect period to take a break, have a rest, and form plans for the following year.

Of course, the Chinese don’t spend all the time at home during holidays. They prefer visiting their relatives and friends, exchanging presents, and eating delicious dishes. Greetings are essential in the country, so don’t be surprised if you visit China during the holidays and receive congratulations from strangers on the streets. Of course, it’s better to provide a comprehensive reply in such an instance. Therefore, understanding what locals say and knowing the basic Chinese greetings will be helpful.

Learn the Basics First

Chinese is one of the most widespread languages: over 1.3 billion of the globe’s population speak it. It’s official in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Macao. Moreover, residents of other countries, including Thailand, the US, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam, often choose it as a second language. Learning the basics, including the main hieroglyphs, is essential for every student. You will be able to go further if you have general knowledge.

Unlike other languages, learning Chinese does not start with grammar and simple words but with writing. Learning hieroglyphs correctly is another challenge, without which you will not be able to advance in learning. It will take time, but the attempt is totally worth it since you will start mastering one of the most difficult languages.

Therefore, download the Promova app to familiarize yourself with the basics to strengthen your knowledge later. And if you are no longer a beginner, keep reading because you can learn more about congratulations on the New Year right in the next paragraph.

How to Say Happy New Year in Mandarin: Popular Expressions You Need to Know

New Year is always full of magic and positive emotions. Receiving greetings is pleasant, but providing others with congratulations is even more exciting. The Chinese culture is rich and unique, so take the chance to spend the winter holidays in this unforgettable atmosphere. And, of course, grab some ideas on what to say for Chinese New Year:

1. 过年好 [guònián hǎo] – Happy New Year!
2. 新年好 [xīnnián hǎo] – Good New Year!
3. 过年好 [guònián hǎo] – Have a Happy New Year!
4. 農曆新年快樂 [xīnnián kuài] – Happy Lunar New Year!
5. 新年快乐 [xīnniánkuàilè] – Happy New Year!
6. 春节快乐 [chūnjié kuàilè] – Happy Spring Festival!
7. 恭贺新禧 [gōnghè xīn xǐ] – I wish you a Happy New Year!

These are the standard greetings that are suitable for every person. Do you think you can find something for your acquaintances? You can use any of the above-mentioned expressions when talking to friends, co-workers, family members, and even strangers on the streets. Even if you don’t plan to master the language, memorize these phrases, as you never know when such knowledge will come in handy.

What to Wish for the New Year: Popular Chinese New Year Sayings

Everyone wants to hear pleasant words on a special Spring Festival and wish others happiness, prosperity, and well-being. The inhabitants of China are sincere and eloquent in their congratulations, so there is a huge variety of phrases that you can use during the New Year. Catch a few ideas:

1. 大吉大利 [dài/dà jí dài/dà lì] – good luck and profit.
2. 吉祥如意 [íxiáng rúyì] – good fortune as you wish.
3. 心想事成 [xīnxiǎng shì chéng] – may all your wishes come true.
4. 祝你健康快樂 [zhù nǐ jiànkāng kuài] – I wish you health and happiness.
5. 祝您生活順利、幸福 [zhù nín shēnghuó lì xìngfú] – wish you a smooth and happy life.
6. 恭喜发财 [gōngxǐ fācái] – wish you happiness and prosperity.
7. 祝你好運 [zhù nǐhǎo] – wish you lots of luck.
8. 阖家欢乐 [hé jiā huānlè] – happiness for the whole family.
9. 吉祥如意 [jíxiáng rúyì] – good life and luck according to your wishes.
10. 祝你夢想成真 [zhù nǐ xiǎng chéngzhēn] – may all your dreams come true.

Learning all these expressions seems challenging for some, but nothing is impossible for those who want to master Chinese. Knowing such a basis is essential even for tourists; you don’t have to speak the language fluently when visiting the country. However, it would be a benefit if you were able to understand and congratulate others during a trip, especially if it falls for the Chinese New Year.

Top Greetings for Co-Workers & Business Partners

The New Year holidays are a reason to congratulate every person, and colleagues are no exception. Of course, such greetings should be more formal, as Chinese usually keep their distance at work. Take a look at some ideas:

1. 新年快乐 [xīnniánkuàilè] – Happy Chinese New Year.
2. 祝您財務狀況良好 [zhù nín liánghǎo] – wish you financial well-being.
3. 飞黄腾达 [fēihuángténgdá] – rapid career success.
4. 升官发财 [shēngguān fācái] – get promoted and become rich.
5. 年年有余 [niánnián yǒuyú] – may you have abundance every year.
6. 生意興隆 [shēngyì lóng] – wish you have a lot of businesses.
7. 工作順利 [gōngzuò lì] – wish your work goes smoothly. 

Remember that congratulations to colleagues should be restrained and concise. The Chinese always adhere to business etiquette and never cross the line. Of course, you can use more familiar greetings if you are on friendly terms with a co-worker, but it’s better to consider formal congratulations in the office.

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Greeting Your Partner: What to Say for Chinese New Year

Celebrating such a special holiday with a loved one is a real destiny present, and most people want to give special congratulations to their favorite person. Choosing the right words is sometimes challenging, so you can search for some ready-made solutions:

1. 祝你夢想成真 [zhù nǐ xiǎng chéngzhēn]​​ – wish all your dreams come true.
2. 祝我一生所愛新年快樂 [zhù wǒ yīshēng suǒ xīnnián kuài] – Happy New Year to the love of my life.
3. 萬事如意 [shì rúyì] – wish you get everything you want.
4. 好运连连 [hào yùn liánlián] – good luck again and again.
5. 五福临门 [wǔ fú lín mén] – may the five blessings come to you.

Of course, these are just the examples you can use; think over your Happy New Year greeting in Chinese to the beloved person and prepare beforehand to ensure you say everything correctly. Remember that it’s important for the words to come from your heart. In such a way, your partner will see all your love and warm feelings during this memorable holiday. Don’t forget to prepare a nice gift to make the celebration even lovelier.

How to Wish Happy New Year in Chinese: Greeting Friends & Loved Ones

It’s impossible to imagine any holiday without our close people. Chinese residents have the same traditions, as they usually spend New Year with their family and friends. Of course, greetings for the closest ones are sincere and full of love, so don’t forget to add some pleasant words to your gifts. You can take advantage of some standard greetings:

1. 招财进宝 [zhāo cái jìn bǎo] – may wealth and treasures fill your home.
2. 大吉大利 [dài/dà jí dài/dà lì] – may you have luck and profit.
3. 新年大吉 [xīnnián dài/dà jí] – wish you luck for New Year.
4. 身体健康 [shēntǐ jiànkāng] – wish you good health.
5. 福寿双全 [fú shòu shuāngquán] – may you enjoy both longevity and blessing.
6. 万事如意 [wànshì rúyì] – may everything go as you wish.
7. 馬到功成 [dào gōng chéng] – wish your venture ends successfully.

Congratulations are fairly standard; as in other countries, in China, it is customary to wish health, good luck, long life, and prosperity. It would not be superfluous to wish for increased profits since many Chinese residents devote a lot of time to their careers, striving for financial well-being. Now you know more about how to wish Happy Chinese New Year – we hope expressions in this country will be helpful for our readers. Get more practice using these phrases to strengthen your speaking skills.

Learning Chinese with Promova

Many prefer learning languages on their own, and it’s possible due to the broad range of materials available to students. However, such a task would be challenging when talking about such languages as Chinese. There are so many language peculiarities, so the help of professionals is a perfect idea. Therefore, pay attention to the Promova platform, a one-stop solution for reaching different fluency levels.

You can download our Chinese learning app and take your guided courses wherever you are. The application is free, and the installation won’t take more than a few minutes. You can also broaden your prospects and make the maximum of your education with a Premium subscription. 

Guided courses include vocabulary lists, flashcards, and bite-sized quizzes. Our interactive lessons will help you with mastering useful collocations Chinese natives use in everyday life. To kick-start your language learning journey, a few minutes a day will be enough.

Learn how you say Happy Lunar New Year and explore many other exciting topics with Promova. Regularity is the key to success when learning a language, so remember to practice at least a little daily.

Conclusion

Chinese New Year is a unique holiday, preserving all the country’s traditions, so it’s not surprising locals love it so much. It’s exciting that the Spring Festival is celebrated far beyond the state’s borders: for instance, many people in the US also enjoy it. Greeting close people and strangers is a part of the 15-day holiday. 

Knowing how to say Happy New Year in Chinese will help you better understand the country’s residents and dip into their traditions. Moreover, it’s a chance to strengthen your language skills and avoid communication barriers when traveling to the region.