Chinese New Year Vocab – 63 Must Know Words and Phrases
Your Guide to All the Essential Chinese New Year Vocab
Learning Chinese New Year vocab is a great way to find out more about Chinese New Year traditions and practices. It is also the perfect opportunity to take the vocab you've learned and test it out with Chinese friends, a language partner or in Chinese classes.
If you want to find out more about Chinese New Year apart from just the vocab make sure to have a look at our Complete Guide to Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year Vocab – Events and Dates
Chinese New Year Vocab – Greetings and Blessings
Chinese New Year Vocab – Activities, Objects and Decorations
Chinese New Year Vocab – New Year Food
Chinese New Year Vocab – Chinese Zodiac Animals
Chinese Zodiac – Posters
Chinese New Year Vocab – Quiz
Chinese New Year Vocab – Events and Dates
To start off let's have a look at some of the main events and dates that you should be aware of for Chinese New Year.
You'll notice that there are actually quite a few ways to say New Year, however the main one is 春节chūnjié which literally translates to Spring Festival.
English
Chinese
Pinyin
春节
chūnjié
Lunar New Year
农历新年
nóng lì xīn nián
Chinese New Year’s Eve
除夕
chúxī
New Year’s Day
大年初一
dànián chūyī
Day After New Year’s
初二
chūèr
元宵节/正月十五
yuán xiāo jié/zhēngyuèshíwǔ
First month of the lunar year
正月
zhēng yuè
Twelfth month of the lunar year
腊月
làyuè
春运
chūnyùn
Reunion dinner
团圆饭
tuányuán fàn
春节晚会
chūnjié wǎnhuì
庙会
miàohuì
New Years dinner
年夜饭
nián yè fàn
Celebrate the New Year
过年
guònián
New Year’s visit
拜年
bàinián
If you're in Beijing for Chinese New Year, have a look at our list of top things to do below.
Chinese New Year Vocab – Greetings and Blessings
Let's have a look at some of the most common ways.
Happy Holidays – 过年好 guònián hǎo!
As we saw in the last section of Chinese New Year vocab, 过年 guònián means to celebrate the New Year so you simply add 好 hǎo afterwards to wish someone happy holidays.
Happy Spring Festival – 春节快乐 chūnjié kuàilè
Happy New Year – 新年快乐 xīn nián kuài lè
Another standard New Year greeting, however this one can also be used to wish someone a Happy New Year for the Gregorian calendar on 1st January.
Wishing (You) Good Fortune – 恭喜发财 gōngxǐfācái
This is one of the most popular New Year greetings you'll hear in China, 恭喜 gōngxǐ are good wishes, or congratulations and 发财 fācái means to become rich of gather wealth.
Children will often follow up 恭喜发财 gōngxǐfācái with the phrase 红包拿来 hóngbāo ná lái which means “may I have my red envelope please?”. This is normally how children will greet their aunties and uncles during New Year visits.
May all your wishes come true – 祝你心想事成 zhù nǐ xīnxiǎng-shìchéng
Another appropriate time to wish someone this could also be on their birthday for example.
May you have abundance year after year – 年年有余 niánniányǒuyú
Wishing (You) Good Health – 敬祝身体健康 jìng zhù shēntǐ jiànkāng
Good Luck in the Year of the Ox – 牛年大吉 niú nián dàjí
For other years, you can simply replace 牛 niú with the Chinese zodiac animal for that year.
Everlasting peace year after year – 岁岁平安 suìsuì-píng'ān
Lastly we have the simple blessing to wish someone peace 平安 píng'ān year after year.
It's important to remember that 岁岁 suìsuì only refers to year after year in this idiom and can't be used on it's own to mean yearly.
Chinese New Year Vocab – Activities, Objects and Decorations
Along with important dates and New Year greetings there are of course lots of other activities and objects that are a vital part of Chinese New Year.
But are you as familiar with some of the other Chinese New Year activities and objects?
English
Chinese
Pinyin
红包
hóngbāo
Money given to children
as a Lunar New Year gift
压岁钱
yāsuìqián
Gifts
礼物
lǐwù
Fireworks
烟花
yānhuā
Firecrackers
鞭炮
biānpào
Set off firecrackers
放鞭炮
fàng biānpào
Lantern
灯笼
dēnglóng
Comedic skits
小品
xiǎopǐn
Cross-talk
相声
xiàngsheng
Acrobatics
杂技
zájì
Lion dance
舞狮
wǔshī
Dragon dance
舞龙
wǔ lóng
Zodiac
生肖
shēngxiào
Staying up until midnight/through the night
守夜
shǒuyè
They traditionally decorate doorways to bring luck and festivity during the Lunar New Year.
Here are some of the most common decorations you'll see:
Chinese New Year Vocab – New Year Food
Anyone who is familiar with Chinese culture will know how important food is, with particular dishes being eaten for their symbolic meaning.
Dumplings – 饺子 jiǎozi
Dumplings or more specifically 饺子 jiǎozi are a classic lucky New Year food that are traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve (除夕 chúxī).
Jiaozi can be made to look like Chinese gold and silver ingots that were used as money in ancient times.
According to legend the more dumplings you eat the richer you will become in the New Year.
Glutinous rice dumplings – 汤圆 tāngyuán
Next up we have another kind of dumpling that is popular to eat during Chinese New Year. Unlike jiaozi, it is the name of these dumplings that make them lucky, rather than their shape.
The 圆 yuán in their name is associated with reunion (团圆 tuányuán) and family togethreness.
Fish – 鱼 yú
We already mentioned earlier that fish in Chinese is seen as an auspicious food because it is a homonym for 余 yú meaning surplus.
This makes a fish dish an essential part of any Chinese New Year meal. Having fish every year symbolises the New Year blessing 年年有余 niánniányǒuyú
鱼总是晚餐必不可少的，因为鱼象征着年年有余。Yú zǒng shì wǎncān bì bùkě shǎo de, yīnwèi yú xiàngzhēngzhe nián nián yǒuyú.
How the fish is served varies depending on where in China you are, some areas traditionally serve a whole fish where as in some cities such as Shanghai, it is traditional to have Shanghai smoked fish 上海熏鱼 shànghǎi xūn yú.
Spring rolls – 春卷 chūnjuǎn
Although now eaten and enjoyed all year round, spring rolls were actually originally eaten during Spring Festival, which is actually where they got their name from.
These are a lucky food to eat during the Lunar New Year because they symbolise wealth as their appearance look similar to gold bars.
The lucky saying 黄金万两 is associated with eating them which means “a ton of gold”.
New Year cake – 年糕 niángāo
New Year cake is a glutinous rice cake that is normally eaten as part of the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.
This dish is considered auspicious because the name is a homonym for 年高 “higher year”.
Thus it is eaten to signify higher success in the coming year.
Longevity noodles – 长寿面 chángshòu miàn
Longevity noodles are commonly eaten either during Chinese New Year or on a person's birthday. Originally they are made from one long, unbroken noodle strand and the longer the noodle the bigger the wish for long life. Nowadays they are normally a mixture of very long noodles, rather than just being one single strand.
Fruit – 水果 shuǐguǒ
The main ones are tangerines 桔子 júzi, oranges 橙子 chéngzi and pomelo 柚子 yòuzi
This is again because of the sound or the look of the characters, 桔 jú contains the Chinese character for luck (吉 jí) and 橙 chéng sounds the same as 成 meaning success.
The 柚 yòu in pomelo sounds both like 有 yǒu (to have), and 又 yòu (again) so the more you eat the more wealth you will have.
Chinese New Year Vocab – Chinese Zodiac Animals
English
Chinese
Pinyin
shǔ
Ox
niú
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
lóng
Snake
shé
Horse
Sheep
yáng
Monkey
hóu
Rooster
gǒu
zhū
The Chinese Zodiac begins with the Year of the Rat and then you can follow the order clockwise from the graphic below.
Chinese Zodiac Posters
…
Chinese New Year Vocab – Quiz
Put your Chinese New Year vocab to the test with our quick quiz!
First Name
What is lantern?
What is Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)?
What is fireworks?
What is 春节晚会 chūnjié wǎnhuì?
What is 鞭炮 biānpào?
What is New Year's dinner?
What is 红包 hóngbāo?
What is 生肖 shēngxiào?
What is Lantern Festival?
What are Spring Festival couplets?
What are temple fairs?
What is 除夕chúxī?
What is 礼物 lǐwù?
What is 春运 chūnyùn?
What is reunion dinner?
4 out of 3Time is Up!
Chinese New Year Vocab – FAQs
How do you say Chinese New Year in Chinese?Chinese New Year in Chinese is 春节 chūnjié which literally means Spring Festival.
How do you say Happy New Year in Chinese?Happy New Year in Chinese is 春节快乐 chūnjié kuàilè which literally means Happy Spring Festival.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2022?The Chinese zodiac animal for 2022 is the Ox.
What day is Chinese New Year 2021?Chinese New Year 2021 is the 12th February.
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Written by
Katie was fascinated by Chinese culture from a young age which led her to study Chinese and History at university. She now works as a Student Advisor for LTL in Beijing.
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When is the 2022 Lunar New Year?
In 2022, the Chinese New Year will be on February 12th, marking the beginning of the year 4716.
Why February?
It's because the new year is always celebrated on the second new moon following the winter solstice, which usually falls January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar.
The proper festivities will begin on the first day of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar and continue until the moon is full, or the 15th of the lunar month. In other words, until early March.
If you're in China, you're in luck – people often get a week off, though celebrations last much longer.
What Zodiac Sign is 2022 – and Why Use Zodiac Signs?
You can't talk about the Chinese New Year without also talking about the Chinese zodiac.
According to legend, the Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on New Year's Day, but only twelve showed up.
He named a year after each of the twelve animals – the dog, the pig, the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey and the rooster.
According to the Chinese calendar, February 12, 2022, will be the year of the ox. Prior ox years include 1937, 1949, 1971, 1973, 1985, 1997 and 2009.
In Chinese culture, you are believed to have some of the traits of the zodiac animal whose year you were born in.
For those born in the ox year, this includes reliability, fairness, being conscientious and inspiring confidence in other people.
How Do People Celebrate the Chinese New Year?
The big one is the red envelopes, called hong bao in Mandarin and lai si in Cantonese.
Much of what you've probably seen about the Chinese New Year has to do with these red envelopes – they're the reason why a Chinese New Year greeting card should never be neglected.
Traditionally, these are gifts of money that adults with income given to children who don't have income, though the definition of “children” can also be stretched to include unmarried couples.
That said, you should ideally have an amount that is either a round number or ends in 8, a lucky number in China. Avoid any number that contains 4 (an unlucky number) and absolutely avoid coins.
Other than the hong bao/lai si, other traditions include the new year's dinner, cleaning the house (just not on the first three days of the new year – you'll sweep away the good luck) and getting a haircut.
New year, new beginnings.
Writing Your Chinese New Year Greeting Card
And now, the real question: what do you write on your Chinese New Year greeting card?
The Basics
First things first: a Chinese New Year greeting card is not a thank you note – you can't just write anything you want.
There are certain phrases and greetings that are appropriate for some recipients but not others, some phrases which are considered luckier than others, and some that are downright unlucky.
We'll talk about some key phrases, and the phrases you should avoid (and what to say if someone else slips up and says an unlucky phrase).
But before we get that far, keep in mind that the formal greeting for someone older or respected, nin for ‘you', is different than the common, informal ni.
So, if you were giving a Chinese New Year greeting card to someone older, you would greet them with, “Zhu nin…” (Wish you…) instead of, “Zhu ni'? …” (also means “Wish you…” but is informal or for someone younger).
Greetings and Sayings
While you might start to get slightly bored repeating the same phrases, there are a few key phrases that will almost never fail to make your Chinese friends and neighbors happy. These are:
• Gongxi facai – May you come into a good fortune!
• Jiankang changshou – Live long and prosper!
• Wanshi ruyi – All the best!
• Daji dali – Good Luck!
These four phrases will generally be enough to get you around most social settings for the Chinese New Year, but you can also stay classic and use “Xinnian ha'o” “Guonian ha'o,” or “Xinnian kuaile,” all of which mean, “Happy New Year.”
Just do yourself a favor – if you're not a native speaker, check with your friends or family members to make sure you're using the right version of “Happy New Year.” Preferably before you write it on your Chinese New Year greeting card.
Phrases for Health
Of course, the new year is also about health – a fresh year for fresh, exciting beginnings. Wishing someone good health in the new year is a great way to welcome the festivities.
For this, you can use the phrase, “Shenti' jiankang,” which means “enjoy good health.”
If there are children under 10 of your family and friends, you can also use, “Jingling huopo,” which translates to “a bright and happy spirit.” Essentially, you're wishing them to be active and smart in the new year.
Greetings for Work
Because in the Chinese New Year, you also have the gongsi nian hui, which is meant to celebrate the past year of business and look forward to the next.
It's an occasion. Speeches are made recognizing outstanding employees, there's a program of dancing and singing and a fair chance that, one way or another, you'll get roped into being onstage.
For this, no plain old greetings will do. This is when you'll want to use, “X?nni?n kuaile!” (Happy New year!) In person, you can also use, “Tongshimen, wo gei dajia jingjiu wei women laoban -ganbei!” which means, “Colleagues, I'd like to make a toast to our boss – cheers!”
For your greeting card, you can use, “Caiyuan gua'ngjin,” meaning, “Enter broadly into wealth's source,” or “Gongzuo shunli,” which means, “May your work go smoothly.”
Greetings for Students
For the students in your circle, you'll have a separate set of phrases for them, usually directly related to being a student.
Two easy ones to remember are, “Xuexi jinbu,” which means, “progress in studies,” and “Jinba'ng timing,” which translates to, “Success in the examination,” useful for students with a major exam coming up on the horizon.
Greetings for the Family, and an Unusual Phrase
Then, there's family. Where would the holiday be without them?
Not much of anywhere, because family is central to the Chinese New Year – most people travel to be with their families for the celebration, even great distances.
For family, you can use the four key greetings listed earlier, but you can also use these two family-centric greetings, “Hejia huanle,” which translates to, “Felicity of the whole family,” or “Hejia xingfu,” which means, “Happiness for the whole family.”
Taboos
If your head isn't spinning yet, there are some phrases you should absolutely never do or say. These include:
Fortunately, there are phrases you can say to counteract bad luck, such as, “Sui sui ping an,” which means, “Peace all year round.”
If someone says unlucky words, you can also say, “Tong wu wu ji,” which means, “Children say everything but take no offense,” sort of like saying, “Knock on wood.”
Get the Best Chinese New Year Greeting Card
Of course, all your holiday well wishes start with a great greeting card to write them on. We're here to offer some good ideas, whatever you celebrate.