How to say Happy New Year in Chinese

Posted by Lilian Li 12369

happy new year in chinese

Chinese New Year, different from the Western observance on January first, is an important festival based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Because it follows the phases of the moon, the holiday falls on different dates each year.

Also known as Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name, the celebration traditionally runs from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. This makes the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar.

Traditionally, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for families to gather for an annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red papercut-outs and poetic couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness," "wealth," and "longevity." Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red envelopes to family members and close friends.

Here are some words and phrases about Chinese New Year：

xīn nián
新年 new year

chūn jié
春节 spring festival

ɡuònián
过年 celebrate the spring festival

bàinián
拜年 pay a New Year call, wish someone a Happy New Year

xīn nián kuài lè
新年快乐 happy new year

Chūn Jiē Kuài Lè
春节快乐 happy new year

ɡōnɡ hè xīn xǐ
恭贺新禧 happy new year

jí xiánɡ rú yì
吉祥如意 good luck and happiness to you

hónɡ bāo
红包 red paper containing money as a gift

chūn lián
春联 spring festival scrolls, New Year scrolls

tiēchūn lián
贴春联 Pasting spring couplets and pictures