“Merry Christmas” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Merry Christmas!
“Merry Christmas” in Chinese is 圣诞快乐, Shèngdàn kuàilè — roughly “shung-dahn kwai-luh”. Word for word it is “Christmas happy”: the occasion comes first, the wish second, exactly as in 生日快乐 “happy birthday” and 新年快乐 “Happy New Year”.
What “shengdan kuaile” means
- 圣诞shèngdànChristmas (literally “the holy birth”)
- 快乐kuàilèhappy, joyful
- 圣诞节shèngdànjiéChristmas Day, the holiday
圣 is “holy, saint” and 诞 is “birth”, so 圣诞 is the holy birth; add 节 “festival” and you get the name of the holiday, 圣诞节. 快乐 is the “happy” of every Chinese greeting card. The sh is like English “sh” but with the tongue curled back, and the e in shèng and lè is not the “e” of “bed” but a short “uh”, as in “the”.
The same pattern works for any holiday: 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè “Happy New Year”, 节日快乐 jiérì kuàilè “happy holidays”. To wish it to someone in particular, put 祝你 “I wish you” in front: 祝你圣诞快乐！
- 新年快乐！xīnniánkuàilèHappy New Year!
- 祝你圣诞快乐！zhùnǐshèngdànkuàilèI wish you a merry Christmas!
- 圣诞快乐，新年快乐！shèngdànkuàilè,xīnniánkuàilèMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Christmas words in Chinese
- 圣诞老人shèngdànlǎorénSanta Claus (“the Christmas old man”)
- 圣诞树shèngdànshùChristmas tree
- 平安夜píng’ānyèChristmas Eve (“the peaceful night”)
- 礼物lǐwùpresent, gift
- 苹果píngguǒapple
- 你想要什么礼物？nǐxiǎngyàoshénmelǐwùwhat present would you like?
- 我收到了你的礼物。wǒshōudàolenǐdelǐwùI got your present
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “merry Christmas” in Chinese?
“Merry Christmas” in Chinese is 圣诞快乐, in pinyin shèngdàn kuàilè.
How do you pronounce 圣诞快乐?
圣诞快乐 is read shèngdàn kuàilè. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “merry Christmas” in Chinese characters?
圣诞快乐 is 4 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 圣诞快乐 mean?
圣诞快乐 (shèngdàn kuàilè) means “merry Christmas”.
Wish someone well in Chinese
In the course wishes, greetings and dates come up in real dialogues, and you say them out loud. Start with the first lessons, free during the beta.
Start for free