Brush up on your Cantonese ahead of the holidays and learn some basic Chinese New Year greetings!
Lunar New Year is a holiday wrought with traditions and customs that call forth blessings of good fortune. Apart from snacking on auspicious food, sharing a festive meal with the family, and adding cheer to your home with lucky decor, you can also wish someone a prosperous year ahead with Chinese New Year greetings. These phrases often take the place of simple “hello”s during the holiday period, so it’s useful to know a couple if you’re spending time in Hong Kong this Year of the Snake – not to mention if you’re trying to earn some extra lai see by impressing your elders!
Speak like a local with these essential Chinese New Year greetings
1. 新年快樂/蛇年快樂 (Happy New Year/Happy Year of the Snake)
Of course, the first (and safest) thing to greet someone with on CNY is “Happy New Year,” (新年快樂) or sun neen fai lok in Cantonese. Another general Chinese New Year greeting is X年快樂. While the last three characters are the same as those in “Happy New Year,” the first is commonly swapped out for the year’s representative Chinese zodiac. So, for 2025, you can greet someone by saying se neen fai lok (蛇年快樂), which means “Happy Year of the Snake.”
2. 畫蛇添福 (waak se tim fuk)
This Year of the Snake greeting requires a little more explanation. 畫蛇添福, waak se tim fuk, is a play on another saying, 畫蛇添足, waak se tim zuk. The latter idiom literally means “drawing a snake and adding feet to it” and is commonly used to describe any unnecessary action. However, when you swap out the last character for feet (足) with the character for fortune (福), this saying takes on a completely different meaning. Instead of criticising someone for doing something unnecessary, you’ll be blessing them with good fortune instead!
3. 恭喜發財 (kung hei fat choi)
Take note, folks: this is the Chinese New Year greeting you’d want to remember for when you receive lai see (red packets)! Kung hei fat choi (恭喜發財) basically means “congratulations! Get rich!” and is often followed by lai see dau loi (利是逗來), which means “may I have my lai see?” Working as both an auspicious blessing and greeting, it’s easy to see why this phrase has become synonymous with “Happy New Year.”
4. 萬事如意 (maan see yu yee)
Got a loved one in your life who’s struggling through hard times? Wish them a more favourable year ahead with this Chinese New Year greeting! Simply put, maan see yu yee (萬事如意) means “may all things go as you wish.”
5. 心想事成 (sum seung see sing)
This greeting is the Chinese festive equivalent of “manifest.” Similar to maan see yu yee above, sum seung see sing (心想事成) literally translates to “whatever your heart desires, it will come true.” Whether you believe in this Chinese New Year wish or not, it’s an auspicious and hopeful blessing to hold onto.
6. 身體健康 (sun tai geen hong)
While most Chinese New Year greetings on this list are said by juniors to their seniors, sun tai geen hong (身體健康) is exchanged between everyone. This is to wish someone a healthy and prosperous year ahead, and is often expressed regardless of age, even by grandparents to their children and grandchildren.
7. 青春常駐 (ching chun seung jyu)
Here’s a Chinese New Year greeting that’ll get a giggle out of your female relatives. Ching chun seung jyu (青春常駐) means “may you always stay youthful” and is often considered a compliment! As you’re wishing for someone to remain young, you’re also acknowledging their current state of vitality. While this greeting often points to someone’s beauty, it can also refer to a youthful spirit and agile body, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to wish someone a Happy Chinese New Year in Hong Kong?
To greet someone a Happy Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, you can say “sun neen fai lok” (新年快樂) in Cantonese or “xin nian kuai le” in Mandarin.
What is the best greeting for Chinese New Year?
The best Chinese New Year greeting in Cantonese is “sun neen fai lok” (新年快樂), which means Happy New Year. You can also say kung hei fat choi (恭喜發財) which wishes wealth, and “sun tai geen hong” (身體健康) for good health.
How to wish someone gong xi fa cai?
You can start your Chinese New Year greeting with gong xi fa cai in Mandarin, or “kung hei fat choi” in Cantonese (恭喜發財), and follow it up with “li shi dou lai” in Mandarin, or “lai see dau loi” in Cantonese (利是逗來). Feel free to preface it with “xin nian kuai le” in Mandarin, or “sun neen fai” lok in Cantonese (新年快樂).
What to say other than gong xi fa cai?
Apart from “gong xi fa cai” (恭喜發財) or “kung hei fat choi” in Cantonese, you can also say “sum seung see sing” (心想事成) and “maan see yu yi” (萬事如意), which are Cantonese greetings to wish someone a favourable year ahead.
