{"id":215235,"date":"2025-01-27T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T23:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=215235"},"modified":"2025-01-27T00:23:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T16:23:59","slug":"chinese-new-year-greetings-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/chinese-new-year-greetings-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Chinese New Year greetings for speaking like a local"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lunar New Year is a holiday wrought with traditions and customs that call forth blessings of good fortune. Apart from snacking on auspicious food<\/a>, sharing a festive meal<\/a> with the family, and adding cheer to your home with lucky decor<\/a>, you can also wish someone a prosperous year ahead with Chinese New Year greetings. These phrases often take the place of simple \u201chello\u201ds during the holiday period, so it\u2019s useful to know a couple if you\u2019re spending time in Hong Kong this Year of the Snake \u2013 not to mention if you\u2019re trying to earn some extra lai see by impressing your elders!<\/p>\n

Speak like a local with these essential Chinese New Year greetings<\/h2>\n

1. \u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02\/\u86c7\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02 (Happy New Year\/Happy Year of the Snake)<\/h3>\n
\"chinese
Play it safe with this Chinese New Year greeting (Photography: yongtick via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, the first (and safest) thing to greet someone with on CNY is \u201cHappy New Year,\u201d (\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02) or sun neen fai lok<\/em> in Cantonese. Another general Chinese New Year greeting is X\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02. While the last three characters are the same as those in \u201cHappy New Year,\u201d the first is commonly swapped out for the year\u2019s representative Chinese zodiac. So, for 2025, you can greet someone by saying se neen fai lok<\/em> (\u86c7\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02), which means \u201cHappy Year of the Snake.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. \u756b\u86c7\u6dfb\u798f (waak se tim fuk)<\/h3>\n
\"wak
Slither into the new year with blessings and good fortune (Photography: rimmabondarenko)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This Year of the Snake greeting requires a little more explanation. \u756b\u86c7\u6dfb\u798f, waak se tim fuk<\/em>, is a play on another saying, \u756b\u86c7\u6dfb\u8db3, waak se tim zuk<\/em>. The latter idiom literally means \u201cdrawing a snake and adding feet to it\u201d and is commonly used to describe any unnecessary action. However, when you swap out the last character for feet (\u8db3) with the character for fortune (\u798f), this saying takes on a completely different meaning. Instead of criticising someone for doing something unnecessary, you\u2019ll be blessing them with good fortune instead!<\/p>\n

3. \u606d\u559c\u767c\u8ca1 (kung hei fat choi)<\/h3>\n
\"chinese
Wish your seniors good wealth and fortune in the year ahead (Photography: AsiaVision via Getty Images Signature)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Take note, folks: this is the Chinese New Year greeting you\u2019d want to remember for when you receive lai see (red packets)! Kung hei fat choi<\/em> (\u606d\u559c\u767c\u8ca1) basically means \u201ccongratulations! Get rich!\u201d and is often followed by lai see dau loi<\/em> (\u5229\u662f\u9017\u4f86), which means \u201cmay I have my lai see?\u201d Working as both an auspicious blessing and greeting, it\u2019s easy to see why this phrase has become synonymous with \u201cHappy New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. \u842c\u4e8b\u5982\u610f (maan see yu yee)<\/h3>\n
\"maan
Trust you can accomplish anything! (Photography: Tiffany Luong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Got a loved one in your life who\u2019s struggling through hard times? Wish them a more favourable year ahead with this Chinese New Year greeting! Simply put, maan see yu yee<\/em> (\u842c\u4e8b\u5982\u610f) means \u201cmay all things go as you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. \u5fc3\u60f3\u4e8b\u6210 (sum seung see sing)<\/h3>\n
\"chinese
Wish your loved ones a smooth sailing Year of the Snake (Photography: pocstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This greeting is the Chinese festive equivalent of \u201cmanifest.\u201d Similar to maan see yu yee above, sum seung see sing<\/em> (\u5fc3\u60f3\u4e8b\u6210) literally translates to \u201cwhatever your heart desires, it will come true.\u201d Whether you believe in this Chinese New Year wish or not, it\u2019s an auspicious and hopeful blessing to hold onto.<\/p>\n

6. \u8eab\u9ad4\u5065\u5eb7 (sun tai geen hong)<\/h3>\n
\"sun
Forget about wealth or good fortune; health should be your priority! (Photography: g-stockstudio via Getty Images Pro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While most Chinese New Year greetings on this list are said by juniors to their seniors, sun tai geen hong<\/em> (\u8eab\u9ad4\u5065\u5eb7) 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.<\/p>\n

7. \u9752\u6625\u5e38\u99d0 (ching chun seung jyu)<\/h3>\n
\"chinese
Flatter your loved ones this Year of the Snake (Photography: Viktor Gladkov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a Chinese New Year greeting that\u2019ll get a giggle out of your female relatives. Ching chun seung jyu<\/em> (\u9752\u6625\u5e38\u99d0) means \u201cmay you always stay youthful\u201d and is often considered a compliment! As you\u2019re wishing for someone to remain young, you\u2019re also acknowledging their current state of vitality. While this greeting often points to someone\u2019s beauty, it can also refer to a youthful spirit and agile body, too.<\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>

How to wish someone a Happy Chinese New Year in Hong Kong?<\/h3>

To greet someone a Happy Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, you can say \u201csun neen fai lok\u201d (\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02) in Cantonese or \u201cxin nian kuai le\u201d in Mandarin.<\/p>\n<\/div>

What is the best greeting for Chinese New Year?<\/h3>

The best Chinese New Year greeting in Cantonese is \u201csun neen fai lok\u201d (\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02), which means Happy New Year. You can also say kung hei fat choi (\u606d\u559c\u767c\u8ca1) which wishes wealth, and \u201csun tai geen hong\u201d (\u8eab\u9ad4\u5065\u5eb7) for good health. <\/p>\n<\/div>

How to wish someone gong xi fa cai?<\/h3>

You can start your Chinese New Year greeting with gong xi fa cai in Mandarin, or \u201ckung hei fat choi\u201d in Cantonese (\u606d\u559c\u767c\u8ca1), and follow it up with \u201cli shi dou lai\u201d in Mandarin, or \u201clai see dau loi\u201d in Cantonese (\u5229\u662f\u9017\u4f86). Feel free to preface it with \u201cxin nian kuai le\u201d in Mandarin, or \u201csun neen fai\u201d lok in Cantonese (\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02).<\/p>\n<\/div>

What to say other than gong xi fa cai?<\/h3>

Apart from \u201cgong xi fa cai\u201d (\u606d\u559c\u767c\u8ca1) or \u201ckung hei fat choi\u201d in Cantonese, you can also say \u201csum seung see sing\u201d (\u5fc3\u60f3\u4e8b\u6210) and \u201cmaan see yu yi\u201d (\u842c\u4e8b\u5982\u610f), which are Cantonese greetings to wish someone a favourable year ahead.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>