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How to Say “Happy New Year” in Chinese: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Author: Murphy Yan, founder of a language learning platform

How to Say Happy New Year in Chinese? Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival (春节, chūn jié), is the most significant traditional holiday in China, filled with vibrant celebrations and deep cultural meaning. In 2024, it was officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting its global significance. This holiday presents the perfect opportunity for Chinese learners to dive into the language and culture.

In this guide, we’ll not only teach you how to say Happy New Year in Chinese, but also explore the origins, customs, and key traditions of Chinese New Year. Plus, we’ll share tips on how you can enhance your Chinese language skills while enjoying the festivities. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to deepen your understanding, this guide will help you connect with Chinese culture and language this holiday season.

1. Chinese New Year Greetings and Phrases for Beginners

Common Greetings

So, How to Say Happy New Year in Chinese?

2. What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year marks the start of the lunar calendar and is celebrated for 15 days, beginning with the New Moon and ending with the Lantern Festival (yuán xiāo jié 元宵节). It’s a time for family reunions, gratitude, and aspirations for a prosperous year ahead.

Why Was It Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List?

In 2024, UNESCO recognized Chinese New Year as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity due to its profound historical significance, cultural practices, and global influence. This recognition ensures that the traditions of the festival will be preserved and celebrated for generations to come.

3. The Origins of Chinese New Year

Agricultural Roots of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year traces its origins to ancient China’s agrarian society, where the agricultural calendar played a central role in daily life. Autumn marked the harvest, while winter was a time to store crops for the coming year. After the harvest, families would come together to celebrate the year’s achievements, bid farewell to the past, and look forward to a prosperous new year.

The Evolution of Tradition

This tradition gradually evolved into a formalized celebration, deeply tied to the lunar calendar cycles. The timing of the Lunar New Year, along with its customs and rituals, was influenced by the agricultural calendar, focusing on honoring ancestors, expressing gratitude, and wishing for a bountiful future.

Though the official holiday lasts for 7 days in modern China, many traditions, including preparations and festivities, extend throughout the full 15-day period of the Lunar New Year.

The Meaning Behind the Character “年“

The character 年 (nián), meaning year, itself illustrates the idea of a person carrying mature crops back home to celebrate. At this point, people would refer to it as the “year” — symbolizing the cycle of planting, harvesting, and the passage of time.

Why Learning Chinese Characters is Important

Understanding Chinese characters, is crucial for learners, as it connects language to culture. Learning characters not only helps you understand the language but also gives you insight into Chinese traditions. If you’re looking for a website to learn Chinese characters, Chinese Voyage is an excellent resource. It offers easy-to-follow courses on pronunciation, characters, and conversation, complete with video lessons and e-textbooks for learners of all levels.

4. Key Customs and Traditions

Spring Cleaning and Decorations
Before the New Year, families thoroughly clean their homes to sweep away bad luck (gǎn zǒu méi yùn 赶走霉运) and make way for good fortune (yíng jiē xìng yùn 迎接幸运). Red decorations, including paper cuttings and couplets with auspicious phrases, are hung to invite blessings (fú 福).

Reunion Dinner (tuán yuán fàn 团圆饭)
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, families gather for a grand reunion dinner featuring symbolic dishes such as dumplings (jiǎo zi 饺子), fish (yú 鱼), and rice cakes (nián gāo 年糕). These foods symbolize wealth, abundance, and growth.

Red Envelopes (hóng bāo 红包)
Red envelopes filled with money are given to children and younger family members to convey good luck and blessings for the year ahead.

Firecrackers and Fireworks
Lighting firecrackers (yān huā 烟花) and fireworks is a longstanding tradition to ward off evil spirits and usher in good fortune.

5. The Chinese Zodiac and Its Role in the New Year

The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year in a 12-year cycle, with each animal carrying unique characteristics.

2025: The Year of the Snake (shé 蛇)
The snake is a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation. People born in the Year of the Snake are often seen as intelligent and insightful.

Zodiac Phrases to Learn
Here’s a table of useful zodiac-related phrases:

6. Traditional Festive Foods to Try

Dumplings (jiǎo zi 饺子)
A staple in northern China, dumplings symbolize wealth due to their resemblance to ancient Chinese gold ingots.

Fish (yú 鱼)
Serving fish is essential because the phrase nián nián yǒu yú (年年有余) sounds like “May you have surplus every year.”

Rice Cake (nián gāo 年糕)
This sweet and sticky cake represents growth and progress in the new year.

7. Celebrating the Lantern Festival (yuán xiāo jié 元宵节)

The Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year. People light lanterns (dēng long 灯笼), solve riddles, and enjoy traditional dances such as the dragon and lion dance.

8. How Chinese New Year Enhances Language Learning

Chinese New Year offers immersive opportunities for language learners to practice and grow. By engaging in cultural activities, you can strengthen your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Encouraging Local Exploration

If your city has a Chinatown, it’s an excellent place to practice your Chinese during New Year celebrations. Use common greetings with shop owners, try ordering traditional foods in Chinese, or join local cultural events to interact with native speakers.

Useful Resources

Here are some links to help you explore Chinese New Year:

1. CCTV Spring Festival Gala

• Watch: Live on tv.cctv.com and international channels.

2. Chinese New Year Live Streams on YouTube

• Watch: Search “Chinese New Year live stream” on YouTube.

3. TikTok

• Watch: Search #ChineseNewYear or #春节 on TikTok.