Chinese phrases
How to say merry Christmas in Chinese
Merry Christmas in Chinese is 圣诞快乐 (shèng dàn kuài lè). On the mainland, 25 December is a normal working day, but malls decorate, and friends and couples go out on 平安夜, Christmas Eve.
圣诞快乐
merry Christmas
Ways to say merry Christmas
圣诞快乐
Everydaymerry Christmas
The everyday wish, in person and in messages.
圣诞节快乐
Writtenmerry Christmas
The fuller form. Common on cards, posters and shop windows.
祝你圣诞快乐
Textingwishing you a merry Christmas
A warmer message to one person.
平安夜快乐
With friendshappy Christmas Eve
On 24 December. For many young people in China, Christmas Eve is the bigger night.
节日快乐
Formalhappy holidays
Works for any festival, so it suits work chats and messages to customers.
Words of the season
圣诞节
Christmas
The name of the day.
平安夜
Christmas Eve
Literally “the night of peace”.
圣诞老人
Santa Claus
Literally “the old man of Christmas”.
圣诞树
Christmas tree
You see big ones in malls and hotel lobbies.
平安果
Christmas Eve apple
An apple that friends give each other on Christmas Eve, often in a gift box. 苹果 and 平安, “safe and well”, share the sound píng.
Common mistakes
Saying 快乐圣诞
English puts “merry” first. In Chinese wishes, the occasion comes first and 快乐 comes last: 圣诞快乐, 生日快乐, 新年快乐.
Reading 乐 as yuè
乐 is yuè in 音乐, “music”, but lè in 快乐. Say kuài lè.
Saying shēng dàn
圣 is shèng, with a falling tone. Learners often say shēng, the first-tone syllable of 生日, because they know 生日快乐 first. Say shèng dàn kuài lè.
On Christmas Eve
平安夜快乐！这个给你。
Qiqi: Happy Christmas Eve! This is for you.
一个苹果？
Leon: An apple?
这是平安果，祝你平平安安。
Qiqi: It’s a Christmas Eve apple. May you stay safe and well.
谢谢！圣诞快乐！
Leon: Thank you! Merry Christmas!
