Chinese New Year Vocabulary In Chinese
Learn the words for Chinese New Year: 春节 chūnjié. From red envelopes to fireworks, these are the terms that actually show up when the holiday gets loud, busy, and gloriously full of dumplings.
If you only know one holiday in Chinese, make it this one. Chinese New Year is packed with useful beginner vocabulary because people talk about family, food, money, luck, travel, decorations, and staying up way too late.
Below, you will get high-frequency New Year’s words in simplified Chinese, with pinyin, English meaning, and real example sentences. No mysterious character soup. No “just feel the grammar.” We are here to survive the holiday conversation with dignity.
Yak Snark Box
In everyday Chinese, people often say 过年 guònián for “celebrate the New Year,” not just the formal 春节 chūnjié. Learn both. One sounds textbook. The other sounds like you have actually met humans.
Core New Year Words You Will Hear Everywhere
春节
chūnjié
Spring Festival / Chinese New Year
过年
guònián
to celebrate the New Year
新年快乐
xīnnián kuàilè
Happy New Year
红包
hóngbāo
red envelope
拜年
bàinián
to pay a New Year visit
团圆饭
tuányuánfàn
reunion dinner
春联
chūnlián
Spring Festival couplets
烟花
yānhuā
fireworks
Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
- 新年快乐 xīnnián kuàilè — Happy New Year
你也新年快乐。 nǐ yě xīnnián kuàilè. — Happy New Year to you too. - 过年好 guònián hǎo — New Year greetings / Happy New Year
大家过年好！ dàjiā guònián hǎo! — Happy New Year, everyone! - 恭喜发财 gōngxǐ fācái — Wishing you wealth
老板，恭喜发财！ lǎobǎn, gōngxǐ fācái! — Boss, wishing you prosperity! - 万事如意 wànshì rúyì — May everything go as you wish
祝你新的一年万事如意。 zhù nǐ xīn de yì nián wànshì rúyì. — Wish you all the best in the new year. - 身体健康 shēntǐ jiànkāng — good health
祝爷爷奶奶身体健康。 zhù yéye nǎinai shēntǐ jiànkāng. — Wishing Grandpa and Grandma good health. - 心想事成 xīnxiǎng shìchéng — May your wishes come true
希望你今年心想事成。 xīwàng nǐ jīnnián xīnxiǎng shìchéng. — Hope your wishes come true this year. - 红包拿来 hóngbāo nálái — Hand over the red envelope
小朋友一见面就说：“红包拿来！” xiǎopéngyou yí jiànmiàn jiù shuō: “hóngbāo nálái!” — As soon as the kids meet you, they say, “Hand over the red envelope!” - 回家过年 huíjiā guònián — go home for the New Year
很多人都会回家过年。 hěnduō rén dōu huì huíjiā guònián. — Many people go home for the New Year. - 一起吃年夜饭 yìqǐ chī niányèfàn — eat New Year’s Eve dinner together
我们今晚一起吃年夜饭。 wǒmen jīnwǎn yìqǐ chī niányèfàn. — We are having New Year’s Eve dinner together tonight. - 去拜年 qù bàinián — go pay New Year visits
明天我们去爷爷家拜年。 míngtiān wǒmen qù yéye jiā bàinián. — Tomorrow we are going to Grandpa’s house for a New Year visit. - 贴春联 tiē chūnlián — put up Spring Festival couplets
爸爸在门上贴春联。 bàba zài mén shàng tiē chūnlián. — Dad is putting Spring Festival couplets on the door. - 放烟花 fàng yānhuā — set off fireworks
孩子们喜欢看别人放烟花。 háizimen xǐhuan kàn biérén fàng yānhuā. — Children like watching other people set off fireworks.
New Year Greeting Words
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新年 | xīnnián | New Year | 新年到了。 | xīnnián dào le. | The New Year has arrived. |
| 春节 | chūnjié | Spring Festival / Chinese New Year | 春节是最重要的节日之一。 | chūnjié shì zuì zhòngyào de jiérì zhī yī. | Spring Festival is one of the most important holidays. |
| 过年 | guònián | celebrate the New Year | 我们要回老家过年。 | wǒmen yào huí lǎojiā guònián. | We are going back to our hometown to celebrate the New Year. |
| 新年快乐 | xīnnián kuàilè | Happy New Year | 老师，祝您新年快乐。 | lǎoshī, zhù nín xīnnián kuàilè. | Teacher, wish you a Happy New Year. |
| 过年好 | guònián hǎo | New Year greetings | 大家见面都会说过年好。 | dàjiā jiànmiàn dōu huì shuō guònián hǎo. | People often say “Happy New Year” when they meet. |
| 恭喜 | gōngxǐ | congratulations | 大家互相说恭喜。 | dàjiā hùxiāng shuō gōngxǐ. | Everyone says congratulations to each other. |
| 恭喜发财 | gōngxǐ fācái | wish you wealth | 叔叔笑着说：“恭喜发财！” | shūshu xiàozhe shuō: “gōngxǐ fācái!” | Uncle said with a smile, “Wishing you prosperity!” |
| 吉祥 | jíxiáng | auspicious | 红色在春节很吉祥。 | hóngsè zài chūnjié hěn jíxiáng. | Red is very auspicious during Spring Festival. |
| 如意 | rúyì | as one wishes | 希望你天天都如意。 | xīwàng nǐ tiāntiān dōu rúyì. | Hope everything goes your way every day. |
| 万事如意 | wànshì rúyì | may all go well | 我祝你万事如意。 | wǒ zhù nǐ wànshì rúyì. | I wish you that everything goes well. |
Family And Visiting Vocabulary
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 家人 | jiārén | family | 春节要和家人一起过。 | chūnjié yào hé jiārén yìqǐ guò. | You should spend Spring Festival with family. |
| 亲戚 | qīnqi | relatives | 过年会见很多亲戚。 | guònián huì jiàn hěnduō qīnqi. | You meet many relatives during the New Year. |
| 团圆 | tuányuán | reunion | 春节是团圆的日子。 | chūnjié shì tuányuán de rìzi. | Spring Festival is a time for reunion. |
| 团圆饭 | tuányuánfàn | reunion dinner | 我们家的团圆饭很热闹。 | wǒmen jiā de tuányuánfàn hěn rènào. | Our family reunion dinner is very lively. |
| 年夜饭 | niányèfàn | New Year’s Eve dinner | 年夜饭有鱼和饺子。 | niányèfàn yǒu yú hé jiǎozi. | The New Year’s Eve dinner has fish and dumplings. |
| 拜年 | bàinián | pay a New Year visit | 孩子们给长辈拜年。 | háizimen gěi zhǎngbèi bàinián. | The children pay New Year visits to elders. |
| 长辈 | zhǎngbèi | elders | 过年要先问候长辈。 | guònián yào xiān wènhòu zhǎngbèi. | During the New Year, greet the elders first. |
| 晚辈 | wǎnbèi | younger generation | 长辈会给晚辈红包。 | zhǎngbèi huì gěi wǎnbèi hóngbāo. | Elders give red envelopes to the younger generation. |
| 回家 | huíjiā | go home | 他每年都回家过年。 | tā měinián dōu huíjiā guònián. | He goes home every year for the New Year. |
| 老家 | lǎojiā | hometown | 我过年要回老家。 | wǒ guònián yào huí lǎojiā. | I am going back to my hometown for the New Year. |
Red Envelope And Luck Vocabulary
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 红包 | hóngbāo | red envelope | 小孩子最喜欢红包。 | xiǎoháizi zuì xǐhuan hóngbāo. | Children like red envelopes the most. |
| 压岁钱 | yāsuìqián | New Year gift money | 奶奶给了我压岁钱。 | nǎinai gěi le wǒ yāsuìqián. | Grandma gave me New Year money. |
| 发财 | fācái | get rich / prosper | 大家都喜欢听发财的话。 | dàjiā dōu xǐhuan tīng fācái de huà. | Everyone likes hearing words about prosperity. |
| 好运 | hǎoyùn | good luck | 新的一年希望有好运。 | xīn de yì nián xīwàng yǒu hǎoyùn. | In the new year, I hope for good luck. |
| 福 | fú | good fortune / blessing | 门上贴着一个大大的福字。 | mén shàng tiēzhe yí ge dàdà de fú zì. | There is a big “fortune” character on the door. |
| 福气 | fúqi | blessings / good fortune | 小宝宝看起来很有福气。 | xiǎobǎobao kàn qǐlai hěn yǒu fúqi. | The baby looks very blessed. |
| 大吉大利 | dàjí dàlì | great luck and profit | 祝你新年大吉大利。 | zhù nǐ xīnnián dàjí dàlì. | Wishing you great luck and prosperity in the New Year. |
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly / successful | 希望你的工作很顺利。 | xīwàng nǐ de gōngzuò hěn shùnlì. | Hope your work goes smoothly. |
| 平安 | píng’ān | safe and sound | 祝家人平安健康。 | zhù jiārén píng’ān jiànkāng. | Wish the family safety and good health. |
| 心想事成 | xīnxiǎng shìchéng | may your wishes come true | 新的一年祝你心想事成。 | xīn de yì nián zhù nǐ xīnxiǎng shìchéng. | In the new year, may your wishes come true. |
Decoration Vocabulary
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 春联 | chūnlián | Spring Festival couplets | 爷爷写了新的春联。 | yéye xiě le xīn de chūnlián. | Grandpa wrote new Spring Festival couplets. |
| 贴春联 | tiē chūnlián | put up Spring Festival couplets | 我们下午要贴春联。 | wǒmen xiàwǔ yào tiē chūnlián. | We are putting up Spring Festival couplets this afternoon. |
| 福字 | fúzì | the “fortune” character | 很多人喜欢把福字倒着贴。 | hěnduō rén xǐhuan bǎ fúzì dào zhe tiē. | Many people like to paste the fortune character upside down. |
| 灯笼 | dēnglong | lantern | 门口挂着两个红灯笼。 | ménkǒu guàzhe liǎng ge hóng dēnglong. | Two red lanterns are hanging at the door. |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red | 春节的时候到处都是红色。 | chūnjié de shíhou dàochù dōu shì hóngsè. | During Spring Festival, red is everywhere. |
| 窗花 | chuānghuā | paper-cut window decoration | 她买了很多漂亮的窗花。 | tā mǎi le hěnduō piàoliang de chuānghuā. | She bought many beautiful paper-cut window decorations. |
| 装饰 | zhuāngshì | decorate / decoration | 我们一起装饰客厅。 | wǒmen yìqǐ zhuāngshì kètīng. | We decorate the living room together. |
| 喜庆 | xǐqìng | festive and joyful | 这个房间看起来很喜庆。 | zhège fángjiān kàn qǐlai hěn xǐqìng. | This room looks very festive. |
| 鞭炮 | biānpào | firecrackers | 小时候大家很喜欢放鞭炮。 | xiǎoshíhou dàjiā hěn xǐhuan fàng biānpào. | When they were young, everyone liked setting off firecrackers. |
| 烟花 | yānhuā | fireworks | 晚上能看到漂亮的烟花。 | wǎnshang néng kàn dào piàoliang de yānhuā. | You can see beautiful fireworks at night. |
Food Vocabulary For The Holiday Table
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumplings | 北方人过年常吃饺子。 | běifāng rén guònián cháng chī jiǎozi. | People in northern China often eat dumplings during the New Year. |
| 鱼 | yú | fish | 年夜饭一定要有鱼。 | niányèfàn yídìng yào yǒu yú. | There must be fish at the New Year’s Eve dinner. |
| 年糕 | niángāo | New Year cake | 年糕吃起来甜甜的。 | niángāo chī qǐlai tiántián de. | The New Year cake tastes sweet. |
| 汤圆 | tāngyuán | sweet rice balls | 我喜欢芝麻汤圆。 | wǒ xǐhuan zhīma tāngyuán. | I like sesame sweet rice balls. |
| 糖果 | tángguǒ | candy | 桌上放着很多糖果。 | zhuō shàng fàngzhe hěnduō tángguǒ. | There is a lot of candy on the table. |
| 瓜子 | guāzǐ | melon seeds | 大家聊天的时候会吃瓜子。 | dàjiā liáotiān de shíhou huì chī guāzǐ. | People eat melon seeds while chatting. |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit | 妈妈买了很多新鲜水果。 | māma mǎi le hěnduō xīnxiān shuǐguǒ. | Mom bought lots of fresh fruit. |
| 橘子 | júzi | mandarin orange | 过年送橘子很常见。 | guònián sòng júzi hěn chángjiàn. | Giving mandarin oranges is common during the New Year. |
| 花生 | huāshēng | peanuts | 奶奶准备了花生和糖果。 | nǎinai zhǔnbèi le huāshēng hé tángguǒ. | Grandma prepared peanuts and candy. |
| 零食 | língshí | snacks | 孩子们最关心桌上的零食。 | háizimen zuì guānxīn zhuō shàng de língshí. | The kids care most about the snacks on the table. |
Travel, Time, And Holiday Action Words
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 除夕 | chúxī | New Year’s Eve | 除夕晚上大家一起吃饭。 | chúxī wǎnshang dàjiā yìqǐ chīfàn. | On New Year’s Eve, everyone eats together. |
| 初一 | chūyī | first day of the lunar new year | 初一早上很多人会拜年。 | chūyī zǎoshang hěnduō rén huì bàinián. | Many people pay New Year visits on the morning of the first day. |
| 假期 | jiàqī | holiday / vacation | 春节假期我想休息几天。 | chūnjié jiàqī wǒ xiǎng xiūxi jǐ tiān. | During the Spring Festival holiday, I want to rest for a few days. |
| 春运 | chūnyùn | Spring Festival travel rush | 春运的时候火车票很难买。 | chūnyùn de shíhou huǒchēpiào hěn nán mǎi. | During the Spring Festival travel rush, train tickets are hard to buy. |
| 火车票 | huǒchēpiào | train ticket | 他终于买到火车票了。 | tā zhōngyú mǎidào huǒchēpiào le. | He finally bought a train ticket. |
| 收拾 | shōushi | tidy up / pack up | 过年前要先收拾房间。 | guònián qián yào xiān shōushi fángjiān. | Before the New Year, you should tidy the room first. |
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | clean | 妈妈一早就在打扫卫生。 | māma yìzǎo jiù zài dǎsǎo wèishēng. | Mom started cleaning early in the morning. |
| 准备 | zhǔnbèi | prepare | 我们正在准备年夜饭。 | wǒmen zhèngzài zhǔnbèi niányèfàn. | We are preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner. |
| 守岁 | shǒusuì | stay up on New Year’s Eve | 有些家庭会一起守岁。 | yǒuxiē jiātíng huì yìqǐ shǒusuì. | Some families stay up together on New Year’s Eve. |
| 热闹 | rènào | lively / bustling | 春节的时候街上特别热闹。 | chūnjié de shíhou jiē shàng tèbié rènào. | During Spring Festival, the streets are especially lively. |
Optional Variants And Handy Pairs
| Pair | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Quick Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal holiday name | 春节 | chūnjié | Spring Festival | Common in writing and formal speech. |
| Everyday action | 过年 | guònián | celebrate the New Year | Very common in speech. |
| Gift money | 压岁钱 | yāsuìqián | New Year money | The money inside the envelope. |
| The envelope | 红包 | hóngbāo | red envelope | The red packet itself. |
| Big family meal | 团圆饭 | tuányuánfàn | reunion dinner | Focus on reunion. |
| Holiday eve meal | 年夜饭 | niányèfàn | New Year’s Eve dinner | Focus on the night itself. |
| Noise-maker | 鞭炮 | biānpào | firecrackers | The loud ones. |
| Sky sparkle | 烟花 | yānhuā | fireworks | The pretty ones. |
Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes
- Do not confuse 新年 xīnnián with 春节 chūnjié. 新年 xīnnián is “New Year,” while 春节 chūnjié is specifically the Chinese New Year holiday.
- 红包 hóngbāo is the envelope, while 压岁钱 yāsuìqián is the money inside it. Yes, Chinese is being precise on purpose.
- 拜年 bàinián is a verb. You do it. It is not the visit itself floating around without people.
- 春运 chūnyùn is not the festival. It is the huge travel rush around the festival, which is a different kind of chaos entirely.
- 初一 chūyī means the first day of the lunar new year, not “January first” in the regular calendar.
Quick Reference Summary
- 春节 chūnjié — Chinese New Year / Spring Festival
- 过年 guònián — celebrate the New Year
- 拜年 bàinián — pay a New Year visit
- 红包 hóngbāo — red envelope
- 压岁钱 yāsuìqián — New Year money
- 年夜饭 niányèfàn — New Year’s Eve dinner
- 春联 chūnlián — Spring Festival couplets
- 福字 fúzì — the “fortune” character
- 鞭炮 biānpào — firecrackers
- 烟花 yānhuā — fireworks
- 饺子 jiǎozi — dumplings
- 春运 chūnyùn — Spring Festival travel rush
Final Yak Box
If you remember just ten words from this article, make them 春节 chūnjié, 过年 guònián, 新年快乐 xīnnián kuàilè, 拜年 bàinián, 红包 hóngbāo, 压岁钱 yāsuìqián, 年夜饭 niányèfàn, 春联 chūnlián, 饺子 jiǎozi, and 烟花 yānhuā. That already covers greetings, family visits, money, food, decorations, and holiday noise. Honestly, that is a pretty solid beginner win.
