Wishes
Lunar New Year Wishes
Lunar New Year 2027 begins on Saturday, February 6, and it opens the Year of the Goat (in the Chinese zodiac it's a Fire Goat year, and you'll also see it called the Year of the Sheep or Ram). It's the biggest holiday of the year for millions of families: Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, Vietnamese Tet and Korean Seollal all fall around the same new moon. In Korea, Seollal lands on Sunday, February 7, because of the time difference.
Below you'll find Lunar New Year wishes for parents, grandparents, kids collecting red envelopes, friends who host the reunion dinner, and coworkers you only know from Zoom. There's also a section of traditional greetings with the right transliteration and what each phrase actually means, so you don't wish someone "prosperity" when you meant "happy new year."
Under the list you'll find a short guide: which phrase fits which community, when to send your message, and the few topics people avoid during the first days of the new year.
Family 15
Another year of everyone talking over each other at the reunion dinner, and I wouldn't trade a second of it. Happy Lunar New Year to my whole loud, wonderful family.
Mom and Dad, thank you for every red envelope, every early-morning dumpling session and every lesson I didn't appreciate until later. Happy New Year.
Sis, I already know you're going to win the red envelope count again. Happy Lunar New Year anyway. See you at Mom's.
Grandma, the new year doesn't start for me until I hear you say it on the phone. I'm wishing you good health, warm days and lots of visits from all of us.
Grandpa, I still remember you teaching me to bow properly before you handed over the envelope. I'm proud to carry that on. Happy New Year, and stay healthy.
Happy Year of the Goat! Remember: say thank you with both hands, then you can count the red envelopes. Love you.
Our first Lunar New Year in our own place, and it already feels like home. Here's to the Year of the Goat, together.
You learned my grandmother's dumpling fold just to surprise her, and I fell for you all over again. Happy Lunar New Year, my love.
Bro, Year of the Goat means you're officially not allowed to blame me for last year anymore. Happy New Year.
Your first Lunar New Year away at college. I'm mailing your red envelope and a bag of your favorite snacks. Call home at dinnertime so we can all say happy new year.
Bu bu gao sheng, son. Step by step, higher every year. We're proud of you. Happy Lunar New Year.
Auntie, your nian gao is the real reason I show up every year. Happy New Year, and please save me the crispy pieces.
Uncle, thanks for always being the one who sets off the firecrackers and keeps the kids laughing. Happy Lunar New Year!
We're scattered across four states this year, but the lanterns are up in every one of our homes. Happy Lunar New Year, family. I can't wait until we're all at one table again.
This is your first Lunar New Year as part of our family, and you've already made it brighter. We're so glad you're here. Happy New Year.
Friends 13
Twelve years of watching the lion dance downtown together and it never gets old. Happy Lunar New Year, best friend.
Thank you for inviting me to your family's dinner. I've eaten enough dumplings to count as an honorary cousin. Happy New Year!
I know this past year was rough on you. I hope the Year of the Goat is gentler: easier mornings, good news, and people who show up for you the way you show up for everyone.
New Year's resolution: let you order for the table every time we get hot pot. Happy Lunar New Year!
Hope your house smells like your mom's cooking and your phone fills up with family video calls. Happy Lunar New Year.
Your first Tet as a married couple! I hope your new home is full of peach blossoms, good food and family visits all week. Chuc mung nam moi to you both.
You talked about starting your own business for years. This is the Year of the Goat, a year for creative people. Go for it. Happy New Year.
Saehae bok mani badeuseyo! Hope your tteokguk was perfect and you officially aged up a year like a pro.
I miss being there for your family's reunion dinner. Eat a dumpling for me and tell your grandma I said happy new year.
Ten bucks says your aunties ask about your love life before the soup is served. Happy Lunar New Year, I'm cheering for you.
Wishing you a clean house, a full table and zero arguments over the remote. Happy Lunar New Year!
You're spending the holiday far from home this year, so I'm making dinner at my place on Saturday. It won't be your mom's cooking, but you won't be alone. Happy Lunar New Year.
First Lunar New Year with the baby! I hope she sleeps through the firecrackers and gets spoiled by every auntie in the room.
Coworkers 11
Happy Lunar New Year! Thank you for a great year of working together. I hope you get a restful weekend with your family.
Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy Lunar New Year. I hope the Year of the Goat brings you good news, at work and at home.
Happy Lunar New Year. Thank you for your guidance this past year and for making room in the schedule for everyone to celebrate. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.
Happy Lunar New Year! May your meetings be short and your snack drawer stay full of pineapple cakes.
Thank you for bringing the tangerines and explaining what they meant. That's the kind of thing that makes this team feel like a team. Happy Lunar New Year!
Gong xi fa cai! Here's to a prosperous year for you and a smooth one for our team.
Enjoy the long weekend with your family. We'll hold down the fort. Happy Lunar New Year!
To our team members in Taipei, Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City: happy new year. Enjoy your time off with your families, and thank you for everything you did this year.
Happy Lunar New Year! Thanks for teaching me how to say it properly. Xin nian kuai le, I think I finally got the tones right.
Wishing you good health and steady success in the Year of the Goat. Happy Lunar New Year.
Heading out early for the reunion dinner? Go. I'll cover the 4 o'clock call. Happy New Year!
Traditional 12
Gong xi fa cai! Wishing you a prosperous year with plenty to spare.
Xin nian kuai le! Happy New Year to you and everyone at your table.
Saehae bok mani badeuseyo! May the new year bring you many blessings.
Chuc mung nam moi! Wishing you and your family a happy and peaceful Tet.
Shen ti jian kang! Good health to you and your family in the year ahead.
Wan shi ru yi! May everything this year go just the way you hope.
Nian nian you yu! May you always have more than enough, year after year.
Sui sui ping an! Peace and safety for you and your loved ones, every year.
Xin xiang shi cheng! May every wish you make this year come true.
Gong hei fat choy! Wishing you good fortune and a happy new year, Cantonese style.
Sun nin fai lok! Happy New Year, and may the Year of the Goat treat you well.
Saehae bok mani badeuseyo, Grandmother and Grandfather. Please stay healthy and happy this year. We'll be there Sunday morning to bow and share tteokguk with you.
Prosperity 11
May your red envelopes be thick and your credit card statement be thin. Gong xi fa cai!
Wishing your business a strong start and a steady year. Gong xi fa cai.
New year, new shop sign. I hope your first year in business brings lines out the door. Happy Lunar New Year!
Nian nian you yu! May our fridge, our table and our savings account all have leftovers this year.
I hope the God of Wealth finds your address this year and stays for the whole season. Happy New Year!
Here's your red envelope, and here's some advice to go with it: save a little, spend a little, and study hard. Bu bu gao sheng, may you go higher every year.
On behalf of our whole team, happy Lunar New Year. Thank you for your partnership. We're looking forward to building something great together in the Year of the Goat.
Good health first, then good fortune. Wishing you both in the Year of the Goat.
Whoever wins the mahjong game tonight, I hope it's you. Gong hei fat choy!
I don't need the year to bring us riches. Good health for Mom and Dad, steady work for everyone and a table that's always full would be more than enough. Happy New Year, family.
Gong xi fa cai! Here's to a raise, a smooth move and a year with fewer surprises.
Short 14
Happy Lunar New Year!
Happy Year of the Goat!
Warm wishes for the Spring Festival.
Good health and good fortune to you.
Hope your reunion dinner is perfect.
Enjoy the dumplings. All of them.
Here's to a lucky, peaceful new year.
Thinking of you this Lunar New Year.
Bow, say thank you, then open it!
New moon, new year, fresh start.
Happy Tet! Hope the year is kind to you.
Happy Seollal! Many blessings this year.
May the Year of the Goat go your way.
Wishing you a calm and happy new year.
Search all Lunar New Year wishes
Pick who the wish is for or the style you want – the results appear right here.
Traditional Lunar New Year greetings and what they mean
A greeting in the recipient's own language goes a long way, as long as you use it for the right community. Here are the phrases you'll hear most in the US:
| Greeting | Language | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Xin nian kuai le | Mandarin | Happy New Year |
| Gong xi fa cai | Mandarin | Wishing you prosperity (literally "congratulations, get rich"), not "happy new year" |
| Sun nin fai lok | Cantonese | Happy New Year |
| Gong hei fat choy | Cantonese | Wishing you prosperity; the version most Chinatowns in the US grew up with |
| Chuc mung nam moi (Chúc mừng năm mới) | Vietnamese | Happy New Year, used for Tet |
| Saehae bok mani badeuseyo | Korean | Receive lots of luck (blessings) in the new year, used for Seollal |
A few longer Mandarin wishes show up on cards and banners too: shen ti jian kang (good health), wan shi ru yi (may everything go as you wish), nian nian you yu (may you have more than enough every year), sui sui ping an (peace and safety year after year), bu bu gao sheng (rise step by step, popular for careers and students) and xin xiang shi cheng (may your heart's wishes come true).
Not sure which language your friend's family speaks? Plain English is always fine: "Happy Lunar New Year" works for everyone. "Happy Chinese New Year" is right for Chinese friends, but it doesn't fit a Korean or Vietnamese coworker.
How to write your own message
- Open with the greeting. English or one of the phrases above.
- Add one wish that fits their year. A new job, a baby on the way, a kid starting college, a first Tet in a new city.
- Make it personal. The dumplings you fold together every year, the aunt who hands out red envelopes, the coworker who covered for you in December.
For a coworker: "Happy Lunar New Year, Mei! Thanks for carrying the Q4 launch with me. I hope the Year of the Goat brings you a calmer inbox and a long weekend with your family."
For a friend: "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo! Save me a seat at your mom's table next year. I still think about her tteokguk."
For family: "Chuc mung nam moi! I can't wait to see everyone at Grandma's. I'm bringing the banh chung this time, so lower your expectations."
Etiquette and timing
- When to send it: on New Year's Eve (Friday, February 5, 2027) or on New Year's Day. Celebrations traditionally run for about two weeks, ending with the Lantern Festival, so a message sent a few days late is still welcome.
- Red envelopes: called hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese (Vietnamese families give li xi, Korean families give sebaetdon after children bow to elders). Use crisp new bills, give with both hands, and avoid amounts with the number four, which sounds like the word for death. Amounts with eights are popular because eight sounds like prosperity.
- Elders first: in many families, younger relatives greet the grandparents before anyone else. A call to Grandma beats a group text.
What to avoid
The first days of the year are meant to set the tone for the whole year, so many families avoid talk of illness, death, debt or breakups, and some avoid sweeping, washing hair or cutting with scissors on New Year's Day. Keep messages upbeat. Skip clocks and sharp objects as gifts in Chinese families, and don't reduce the holiday to takeout jokes when writing to coworkers.
More occasions
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Anniversary wishes90 wishes
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Memorial Day80 wishes
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Labor Day wishes75 wishes
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Frequently asked questions
When is Lunar New Year 2027?
Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, with New Year's Eve on Friday, February 5. In Korea, Seollal is on February 7 because of the time zone. It begins the Year of the Goat, also called the Year of the Sheep or Ram.
What does Gong Xi Fa Cai mean?
Gong xi fa cai is Mandarin for "congratulations and be prosperous," a wish for wealth in the new year. It doesn't literally mean "happy new year." The Cantonese version is gong hei fat choy.
How do you say Happy New Year in Chinese?
In Mandarin it's "xin nian kuai le" (sheen nyen kwai luh). In Cantonese it's "sun nin fai lok."
What is the Korean New Year greeting?
For Seollal, people say "saehae bok mani badeuseyo," which means "receive many blessings in the new year." It's the polite form, so it's safe for elders and coworkers.
How do you say Happy New Year in Vietnamese for Tet?
Say "chuc mung nam moi" (Chúc mừng năm mới), which means "happy new year."
Is it okay to say Happy Chinese New Year instead of Lunar New Year?
Yes, when you're writing to someone Chinese. For Korean, Vietnamese or other friends, or a mixed group, "Happy Lunar New Year" is more accurate because the holiday isn't only Chinese.
How much money goes in a red envelope?
There's no set amount. It depends on your family and how close you are. Use new bills, avoid any amount with a four, and give the envelope with both hands.