50 Useful Chinese New Year Vocabulary That You Should Know

Chinese people have a penchant for observing age-old customs and following Chinese New Year traditions during the arrival of the new year, which is also known as the Spring Festival.

It's customary for individuals to exchange "New Year's greetings" and to don red attire while also offering and receiving lucky money in red envelopes. The significance of the color red in Chinese life cannot be overstated, as it's believed to be a harbinger of good fortune and a deterrent to evil.

Chinese New Year's traditions have a rich history and hold deep symbolic meaning, making them truly captivating. To delve deeper into the customs and cultures surrounding this event, one could expand their vocabulary with words related to the festival. A cool way to learn and prepare for Chinese New Year's traditions and cultures is to learn the vocabulary! So, let's take a look!

Chinese New Year 2024: An overview 

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, holds great significance in traditional Chinese culture. It is considered the grandest and most important festival in China, with its origins tracing back to ancient times. One of the most intriguing aspects of the celebration is the Chinese zodiac, which assigns each year an animal from the zodiac cycle, such as the year of the tiger, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, or pig.

12 Chinese zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig

During the festivities, it is customary to exchange red envelopes filled with money, which is believed to bring good luck and fortune for the year ahead. Additionally, there are various customs and superstitions associated with the Chinese New Year holiday, including refraining from taking out the trash or borrowing or lending money to avoid bringing bad luck.

The Chinese New Year is a perfect opportunity for families to gather and spend quality time with one another. It is a time for reunion, feasting, and exchanging new year's gifts. In fact, for many people, it is the only time of the year when they can take a break from work and enjoy a long vacation. Therefore, it is a highly anticipated and cherished occasion among the Chinese population.

Furthermore, there are numerous beliefs and superstitions intertwined with this festivity, such as refraining from taking out the trash, avoiding borrowing or lending money, and so forth.

Typically, people are granted a break from their work for a span of 7 to 15 days, allowing them to relish quality time with their family and loved ones.

Chinese New Year full vocabulary list 

For this list we’ve grouped all the vocabulary associated with Chinese New Year into the following four categories:

1. Special events and dates

2. Chinese New Year greetings

3. Chinese New Year objects and activities

4. Chinese New Year food

So let's start with...

1. Special events and dates 

Here you'll see the important events and dates during the Chinese New Year. As mentioned above, these new words will give you a good insight into Chinese traditions and how Chinese people celebrate the new year! 

Just a side note, you will see other expressions and phrases meaning “Chinese New Year" as well, but 春节 (chūnjié) is still the most common one. 

2. Chinese New Year greetings 

This category looks at how Chinese people wish each other a Happy New Year and send blessings to other Chinese friends. In addition to traditional greetings, there are also modern ones such as sending digital red envelopes filled with money via messaging apps. For business greetings, it's important to show respect and express well wishes for success in the coming year.

Using the right Chinese New Year greeting is a great way to show your appreciation and build stronger relationships with your Chinese friends and colleagues.

3. Chinese New Year objects and activities 

Chinese New Year is also marked by various objects and lunar new year gifts that hold special significance. One of these is the red envelope, known as "hóngbāo," which is filled with money and given as a gift to children and unmarried adults. Decorations like lanterns, Chinese knots, and paper cutouts of animals are also common during the Lunar New Year. These objects are believed to bring prosperity, happiness, and good fortune to those who display them.

Chinese New Year activities

Chinese people also visit relatives and watch lion dances or comedic skits on national television. Another must-do festive activity is setting off firecrackers and fireworks. It is a way to scare away evil spirits and welcome the new year. At exactly midnight and the following few minutes of The New Chinese Year, the sky all over the country explodes with billions of fireworks. 

4. Chinese New Year food 

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Chinese New Year is the special food that is served during the reunion dinner, known as "lucky food." These dishes are believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead. The Chinese people have a strong belief in the new year symbolism for food, and the lucky foods that are served during the New Year's Eve dinner are carefully chosen to represent different aspects of prosperity and good fortune.

Chinese New Year food options

For example, fish is a must-have dish, as the word for fish in Chinese sounds like "surplus," which represents abundance and prosperity. The fish is usually served whole, with its head and tail intact, to symbolize completeness and unity within the family.

Another popular lucky food is the dumpling, which is shaped like gold and silver ingots that were common in ancient China. Dumplings symbolize wealth and prosperity, and families often gather together to make and eat them on New Year's Eve. It is said that the more dumplings you eat, the more money you will make in the coming year.

Niángāo, or glutinous rice cake, is another lucky food that is popular during the Chinese New Year. The word niángāo sounds like "year high," which symbolizes a greater wealth or position.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Chinese New Year 2024?

The Chinese New Year 2024 will begin on January 25th, and it will be the Year of the Dragon. Make sure you know some of these words.

On what day does the Chinese lunar new year fall on the Gregorian calendar this year?

Since the Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, the date changes every year. In general, the Chinese lunar new year can fall between January 21 and February 20 in the Gregorian calendar.

In conclusion

There you have it. Our list of useful Chinese New Year vocabulary. For Chinese people, the Lunar New Year is of course an enormously important holiday.

Learning some basic Chinese New Year vocabulary can greatly enhance your understanding and preparation of this significant cultural party. Whether it's wishing someone a "Happy Spring Festival" or offering a "New Year's Greeting," these simple phrases can make a big difference in connecting with Chinese families and friends during this joyous time.

Now you can use these Chinese New Year greetings and traditional sayings and join in the fun and celebrate.

Let us embrace the customs and traditions that make this festival so special and wish each other good fortune and prosperity.