---
title: "Chinese New Year Vocabulary: Traditions, Decorations, Lucky Foods and Their Meanings, With Pinyin"
description: "70 Chinese New Year words with pinyin and sound: traditions from 年夜饭 and 红包 to 拜年 and 守岁, decorations like 春联, 福 and 窗花, the lucky foods and what each one means, the days from 腊八节 to 元宵节, and the wishes to say."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-new-year-words"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 70 words

# Chinese New Year words

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E6%98%A5%E8%8A%82%20%E8%BF%87%E5%B9%B4%20%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%20%E5%86%9C%E5%8E%86%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%20%E5%B9%B4%E5%91%B3%20%E6%98%A5%E8%BF%90%20%E6%98%A5%E6%99%9A%20%E6%9C%AC%E5%91%BD%E5%B9%B4%20%E8%85%8A%E6%9C%88%20%E8%85%8A%E5%85%AB%E8%8A%82%20%E5%B0%8F%E5%B9%B4%20%E9%99%A4%E5%A4%95%20%E5%A4%A7%E5%B9%B4%E4%B8%89%E5%8D%81%20%E5%A4%A7%E5%B9%B4%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%80%20%E6%AD%A3%E6%9C%88%20%E5%88%9D%E4%BA%94%20%E5%85%83%E5%AE%B5%E8%8A%82%20%E6%AD%A3%E6%9C%88%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%94%20%E5%B9%B4%E5%A4%9C%E9%A5%AD%20%E5%9B%A2%E5%9C%86%20%E5%AE%88%E5%B2%81%20%E6%8B%9C%E5%B9%B4%20%E8%B5%B0%E4%BA%B2%E6%88%9A%20%E5%9B%9E%E5%A8%98%E5%AE%B6%20%E7%BA%A2%E5%8C%85%20%E5%8E%8B%E5%B2%81%E9%92%B1%20%E6%8A%A2%E7%BA%A2%E5%8C%85%20%E6%94%BE%E9%9E%AD%E7%82%AE%20%E8%88%9E%E7%8B%AE%20%E8%88%9E%E9%BE%99%20%E5%BA%99%E4%BC%9A%20%E5%B9%B4%E8%B4%A7%20%E7%A5%AD%E7%A5%96%20%E8%B4%A2%E7%A5%9E%20%E7%81%B6%E7%8E%8B%E7%88%B7%20%E6%98%A5%E8%81%94%20%E5%AF%B9%E8%81%94%20%E7%A6%8F%20%E7%A6%8F%E5%AD%97%20%E9%97%A8%E7%A5%9E%20%E7%AA%97%E8%8A%B1%20%E5%89%AA%E7%BA%B8%20%E5%B9%B4%E7%94%BB%20%E7%81%AF%E7%AC%BC%20%E9%9E%AD%E7%82%AE%20%E7%83%9F%E8%8A%B1%20%E9%A5%BA%E5%AD%90%20%E5%8C%85%E9%A5%BA%E5%AD%90%20%E9%B1%BC%20%E5%B9%B4%E7%B3%95%20%E6%B1%A4%E5%9C%86%20%E6%98%A5%E5%8D%B7%20%E9%95%BF%E5%AF%BF%E9%9D%A2%20%E6%A9%98%E5%AD%90%20%E9%87%91%E6%A9%98%20%E5%8F%91%E7%B3%95%20%E5%85%AB%E5%AE%9D%E9%A5%AD%20%E7%93%9C%E5%AD%90%20%E7%B3%96%E6%9E%9C%20%E8%85%8A%E8%82%89%20%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%BF%AB%E4%B9%90%20%E6%81%AD%E5%96%9C%E5%8F%91%E8%B4%A2%20%E4%B8%87%E4%BA%8B%E5%A6%82%E6%84%8F%20%E8%BA%AB%E4%BD%93%E5%81%A5%E5%BA%B7%20%E5%BF%83%E6%83%B3%E4%BA%8B%E6%88%90%20%E5%B9%B4%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%89%E4%BD%99%20%E5%A4%A7%E5%90%89%E5%A4%A7%E5%88%A9%20%E5%90%89%E7%A5%A5%E5%A6%82%E6%84%8F%20%E6%AD%A5%E6%AD%A5%E9%AB%98%E5%8D%87%20%E5%B2%81%E5%B2%81%E5%B9%B3%E5%AE%89)

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## Lucky New Year foods and what they mean

| | In Chinese | Why it is lucky | The wish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fish | 鱼 yú | Sounds like 余 (yú), surplus | 年年有余 a surplus every year |
| Dumplings | 饺子 jiǎozi | Shaped like old silver ingots, 元宝 | 招财进宝 wealth and treasure |
| New Year cake | 年糕 niángāo | Sounds like 年高, higher every year | 步步高升 rise step by step |
| Sweet rice balls | 汤圆 tāngyuán | Round, like 团圆 (tuányuán), reunion | 团团圆圆 the family together |
| Spring rolls | 春卷 chūnjuǎn | Golden, like bars of gold | 黄金万两 gold in plenty |
| Long-life noodles | 长寿面 chángshòumiàn | Long, uncut noodles | 长命百岁 a long life |
| Tangerines | 橘子 júzi | Gold, and 橘 sounds like 吉 (jí), luck | 大吉大利 great luck |
| Prosperity cake | 发糕 fāgāo | It rises, and 发 means to prosper | 恭喜发财 may you prosper |

## The New Year

chūn春jié节

Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

guò过nián年

to celebrate the New Year (especially Spring Festival)

xīn新nián年

New Year

nóng农lì历xīn新nián年

Lunar New Year

nián年wèi味

festive feel of the Spring Festival

chūn春yùn运

Spring Festival travel rush

chūn春wǎn晚

Spring Festival Gala (short for 春节联欢晚会)

běn本mìng命nián年

one's zodiac year (every twelfth year)

## The days of the New Year

là腊yuè月

twelfth month of the lunar calendar

là腊bā八jié节

Laba Festival (8th day of the 12th lunar month)

xiǎo小nián年

Little New Year (23rd or 24th of the last lunar month)

chú除xī夕

New Year's Eve (esp. Lunar New Year's Eve)

dà大nián年sān三shí十

Chinese New Year's Eve; last day of the lunar year

dà大nián年chū初yī一

first day of the Lunar New Year

zhēng正yuè月

first month of the lunar year

chū初wǔ五

fifth day of a lunar month

yuán元xiāo宵jié节

Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar month)

zhēng正yuè月shí十wǔ五

15th day of the first lunar month; Lantern Festival

## Traditions

nián年yè夜fàn饭

New Year's Eve dinner

tuán团yuán圆

to be reunited; reunion

shǒu守suì岁

to stay up on New Year's Eve

bài拜nián年

to pay a New Year call; to wish a happy New Year

zǒu走qīn亲qi戚

to visit relatives

huí回niáng娘jiā家

(of a married woman) to visit her parents' home

hóng红bāo包

red envelope (gift of money)

yā压suì岁qián钱

money given to children at Chinese New Year

qiǎng抢hóng红bāo包

to grab red envelopes (online)

fàng放biān鞭pào炮

to set off firecrackers

wǔ舞shī狮

lion dance

wǔ舞lóng龙

dragon dance

miào庙huì会

temple fair

nián年huò货

goods for the Spring Festival

jì祭zǔ祖

to offer sacrifices to one's ancestors

cái财shén神

God of Wealth

zào灶wang王yé爷

Kitchen God

## Decorations

chūn春lián联

Spring Festival couplet

duì对lián联

couplet (written on scrolls, hung on doors)

fú福

good fortune; blessing

fú福zì字

good-fortune character (posted on doors at Spring Festival)

mén门shén神

door god (image pasted on doors at New Year)

chuāng窗huā花

paper window decoration

jiǎn剪zhǐ纸

paper-cut; paper cutting (folk art)

nián年huà画

New Year picture

dēng灯long笼

lantern

biān鞭pào炮

firecracker; string of firecrackers

yān烟huā花

fireworks

## New Year foods

jiǎo饺zi子

dumpling (boiled, crescent-shaped)

bāo包jiǎo饺zi子

to make dumplings

yú鱼

fish

nián年gāo糕

New Year rice cake

tāng汤yuán圆

glutinous rice ball (sweet dumpling in soup)

chūn春juǎn卷

spring roll

cháng长shòu寿miàn面

longevity noodles (eaten on birthdays)

jú橘zi子

tangerine; mandarin orange

jīn金jú橘

kumquat

fā发gāo糕

steamed sponge cake

bā八bǎo宝fàn饭

eight-treasure rice pudding

guā瓜zǐ子

melon seeds; sunflower seeds (as a snack)

táng糖guǒ果

candy; sweets

là腊ròu肉

cured meat; Chinese bacon

## New Year wishes

xīn新nián年kuài快lè乐

Happy New Year

gōng恭xǐ喜fā发cái财

Happy New Year; may you prosper (Chinese New Year greeting)

wàn万shì事rú如yì意

may all go well (a wish)

shēn身tǐ体jiàn健kāng康

good health

xīn心xiǎng想shì事chéng成

may all your wishes come true

nián年nián年yǒu有yú余

may you have surplus every year (New Year greeting)

dà大jí吉dà大lì利

great luck and prosperity

jí吉xiáng祥rú如yì意

good luck and happiness (New Year greeting)

bù步bù步gāo高shēng升

to rise steadily; to be promoted step by step

suì岁suì岁píng平ān安

peace year after year (blessing, also said when something breaks)

## What is Chinese New Year called in Chinese?

春节 (Chūnjié), the Spring Festival, or 农历新年 (nónglì xīnnián), the Lunar New Year; to celebrate it is 过年 (guònián). The next one falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat, 羊 (yáng).

## What are the traditions of Chinese New Year?

On New Year’s Eve, 除夕 (chúxī), the family eats the reunion dinner, 年夜饭 (niányèfàn), watches the Spring Festival Gala, 春晚 (Chūnwǎn), and stays up to see the year in, 守岁 (shǒusuì). From the first day people visit family and friends to wish them a happy New Year, 拜年 (bàinián), children get red envelopes, 红包 (hóngbāo), of 压岁钱 (yāsuìqián), and there are firecrackers 鞭炮 (biānpào), lion dances 舞狮 (wǔshī) and temple fairs 庙会 (miàohuì).

## What foods are eaten at Chinese New Year, and what do they mean?

Most carry a wish through a pun. Fish, 鱼 (yú), sounds like 余, surplus, so it is served whole and some is left over: 年年有余, a surplus every year. Northern families make dumplings, 饺子 (jiǎozi), shaped like silver ingots; the south eats 年糕 (niángāo), New Year cake, which sounds like a year higher. Tangerines, 橘子 (júzi), and kumquats are gold and sound like luck, 吉 (jí).

## What are the Chinese New Year decorations called?

Red couplets on both sides of the door, 春联 (chūnlián); the character 福 (fú), good fortune, often pasted upside down because upside down, 倒 (dào), sounds like arrived, 到 (dào): fortune has arrived. Then paper cuts on the windows, 窗花 (chuānghuā), red lanterns, 灯笼 (dēnglong), New Year pictures, 年画 (niánhuà), and the door gods, 门神 (ménshén).

## What are the days of Chinese New Year?

It starts in the twelfth month, 腊月 (làyuè), with 腊八节 (Làbājié) on the 8th and 小年 (xiǎonián), the Little New Year, on the 23rd or 24th, when the Kitchen God 灶王爷 (Zàowángyé) is sent off to heaven. Then 除夕 (chúxī), New Year’s Eve, and 大年初一 (dànián chūyī), New Year’s Day. On the second day married daughters visit their parents, 回娘家 (huí niángjiā); on the fifth, 初五 (chūwǔ), people welcome the God of Wealth, 财神 (Cáishén); and the 15th, 元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié), the Lantern Festival, ends the New Year.

## What should you not do at Chinese New Year?

Don’t sweep or take out the rubbish on the first day, or you sweep the luck away; that is why houses get their big clean before. Avoid unlucky words like 死 (sǐ), death, and breaking things: if a bowl breaks, say 岁岁平安 (suìsuì píng’ān), peace year after year, because 碎 (suì), broken, sounds like 岁 (suì), year.

## Can’t hear it?

Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead.

## More for Chinese New Year

- [Chinese New Year: date and greetings](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-festivals/chinese-new-year)
- [Holiday greetings in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/holidays)
- [The Chinese zodiac](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac)
- [Chinese superstitions](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/chinese-superstitions)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the date from the Hong Kong Observatory tables; the customs from Wikipedia’s Chinese New Year, and they vary by region and family.