Merry Christmas In Different Languages – How to Speak Happy/Merry Christmas Around the World

Get to know about how to say Merry Christmas in multiple languages.

This page is your resource for Happy/Merry Christmas for all the languages apart from English.

I have tried to include all countries and languages.

‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Christmas’ in different languages around the world

Different country languages have different characters and to make sure that our English country readers also know how to pronounce Merry Christmas in those countries, I have included the English pronunciation of those unique characters.

Afrikaans (South Africa, Namibia)  – Geseënde Kersfees

Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin) – Afishapa

Amharic (Ethiopia) – Melikam Gena! (መልካም ገና!)

Ashanti/Asante/Asante Twi (Ghana)  – afehyia pa

Chewa (Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe) – Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha Kristmasi

Dagbani (Ghana)  – Ni ti Burunya Chou

Edo (Nigeria)  – Iselogbe

Ewe (Ghana, Togo) – Blunya na wo

Fula/Fulani
(Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone)  – Jabbama be salla Kirismati

Hausa (Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo) – barka dà Kirsìmatì

Ibibio (Nigeria) – Idara ukapade isua

Igbo/Igo (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea) – E keresimesi Oma

Kinyarwanda (Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo) – Noheli nziza

Lingala (DR Congo, Rep Congo, Central African Republic, Angola) – Mbotama Malamu

Luganda (Uganda) – Seku Kulu

Ndebele (Zimbabwe, South Africa) – Izilokotho Ezihle Zamaholdeni

Shona (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana) – Muve neKisimusi

Soga/Lasoga (Uganda) – Mwisuka Sekukulu

Somali (Somalia, Djibouti) – Kirismas Wacan

Sotho (Lesotho, South Africa) – Le be le keresemese e monate

Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda) – Krismasi Njema / Heri ya Krismasi

Tigrinya (Ethiopia and Eritreia) – Ruhus Beal Lidet

Xhosa/isiXhosa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho) – Krismesi emnandi

Yoruba (Nigeria, Benin) – E ku odun, e ku iye’dun

Zulu (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland) – UKhisimusi omuhle

Afganistan (Dari) – Christmas Mubarak (کرسمس مبارک)

Albanian – Gëzuar Krishtlindjen

Arabic – Eid Milad Majid (عيد ميلاد مجيد) Which means ‘Glorious Birth Feast’

Aramaic – Eedookh Breekha Which means ‘Blessed be your Christmas’

Armenian – Shnorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tznund (Շնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ) Which means ‘Congratulations for the Holy Birth’

Belgium

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1. Dutch/Flemish – Vrolijk Kerstfeest
2. French – Joyeux Noël
3. German – Frohe Weihnachten
4. Walloon – djoyeus Noyé

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Bulgarian – Vesela Koleda

Cambodia (Khmer) – Rik-reay​​ Bon​ Noel (រីករាយ បុណ្យ​ណូអែល)

China

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1. Mandarin – Sheng Dan Kuai Le (圣诞快乐)
2. Cantonese – Seng Dan Fai Lok (聖誕快樂)

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Cornish – Nadelik Lowen

Croatian (and Bosnian) – Sretan Božić

Czech – Veselé Vánoce

Danish – Glædelig Jul

Esperanto – Feliĉan Kristnaskon

Estonian – Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi

Faroe Islands (Faroese) – Gleðilig jól

Finnish – Hyvää joulua

France

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1. French – Joyeux Noël
2. Breton – Nedeleg Laouen
3. Corsican – Bon Natale
4. Alsatian – E güeti Wïnâchte

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German – Frohe Weihnachten

Greek – Kala Christouyenna or Καλά Χριστούγεννα

Georgian – gilocav shoba-akhal c’els or გილოცავ შობა-ახალ წელს

Greenland

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1. Greenlandic – Juullimi Pilluarit
2. Danish (also used in Greenland) – Glædelig Jul

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Haitian Creole – Jwaye Nowe

Hawaiian – Mele Kalikimaka

Hungarian – Boldog karácsonyt (Happy Christmas) or Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket (pleasant Christmas holidays)

Icelandic – Gleðileg jól

India

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1. Bengali (also spoken in Bangladesh) – shubho bôṛodin (শুভ বড়দিন)
2. Gujarati – Anandi Natal or Khushi Natal (આનંદી નાતાલ)
3. Hindi – Śubh krisamas (शुभ क्रिसमस)
4. Kannada – kris mas habbada shubhaashayagalu (ಕ್ರಿಸ್ ಮಸ್ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು)
5. Konkani – Khushal Borit Natala
6. Malayalam – Christmas inte mangalaashamsakal
7. Marathi – Śubh Nātāḷ (शुभ नाताळ) or Natal Chya shubhechha
8. Mizo – Krismas Chibai
9. Punjabi – karisama te nawāṃ sāla khušayāṃwālā hewe (ਕਰਿਸਮ ਤੇ ਨਵਾੰ ਸਾਲ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ)
10. Sanskrit – Krismasasya shubhkaamnaa
11. Sindhi – Christmas jun wadhayun
12. Tamil – kiṟistumas vāḻttukkaḷ (கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள்)
13. Telugu – Christmas Subhakankshalu
14. Urdu – krismas mubarak (کرسمس)

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Indonesian – Selamat Natal

Iran

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1. Farsi – Christmas MobArak
2. Kurdish (Kumanji) – Kirîsmes u ser sala we pîroz be

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Irish (Gaelic) – Nollaig Shona Dhuit

Israel (Hebrew) – Chag Molad Sameach (חג מולד שמח) meaning ‘Happy festival of the Birth’

Italy

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1. Italian – Buon Natale
2. Sicilian – Bon Natali
3. Ladin – Bon/Bun Nadèl

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Japanese – Meri Kurisumasu (or ‘Meri Kuri’ for short!)
               – Hiragana: めりーくりすます
               – Katakana: メリークリスマス

Kazahk – Rojdestvo quttı bolsın (Рождество құтты болсын)

Korean – ‘Meri krismas’ (메리 크리스마스) or ‘seongtanjeol jal
              – bonaeyo’ (성탄절 잘 보내요) or ‘Jeulgaeun krismas
              – doeseyo’ (즐거운 크리스마스 되세요)

Latin – Felicem Diem Nativitatis (Merry Day of the Nativity)

Latvian – Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus

Lithuanian – Linksmų Kalėdų

Macedonian – Streken Bozhik or Среќен Божик

Madagascar (Malagasy) – Tratra ny Noely

Maltese – Il-Milied it-Tajjeb

Malaysia

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1. Bahasa/Malay – Selamat Hari Natal
2. Malayalam – Puthuvalsara Aashamsakal

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Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) – Nollick Ghennal

Mexico (Spanish is main lang)

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1. Nahuatl – Cualli netlācatilizpan
2. Yucatec Maya – Ki’imak “navidad”

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Montenegrin – Hristos se rodi (Христос се роди) – Christ is born
                       – Vaistinu se rodi (Ваистину се роди) – truly born (reply)

Native American / First Nation Languages

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1. Apache (Western) – Gozhqq Keshmish
2. Cherokee – Danistayohihv &Aliheli’sdi Itse Udetiyvasadisv
3. Inuit – Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi
4. Navajo – Nizhonigo Keshmish
5. Yupik – Alussistuakeggtaarmek

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Nepali – Kreesmasko shubhkaamnaa (क्रस्मसको शुभकामना)

The Netherlands

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1. Dutch – Zalig Kerstfeest or Zalig Kerstmis (both mean Merry Christmas), Vrolijk Kerstfeest (Cheerful Christmas) or Prettig Kerstfeest (Nice Christmas)
2. West-Frisian (or Frysk) – Noflike Krystdagen (Comfortable Christmas days)
3. Bildts – Noflike Korsttydsdagen (Comfortable Christmastide days)

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New Zealand (Maori) – Meri Kirihimete

Norwegian – God Jul or Gledelig Jul

Philippines

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1. Tagalog – Maligayang Pasko
2. Ilokano – Naragsak Nga Paskua
3. Ilonggo – Malipayon nga Pascua
4. Sugbuhanon or Cebuano – Maayong Pasko
5. Bicolano – Maugmang Pasko
6. Pangalatok or Pangasinense – Maabig ya pasko or Magayagan inkianac
7. Warey Warey – Maupay Nga Pasko

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Papiamentu (spoken in the Lesser Antilles like Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire) – Bon Pascu

Polish – Wesołych Świąt

Portuguese – Feliz Natal

Romanian – Crăciun Fericit

Russian – s rah-zh-dee-st-VOHM (C рождеством!) or
          s-schah-st-lee-vah-vah rah-zh dee-st-vah (Счастливого рождества!)

Sami (North-Sami) (spoken in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia) – Buorit Juovllat

Samoan – Manuia Le Kerisimasi

Scotland

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1. Scots – Blithe Yule
2. Gaelic – Nollaig Chridheil

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Serbian – Hristos se rodi (Христос се роди) – Christ is born
              – Vaistinu se rodi (Ваистину се роди) – truly born (reply)

Slovakian – Veselé Vianoce

Slovene or Slovenian – Vesel Božič

Somali – Kirismas Wacan

Spain

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1. Spanish (Españo) – Feliz Navidad or Nochebuena (which means ‘Holy Night’ – Christmas Eve)
2. Catalan – Bon Nadal
3. Galician – Bo Nadal
4. Basque (Euskara) – Eguberri on (which means ‘Happy New Day’)

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Sranantongo (spoken in Suriname) – Swit’ Kresneti

Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka) – Suba Naththalak Wewa (සුබ නත්තලක් වේවා)

Swedish – God Jul

Switzerland

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1. Swiss German – Schöni Wiehnachte
2. French – Joyeux Noël
3. Italian – Buon Natale
4. Romansh – Bellas festas da Nadal

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Thai – Suk sarn warn Christmas

Turkish – Mutlu Noeller

Ukranian – ‘Веселого Різдва’ Veseloho Rizdva (Merry Christmas) or
                    ‘Христос Рождається’ Khrystos Rozhdayetsia (Christ is Born)

Vietnamese – Chúc mừng Giáng Sinh

Welsh – Nadolig Llawen

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Last Updated : 09 October, 2023