Merry Christmas in 25 Languages

Here is how to say "Merry Christmas" in 25 languages around the world, with phonetic pronunciation guides.

Christmas Greetings Around the World

Language Phrase Phonetic Flag
English Merry Christmas MER-ee KRIS-mas 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
Spanish Feliz Navidad feh-LEES na-vee-DAHD 🇪🇸
French Joyeux Noël zhwa-YUH no-EL 🇫🇷
German Frohe Weihnachten FROH-eh VY-nakht-en 🇩🇪
Italian Buon Natale bwon na-TAH-leh 🇮🇹
Portuguese Feliz Natal feh-LEES na-TALL 🇧🇷 🇵🇹
Russian С Рождеством s rozh-dest-VOM 🇷🇺
Japanese メリークリスマス me-REE koo-ris-MAS 🇯🇵
Korean 메리 크리스마스 me-REE keu-ris-MA-seu 🇰🇷
Mandarin Chinese 圣诞快乐 shèng dàn kuài lè 🇨🇳
Cantonese 聖誕快樂 sing daan faai lok 🇭🇰
Arabic عيد ميلاد مجيد eid mi-LAD ma-JEED 🇸🇦
Hindi मेरी क्रिसमस me-REE kris-mas 🇮🇳
Dutch Vrolijk Kerstfeest VROH-lik KERST-feest 🇳🇱
Swedish God Jul goo YOOL 🇸🇪
Norwegian God Jul goo YOOL 🇳🇴
Danish Glædelig Jul GLEH-deh-lee YOOL 🇩🇰
Finnish Hyvää Joulua HEW-vaa YOH-loo-ah 🇫🇮
Polish Wesołych Świąt veh-SO-wikh shvyont 🇵🇱
Greek Καλά Χριστούγεννα ka-LAH kris-TOO-yen-na 🇬🇷
Welsh Nadolig Llawen na-DOL-ig HLAW-en 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Afrikaans Geseënde Kersfees heh-ZANE-deh KERS-fees 🇿🇦
Malay Selamat Hari Natal seh-LA-mat HA-ree na-TAL 🇲🇾
Swahili Heri ya Krismasi HEH-ree ya kris-MA-see 🇰🇪
Hawaiian Mele Kalikimaka MEH-leh ka-lee-kee-MA-ka 🇺🇸
Did You Know?

"Mele Kalikimaka" is a phonetic Hawaiian rendering of "Merry Christmas" — Hawaiian has no letter R, S, or many consonant clusters, so English words are adapted to fit Hawaiian phonology. The phrase was popularised worldwide by Bing Crosby's 1950 recording of "Mele Kalikimaka," written by R. Alex Anderson in 1949.

Where Do Christmas Greetings Come From?

Christmas greetings across languages fall into a few distinct patterns. Languages derived from Latin — Spanish (Navidad), Italian (Natale), French (Noël), Portuguese (Natal) — use words derived from the Latin nativitas (birth), reflecting the religious origin of the celebration as the feast of the nativity of Jesus.

Germanic and Scandinavian languages use forms of the word Jul (Yule) — Swedish and Norwegian God Jul, Danish Glædelig Jul, Finnish Joulua — echoing the pre-Christian midwinter festival that Christmas absorbed. The German Weihnachten means "holy nights," while English "Christmas" comes from Old English Cristes maesse, meaning "Christ's mass."

Many Asian and African languages have borrowed the English phrase phonetically: Japanese Merī Kurisumasu, Korean Meri Keuliseumaseu, and Hindi Merī Krismasa are all transliterations of "Merry Christmas" adapted to local phonology. This reflects the relatively recent and often secular adoption of Christmas celebrations in these cultures.

Did You Know?

The word "Noël" in French comes from the Latin natalis (birth day), which gave Spanish Navidad, Italian Natale, and Portuguese Natal the same root. The country of Natal in South Africa (now KwaZulu-Natal) was named by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama because he arrived on its coast on Christmas Day 1497.

Tips for Pronouncing Christmas Greetings

A few pronunciation notes to help you greet people correctly:

French "Joyeux Noël": The French J is pronounced like the s in "measure" or "vision" — a soft zh sound, not the English J sound. The eux ending sounds like a short "uh" with rounded lips.

German "Frohe Weihnachten": The W in German is pronounced like an English V. So "Weihnachten" starts with a V sound: VY-nakht-en. The ch in German is a soft guttural sound, like clearing your throat gently.

Polish "Wesołych Świąt": One of the harder phrases to pronounce for English speakers. The Ś in Świąt sounds like a soft "sh" sound; the ą is a nasal vowel somewhere between "on" and "own." A simplified approximation: veh-SO-wikh SHVYONT.

Welsh "Nadolig Llawen": The Welsh Ll is a voiceless lateral fricative — there's no equivalent in English. To approximate it, place your tongue at the roof of your mouth as if to say L, then blow air out around the sides of your tongue. The word is often approximated as HLAW-en by English speakers.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Spanish, Merry Christmas is Feliz Navidad (pronounced feh-LEES na-vee-DAHD). "Feliz" means happy or merry, and "Navidad" means Christmas, from the Latin nativitas (birth).
In French, Merry Christmas is Joyeux Noël (pronounced zhwa-YUH no-EL). "Joyeux" means joyful or merry, and "Noël" is the French word for Christmas, derived from the Latin natalis (birth day).
In German, Merry Christmas is Frohe Weihnachten (pronounced FROH-eh VY-nakht-en). "Froh" means happy or joyful, and "Weihnachten" means Christmas — literally "holy nights." Note that the German W is pronounced like an English V.
In Japanese, Merry Christmas is メリークリスマス (Merī Kurisumasu, pronounced me-REE koo-ris-MAS). It is a direct phonetic borrowing of the English phrase, adapted to Japanese phonology.
In Italian, Merry Christmas is Buon Natale (pronounced bwon na-TAH-leh). "Buon" means good or merry, and "Natale" is the Italian word for Christmas, from the Latin natalis (birth).
In Mandarin Chinese, Merry Christmas is 圣诞快乐 (Shèng dàn kuài lè). In Cantonese it is 聖誕快樂 (Sing daan faai lok). The characters mean "sacred birth, happy/joyful."
In Arabic, Merry Christmas is عيد ميلاد مجيد (Eid milad majid, pronounced eid mi-LAD ma-JEED), meaning "Glorious Birth Feast." Arab Christians also commonly use Milad Majid (Glorious Birth).
In Finnish, Merry Christmas is Hyvää Joulua (pronounced HEW-vaa YOH-loo-ah). "Hyvää" means good, and "Joulu" is the Finnish word for Christmas, sharing its root with the Scandinavian word "Jul" (Yule).
In Hawaiian, Merry Christmas is Mele Kalikimaka (pronounced MEH-leh ka-lee-kee-MA-ka). It is a phonetic rendering of "Merry Christmas" adapted to Hawaiian sounds, popularised by Bing Crosby's 1950 recording.
"God Jul" (pronounced goo YOOL) is used in Swedish and Norwegian. "Jul" is the Old Norse word for the pre-Christian midwinter festival — the same root as "Yule" in English. When Christianity arrived in Scandinavia, the word "Jul" was adapted for Christmas rather than replaced, preserving the ancient term.

Merry Christmas in 25 languages: English: Merry Christmas (MER-ee KRIS-mas). Spanish: Feliz Navidad (feh-LEES na-vee-DAHD). French: Joyeux Noël (zhwa-YUH no-EL). German: Frohe Weihnachten (FROH-eh VY-nakht-en). Italian: Buon Natale (bwon na-TAH-leh). Portuguese: Feliz Natal (feh-LEES na-TALL). Russian: С Рождеством (s rozh-dest-VOM). Japanese: メリークリスマス (me-REE koo-ris-MAS). Korean: 메리 크리스마스 (me-REE keu-ris-MA-seu). Mandarin Chinese: 圣诞快乐 (shèng dàn kuài lè). Cantonese: 聖誕快樂 (sing daan faai lok). Arabic: عيد ميلاد مجيد (eid mi-LAD ma-JEED). Hindi: मेरी क्रिसमस (me-REE kris-mas). Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest (VROH-lik KERST-feest). Swedish: God Jul (goo YOOL). Norwegian: God Jul (goo YOOL). Danish: Glædelig Jul (GLEH-deh-lee YOOL). Finnish: Hyvää Joulua (HEW-vaa YOH-loo-ah). Polish: Wesołych Świąt (veh-SO-wikh shvyont). Greek: Καλά Χριστούγεννα (ka-LAH kris-TOO-yen-na). Welsh: Nadolig Llawen (na-DOL-ig HLAW-en). Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees (heh-ZANE-deh KERS-fees). Malay: Selamat Hari Natal (seh-LA-mat HA-ree na-TAL). Swahili: Heri ya Krismasi (HEH-ree ya kris-MA-see). Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka (MEH-leh ka-lee-kee-MA-ka).