How to say happy new year in cantonese

In Hong Kong, where Cantonese is the official language, the common way to say ‘Happy New Year’ is gong hei fat choy, which literally means ‘wishing you great happiness and prosperity’.

When it comes to greetings in Cantonese, Luisa Tam says the phrase faai lok, which means “happiness” in English, is the easiest way to spread some holiday cheer.

Kung Hei Fat Choi is the auspicious Cantonese phrase most commonly heard in Hong Kong this week during the Lunar New Year. Kung Hei stands for congratulations, while Fat Choi literally means making a lot of money.

Because Gong Xi (恭禧) is congratulations or respectfully wishing one joy and Fa Cai (發財) is to become rich or to make money. Thus, Gong Xi Fa Cai means wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year.

Either way, whether you refer to it as the Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, or any other name, in the end it is the context that matters, and as long as no intentional offense is meant, it is safe to say that almost everyone will just be happy to share and celebrate the festive occasion all around the …

The name ‘Chinese New Year’ likely originated from Western countries wanting to differentiate what the Chinese celebrate as New Year with their own. … There’s nothing technically wrong with calling it Chinese New Year. Or Vietnamese New Year. Or Korean New Year.

Kung Hei Fat Choy, which means “wishing you to make lots of money or a fortune,” is popular for two reasons. It’s mostly said among Cantonese during the New Year. … However, Kung Hei Fat Choy is simply outdated.

Chinese New Year Greetings for Happiness, Health & Peace

恭贺新禧 (gōng hè xīn xǐ) – Good luck in the year ahead. 心想事成 (xīn xiǎng shì chéng) – May all your wishes come true. 万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì) – May everything go well for you. 笑口常开 (xiào kǒu cháng kāi) – May your year be filled with abundance of smiles and laughter.

Languages and ethnicities

The majority of the province’s population is Han Chinese. Within the Han Chinese, the largest subgroup in Guangdong are the Cantonese people. Two other major groups are the Teochew people in Chaoshan and the Hakka people in Huizhou, Meizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan and Zhanjiang.

恭喜发财 [ɡōnɡ xǐ fā cái] [prov.] Wish you all the best! (also: May you be prosperous!)

恭喜發財 Gong Hei Faat Choy

It is often coupled with another popular greeting– “sun tai gin hong” (身體健康), which means good health. Say “gong hei faat choy” when you first meet someone, with the fist and palm salute!

Shenzhen is a city located in south-central Guangdong sheng (province) in southeastern China. It lies along the coast of the South China Sea and is located immediately north of Hong Kong.

Cantonese language, Chinese (Pinyin) Yueyu, (Wade-Giles romanization) Yüeh-yü, variety of Chinese spoken by more than 55 million people in Guangdong and southern Guangxi provinces of China, including the important cities of Canton, Hong Kong, and Macau. Throughout the world it is spoken by some 20 million more.

Mandarin is the mother dialect of the Chinese language and is spoken in most provinces of China, including Shenzhen. Cantonese, however, is the dialect of the Guangdong Province and because the people of Shenzhen grow up speaking Cantonese, it’s widely spoken.

While Shenzhen is located in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, where the local dialect is Cantonese, Mandarin is the official spoken language.

Shenzhen is a coastal city located in Guangdong province in south-eastern China, just across the border from Hong Kong. The capital of Guangdong province is the city of Guangzhou, which was known for a period as Canton. Shenzhen has an extensive coastal plain with a backdrop of rugged forested mountains.

According to these experts, Cantonese isn’t dying at all. For now. “From a linguistic point of view, it’s not endangered at all. It’s doing quite well compared to other languages in the China region,” said Mr Lau.