Chinese New Year Greetings for Kids

The easiest Chinese New Year greeting for kids is 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè), "Happy New Year". From there, add 新年好, 恭喜发财 and a couple of wishes for grandparents, and your child is ready for the red-envelope moment.

The first three: start here

• 新年快乐 — xīn nián kuài lè — Happy New Year. Works with anyone, any age.
• 新年好 — xīn nián hǎo — "Good New Year", a warm everyday greeting, easy for toddlers.
• 恭喜发财 — gōng xǐ fā cái — "Wishing you prosperity". Very common, and the phrase children say just before receiving a red envelope. Often heard in Cantonese as gung hei fat choy.

If your child learns only these three, they can greet every relative at the reunion dinner.

Wishes for grandparents and elders

• 身体健康 — shēn tǐ jiàn kāng — good health. The most meaningful wish for grandparents.
• 万事如意 — wàn shì rú yì — may everything go as you wish.
• 心想事成 — xīn xiǎng shì chéng — may your wishes come true.
• 年年有余 — nián nián yǒu yú — may every year bring more than enough. 余 (surplus) sounds like 鱼 (fish), which is why fish is served at the New Year meal.

A child who says 身体健康 to a grandparent on a video call will usually get a delighted reaction — which is the best motivation for the next phrase.

Wishes for friends, school and the new year

• 学习进步 — xué xí jìn bù — "progress in your studies", a classic wish adults give children and children can give classmates.
• 大吉大利 — dà jí dà lì — great luck and great success.
• 谢谢 — xiè xie — thank you. Not a greeting, but every red envelope should be followed by it.

For 2027, the Year of the Goat, you may also hear goat puns such as 喜气洋洋 (full of joy), because 洋 sounds like 羊 (goat).

How to practice: say first, write later

1. Week 1: say 新年快乐 and 新年好 every morning. Make it a game — whoever says it first at breakfast wins.
2. Week 2: add 恭喜发财 and 身体健康. Role-play the red envelope: one person holds the envelope, the other must greet before taking it.
3. Week 3: trace the words. Start with the simpler characters — 新, 年, 快, 乐 — before 健康, which has more strokes.
4. Week 4: write one greeting on a homemade card for a relative. A real reader makes the writing matter.

Keep pinyin visible on the first practice sheets and turn it off once your child reads the phrase confidently. Tones matter: practice 快乐 slowly — kuài is falling, lè is falling — then at normal speed.

Simplified or traditional?

The phrases above are in simplified characters. If your family uses traditional characters, a few change: 新年快樂, 恭喜發財, 身體健康, 萬事如意. Pick one script for writing practice and stay with it; spoken greetings are the same either way.

Try it

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Keep practicing

• Chinese New Year worksheets
• Pinyin worksheet
• Chinese zodiac worksheets
• HSK / YCT word lists

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