Christmas is celebrated in countless ways around the world, but one of the simplest ways to share the joy of the season is with a cheerful “Merry Christmas!”
Whether you’re writing Christmas cards to friends overseas, traveling during the holidays, learning a new language, or simply curious about Christmas traditions around the world, it can be wonderful to know how people share festive wishes in other languages.
Below you’ll find Merry Christmas in 100 languages, from Afrikaans and Arabic to Welsh, Yoruba, and Zulu.
For even more international holiday inspiration, explore our guide to Christmas Around the World.
🌍 How to Say Merry Christmas in 100 Languages
A small note before we begin: these are commonly used Christmas greetings rather than necessarily literal word-for-word translations of the English phrase “Merry Christmas.” Languages can also have regional, dialectal, formal, informal, and religious variations.
| # | Language | Merry Christmas |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | Geseënde Kersfees |
| 2 | Albanian | Gëzuar Krishtlindjet |
| 3 | Amharic | መልካም ገና (melikami gena) |
| 4 | Arabic | عِيد مِيلَاد مَجِيد (ʿīd mīlād majīd) |
| 5 | Armenian | Շնորհավոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Surb Tsnund) |
| 6 | Assamese | মেৰী খ্রীষ্টমাচ (meri khristmas) |
| 7 | Azerbaijani | Milad Bayramınız Mübarək |
| 8 | Basque | Gabon zoriontsuak |
| 9 | Belarusian | З Божым нараджэннем (Z Božym naradžeńniem) |
| 10 | Bengali | শুভ বড়দিন (Shubhô bôṛôdin) |
| 11 | Bosnian | Sretan Božić |
| 12 | Bulgarian | Честита Коледа (Čestita Koleda) |
| 13 | Catalan | Bon Nadal |
| 14 | Cebuano | Maayong Pasko |
| 15 | Chinese (Cantonese) | 聖誕節快樂 (singdaanjit faailohk) |
| 16 | Chinese (Mandarin) | 圣诞快乐 (shèngdàn kuàilè) |
| 17 | Croatian | Sretan Božić |
| 18 | Czech | Veselé Vánoce |
| 19 | Danish | Glædelig jul |
| 20 | Dutch | Vrolijk kerstfeest |
| 21 | Estonian | Häid jõule |
| 22 | Faroese | Gleðilig jól |
| 23 | Fijian | Marau na Kerisimasi |
| 24 | Finnish | Hyvää joulua |
| 25 | French | Joyeux Noël |
| 26 | Galician | Bo Nadal |
| 27 | Georgian | შობას გილოცავთ (shobas gilotsavt) |
| 28 | German | Frohe Weihnachten |
| 29 | Greek | Καλά Χριστούγεννα! (Kalá hristúyenna) |
| 30 | Greenlandic | Juullimi Pilluarit |
| 31 | Gujarati | નાતાલ ની શુભકામનાઓ |
| 32 | Haitian Creole | Jwaye Nowèl |
| 33 | Hausa | Barka da Kirsimeti |
| 34 | Hawaiian | Mele Kalikimaka |
| 35 | Hebrew | חג מולד שמח (Chag molad sameach) |
| 36 | Hindi | शुभ क्रिसमस (śubh krisamas) |
| 37 | Hungarian | Kellemes Karácsonyt |
| 38 | Icelandic | Gleðileg jól |
| 39 | Igbo | Ekene Ekeresimesi |
| 40 | Indonesian | Selamat Hari Natal |
| 41 | Irish | Nollaig shona duit |
| 42 | Italian | Buon Natale |
| 43 | Japanese | メリークリスマス (merī kurisumasu) |
| 44 | Javanese | Sugeng Natal |
| 45 | Kannada | ಕ್ರಿಸ್ ಮಸ್ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು (kris mas habbada shubhaashayagalu) |
| 46 | Kazakh | Рождество құтты болсын (Rojdestvo quttı bolsın) |
| 47 | Khmer | រីករាយថ្ងៃបុណ្យណូអែល (rikréay thngey bŏn no’êl) |
| 48 | Kinyarwanda | Noheri nziza |
| 49 | Korean | 메리 크리스마스 (meri keuriseumaseu) |
| 50 | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | Noel o ser sala te pîroz be |
| 51 | Kyrgyz | Рождество майрамы менен (Rojdestvo mayramı menen) |
| 52 | Lao | ສຸກສັນວັນຄິສມາດ (suksan van khismad) |
| 53 | Latvian | Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus |
| 54 | Lithuanian | Linksmų Kalėdų |
| 55 | Luxembourgish | Schéi Chrëschtdeeg |
| 56 | Macedonian | Среќен Божик (Sreken Božik) |
| 57 | Malagasy | Tratry ny Noely |
| 58 | Malay | Selamat Hari Natal |
| 59 | Malayalam | ക്രിസ്തുമസ് ആശംസകള് (kristumas aashamsakal) |
| 60 | Maltese | Il-Milied it-tajjeb |
| 61 | Manx | Nollick Ghennal |
| 62 | Māori | Meri Kirihimete |
| 63 | Marathi | शुभ नाताळ (śubh nātāḷ) |
| 64 | Mongolian | Зул сарын баярын мэнд (Zul saryn bayaryn mend) |
| 65 | Navajo | Yáʼátʼééh Késhmish |
| 66 | Nepali | क्रिसमसको शुभकामना (krismasko śubhakāmanā) |
| 67 | Northern Sámi | Buorit juovllat |
| 68 | Norwegian | God jul |
| 69 | Pashto | د كرسمس ﺍﺧﺘﺮ ﺩ ﺑﺨﺘﻮﺭ (De Krismas akhtar de bakhtawar) |
| 70 | Persian (Farsi) | کریسمس مبارک (kerismas mobārak) |
| 71 | Polish | Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia |
| 72 | Portuguese | Feliz Natal |
| 73 | Punjabi | ਮੈਰੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਮਸ। / میری کرِسمس (merī krismas) |
| 74 | Romanian | Crăciun fericit |
| 75 | Russian | С Рождеством! (S Roždestvom!) |
| 76 | Samoan | Ia manuia le Kerisimasi |
| 77 | Scottish Gaelic | Nollaig chridheil |
| 78 | Serbian | Срећан Божић (Srećan Božić) |
| 79 | Sinhala | සුභ නත්තලක් (subha natthalak) |
| 80 | Slovak | Veselé Vianoce |
| 81 | Slovenian | Vesel božič |
| 82 | Somali | Kirismas wacan |
| 83 | Spanish | ¡Feliz Navidad! |
| 84 | Swahili | Krismasi njema |
| 85 | Swedish | God jul |
| 86 | Tagalog | Maligayang Pasko |
| 87 | Tamil | கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள் |
| 88 | Telugu | సంతోషకరమైన క్రిస్ఠ్మస్ (saṅthoashakaramaina kristmas) |
| 89 | Thai | สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส (sùk săn wan-krít-mâat) |
| 90 | Tigrinya | ርሑስ በዓል ልደት (Rhus Be’al Ldet) |
| 91 | Tongan | Kilisimasi fiefia |
| 92 | Turkish | İyi Noeller |
| 93 | Ukrainian | Веселого Різдва (Veseloho Rizdva) |
| 94 | Urdu | کرسمَس مبارک (krismas mubarak) |
| 95 | Uzbek | Rojdestvo bayramingiz qutlug bolsin! |
| 96 | Vietnamese | Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ |
| 97 | Welsh | Nadolig llawen |
| 98 | Xhosa | iKrisimesi emnandi |
| 99 | Yoruba | Ẹ ku Ayọ Keresimesi |
| 100 | Zulu | Jabulele uKhisimusi |
🎄 Familiar Christmas Greetings from Around the World
Some international Christmas greetings have become familiar far beyond the places where their languages are spoken.
Spanish “Feliz Navidad” may be the most recognizable example, thanks in part to its frequent appearance in Christmas music and popular culture.
French gives us the elegant “Joyeux Noël,” while Italians say “Buon Natale.”
In Germany, “Frohe Weihnachten” is one of the most common seasonal greetings. If you’d like to learn more, see our complete guide to how to say Happy Christmas in German.
Norwegian and Swedish speakers share the wonderfully concise “God jul.” You can explore the Norwegian greeting more closely in our guide to how to say Merry Christmas in Norwegian.
🎅 Christmas Greetings That Sound Surprisingly Familiar
Not every language created an entirely separate native word for Christmas. Some Christmas greetings contain words adapted from English or other European languages.
Japanese メリークリスマス — merī kurisumasu is a particularly clear example. It is essentially the English phrase “Merry Christmas” adapted to Japanese pronunciation.
Korean 메리 크리스마스 — meri keuriseumaseu follows a similar pattern.
You can also see recognizable forms of Christmas or Krismas in languages including Malay, Hausa, Somali, Swahili, Urdu, Punjabi, and others.
Hawaiian Mele Kalikimaka is another famous example of a Christmas expression adapted to the sounds of the local language.
🌟 Christmas Greetings Can Change from Place to Place
Language rarely fits neatly within national borders.
Switzerland is an excellent example. Depending on where you are in the country, you may hear Christmas greetings in German, French, Italian, Romansh, or regional dialects.
Our guide to how to say Merry Christmas in Switzerland explores several of these variations.
The same applies elsewhere. A language may have multiple acceptable Christmas greetings, and speakers may choose different expressions depending on region, religion, family tradition, or whether the situation is formal or informal.
That is why a list like this is best treated as a collection of useful, commonly encountered greetings, rather than a claim that each language has only one correct way to say Merry Christmas.
💌 How to Use Merry Christmas in Different Languages
Knowing a Christmas greeting in another language can add a thoughtful touch to all sorts of holiday moments.
You might use these phrases for:
- Christmas cards sent to international friends or relatives
- Gift tags
- Classroom Christmas activities
- Holiday party decorations
- Social media posts
- Travel during the Christmas season
- Language-learning activities
- Multicultural Christmas celebrations
- International business greetings
- Christmas crafts and printables
Even a short greeting can make a Christmas message feel much more personal.
If you know someone from Croatia, for example, wishing them “Sretan Božić” can be a lovely gesture. You can learn more in our guide to Merry Christmas in Croatian.
For Filipino friends and family, “Maligayang Pasko” is the classic Tagalog greeting. Our Merry Christmas in Tagalog guide explores it in more detail.
❤️ One Holiday, Thousands of Ways to Share Good Wishes
Looking at Christmas greetings side by side is a wonderful reminder of just how linguistically diverse the world is.
Some expressions are short and simple:
God jul.
Bon Nadal.
Feliz Natal.
Others become beautiful strings of letters or characters that may look completely unfamiliar to English speakers:
Καλά Χριστούγεννα.
圣诞快乐.
ርሑስ በዓል ልደት.
สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส.
Yet each serves a similar purpose: sharing warm wishes during the Christmas season.
And however you say it—
Merry Christmas!
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Merry Christmas in Spanish?
The most common Christmas greeting in Spanish is ¡Feliz Navidad!
How do you say Merry Christmas in French?
In French, say Joyeux Noël!
How do you say Merry Christmas in German?
A common German greeting is Frohe Weihnachten!
How do you say Merry Christmas in Italian?
In Italian, say Buon Natale!
How do you say Merry Christmas in Japanese?
In Japanese, Merry Christmas is commonly written メリークリスマス, romanized as merī kurisumasu.
How do you say Merry Christmas in Chinese?
In Mandarin Chinese, a common greeting is 圣诞快乐 — shèngdàn kuàilè.
In Cantonese, you may see 聖誕節快樂.
How do you say Merry Christmas in Hawaiian?
The famous Hawaiian Christmas greeting is Mele Kalikimaka.
What does “God jul” mean?
God jul is the standard Christmas greeting used in Norwegian and Swedish. Danish uses the related expression Glædelig jul.
Can I put these Christmas greetings on cards?
Absolutely. A greeting in the recipient’s language can make a Christmas card especially thoughtful. Keep in mind that some languages have different forms depending on the number of people being addressed, level of formality, or regional usage.
🔗 Related Articles
- Christmas Around the World: Global Traditions, Foods & Celebrations
- How to Say Merry Christmas in Switzerland
- How to Say “Happy Christmas” in German
- How to Say Merry Christmas in Croatian
- How to Say Merry Christmas in Hungarian
- How to Say Merry Christmas in Norwegian
- How to Say Merry Christmas in Tagalog
