

Christmas is no doubt one of the biggest holidays in most western countries. Now it has become a holiday that many other countries in the world also celebrate. Since Christmas is so popular everywhere, how could we not learn the Christmas must-know vocabulary in Chinese? Let’s learn those words together!
This one is pretty easy! If you know how to say “Happy birthday,” you can simply apply the same format. Merry and happy have similar definitions. We translate both of them as “快乐 kuàilè” in Chinese. So Merry Christmas is 圣诞快乐 Shèngdàn kuàilè. You may see some people say 耶诞快乐 yedàn kuàilè. They are the same.
These three words mean “holy,” “birth,” and “holiday.” Many people believe that Christmas was the day that Jesus was born and He is the holy one. Therefore Christmas in Mandarin Chinese is called “圣诞节 shèngdàn jié.” There is another name we use quite often, which is “耶诞节 ye dàn jié.” This translation is even more straightforward. The first word “耶 ye” is short for “耶稣 yēsū,” which means Jesus in Chinese.
“夜 yè” means night, evening. This one is pretty simple once you know the one above! Also the same idea applies, you can also say “耶诞夜 yedàn yè.”
树 shù is tree in Chinese.
卡 kǎ means card. But when we use 卡 kǎ in Chinese, if it refers to something you would like to cheer or celebrate, we will usually say “贺卡 hèkǎ.” “贺 hè” means “congrats.” For example, birthday card can be “生日贺卡 shēngrì hèkǎ.”
“雪 xuě” means snow, while “人 rén” means man!
“拐杖 guǎizhàng” means cane.
“姜 jiāng” means ginger, and “饼 bǐng” means “cookies, bread.”
The way we say Santa in Chinese is interesting! I believe you already know “圣诞 shèngdàn” is Christmas. But do you know “老人 lǎorén” means “old person?” So the literal meaning of “圣诞老人 shèngdàn lǎorén” is actually “Christmas old person!”
One of the best drinks during cold weather! “热 rè” means hot, and “可可 kěkě” is a similar pronunciation as cocoa. You can also say “热巧克力 rè qiǎokèlì,” which means hot chocolate!
“雪 xuě” means snow. “橇 qiāo” means sled, sledge.
“烟 yān” means smoke. 囱 cōng itself means chimney.
鹿 lù means deer.
A fun face that does not necessarily relate to Christmas. It just occurred to me while I am writing this. We have another phrase that is pronounced exactly the same, which is 迷路 mílù, which means getting lost (related to direction).
Both characters have 金 jīn as their radical. “金 jīn” means gold or something that is made of metal.