<p>A few suggestions for you:</p>

<p>恭喜發財 gung1 hei2 faat3 choi4 新年快樂 san1 nin4 faai3 lok6 </p>

<p>-- All purpose happy new year.</p>

<p>身體健康 san1 tai2 gin6 hong1 龍馬精神 lung4 ma2 jing1 san4 </p>

<p>-- Mostly for older people (and health-conscious people), wishing them good health.</p>

<p>快高長大 faai3 gou1 jeung2 daai6 學業進步 hok6 yip6 jeun3 bou6</p>

<p>-- For children and students respectively, wishing them grow tall quickly, and make good progress in school.</p>

<p>步步高升 bou6 bou6 gou1 sing1 </p>

<p>-- Suitable for working people, business associates, etc., wishing them advancement in their career. </p>

<p>喜氣洋洋 hei2 hei3 yeung4 yeung4 </p>

<p>-- Also a general purpose wish for happiness. Since this is the year of the sheep, some people choose this one because of the 洋洋, a play on the word 羊 "sheep". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-22T02:23:50.280Z
2015-02-22T03:01:55.623Z
2015-02-22T03:01:55.623Z
monalisa
<p>In Hong Kong, the two most popular greetings in Cantonese are</p>

<ol>
<li>恭喜發財</li>
<li>新年快樂</li>
</ol>

<p>I am not sure about other Cantonese-speaking areas.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-22T00:13:56.393Z
2015-02-22T00:13:56.393Z
velut luna
<p>Cantonese and Chinese new year greetings are actually written the same. The only difference is about the accent. Here are some of the most popular new year greetings.
心想事成 (xīn xiǎnɡ shì chénɡ) - Whatever you dream of comes true.
万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì) - Everything goes your way.
六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn) - Everything goes smoothly.
年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú) - May there be surpluses every year.</p>

<p>Chinese New Year Greetings for Wealth
恭喜发财 (ɡōnɡ xǐ fā cái) - May you be happy and prosperous.
财源广进 (cái yuán ɡuǎnɡ jìn) – Money and treasure comes to you from multiple directions.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-25T11:07:56.590Z
2015-03-25T11:07:56.590Z
Cindy Li
<h2>Here are some ways to say happy new year (in Mandarin and Cantonese):</h2>

<p>新年快乐 / 新年快樂 Happy New Year in Chinese</p>

<p>'New Year happiness!'</p>

<p>In Mandarin: Xīnnián kuàilè /sshin-nyen kwhy-ler/
In Cantonese: San1-nin4 faai3-lok6 /sen-nin feye-lor/</p>

<hr>

<p>新年好 / 新年好</p>

<p>'New Year goodness!' (like "Good day.")</p>

<p>In Mandarin: Xīnnián hǎo /sshin-nyen haoww/
In Cantonese: San1-nin4 hou2 /sen-nin haow/</p>

<hr>

<p>过年好 / 過年好</p>

<p>'Pass the New Year well!'</p>

<p>In Mandarin: Guònián hǎo /gwor-nyen haoww/
In Cantonese: Gwo3-nin4 hou2 /gwor-nin haow/</p>

<hr>

<h2>Here are some new year greetings (in Mandarin and Cantonese):</h2>

<ol>
<li>恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財</li>
</ol>

<p>'Happiness and prosperity!'</p>

<p>In Mandarin: Gōngxǐ fācái /gong-sshee faa-tseye/
In Cantonese: Gung1-hei2 faat3-coi4 (Kunghei fatchoy) /gong-hey faa-chwhy/</p>

<hr>

<ol start="2">
<li>步步高升 / 步步高陞</li>
</ol>

<p>'step-by-step high promotion' — A steady rise to high places! — "on the up and up"</p>

<p>In Mandarin: Bùbù gāoshēng /boo-boo gaoww-shnng /
In Cantonese: Bou6-bou6 gou1-sing1 /boh-boh goh-sshin /</p>

<h2>I have to admit that I didn't find many either.</h2>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T01:09:57.543Z
What Romanization are you using here? Among other things, the Cantonese is missing all the clipped tones (入聲).
monalisa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T12:44:14.393Z
May I suggest taking those greetings, plugging them into the [MDBG dictionary](http://mdbg.net) and retrieving their Jyutping Romanisation? :)
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T12:48:43.107Z
More precisely, [here is the Jyutping](http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%BF%AB%E4%B9%90+X%C4%ABnni%C3%A1n+ku%C3%A0il%C3%A8+%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%A5%BD+X%C4%ABnni%C3%A1n+h%C7%8Eo+%E8%BF%87%E5%B9%B4%E5%A5%BD+Gu%C3%B2ni%C3%A1n+h%C7%8Eo+%E6%81%AD%E5%96%9C%E5%8F%91%E8%B4%A2+G%C5%8Dngx%C7%90+f%C4%81c%C3%A1i+%E6%AD%A5%E6%AD%A5%E9%AB%98%E5%8D%87) (click on the characters and open the drop-downs with the Jyutping), and [this](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/485/) should solve the sole tone ambiguity.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T12:51:23.073Z
Leaving the comments above for future reference (i.e. in case someone who doesn't know about this IMHO very useful tool stumbles upon this question) and editing the answer to include the Jyutping.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T16:54:54.880Z
@MickG I wasn't talking about the missing tone marks. The clipped tone (-p, -t, -k ending sound) is essential in Cantonese. The OP's Romanization seems to be missing them, so I seriously doubt the accuracy of the Romanized Cantonese.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T18:29:53.983Z
@monalisa I wouldn't call that a _romanization_, nor in fact a _transliteration_, but rather a _transcription_ or _phonetic representation_. That is, a (rather sloppy IMHO) attempt to mimic the Cantonese sounds with English spelling. For something similar, you can see the [enPR](http://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_pronunciation). Now, this kind of pseudo-English orthography cannot represent tones, and since syllable-final stops in Cantonese are [unreleased](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreleased_stop), which in English they aren't, I guess it is arguable whether turning ...
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T18:38:45.087Z
... an unreleased stop into a released one would be better than dropping it altogether, which was the answerer's choice. Anyway, I wasn't proposing the MDBG for the tones only, but also for a real romanization that could be pronounced correctly without knowing English, which this transcription evidently can't. And I know what the clipped tones are. The point in that tone ambiguity part was that the character hăo has two possible tones in Canto, i.e. 2 and 3. MDBG can't solve the ambiguity, nor can the answer which doesn't give tones at all. So I used CantoDict.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T18:39:26.020Z
The other pronunciation ambiguity presented by the MDBG, lok6 vs. ngok6, is solved instead by the answer. Lastly, the fact this is a phonetic representation should have been clear from the enclosing slashes, which usually surround IPA or phonemic transcriptions, and by the fact that gongxi facai had an alternative transcription outside slashes, which is much closer to a romanisation. Indeed, it looks like a distorted toneless Jyutping, but at least it marks the final stop on "fat" in "fatchoy".
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T18:40:46.160Z
Besides, have you seen the Mandarin "romanization" in slashes? It is even weirder :).
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T00:58:51.610Z
2015-02-20T17:00:19.817Z
2015-02-20T17:00:19.817Z
ʇolɐǝz ǝɥʇ qoq
<p>A note of context: 恭喜發財 (gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4) actually means "congratulations on making money". This probably has connections to Guangdong's commercial past, where many people work in trade and business.</p>

<p>This would be generally fine, but could be slightly awkward if the other party is e.g. a governmental official (this might be taken as mildly suggestive of corruption), so people (esp. in Hong Kong, where people generally take corruption rather seriously) sometimes consciously avoid 恭喜發財 when the other party is in a position like this.</p>

<p>新年快樂 (san1 nin4 faai3 lok6) has no such connotation is always fine, of course.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-02T04:51:14.300Z
2019-02-02T04:51:14.300Z
xuq01
<p>Lots of sites highlight the most popular new year greetings in Mandarin. What are the most popular ones for Cantonese, ideally categorized by usage (e.g., family, business, health, kids, parents, seniors)?</p>

<p>What are the most popular ones for the year of the sheep/ram/goat?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-21T00:36:19.280Z
As a kid I would say, "恭喜發財，利是來". ;)
user102008
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-21T09:29:38.203Z
@user102008 I think [you have a typo there](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%81%AD%E5%96%9C%E7%99%BC%E8%B2%A1) (reveal the quotations in the "Mandarin" part of the linked page). Jyutping: Gung1-hei2 faat3-coi4, lai6-si6 dau6 loi4.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-21T09:31:40.400Z
Ah [alternate form](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%88%A9%E5%B8%82), sorry :). Still, good to know.
MickG
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-01T07:51:59.293Z
You can also check greetings and more chinese wishes on my post. Hope you like that and please give your feedback.
Thank You
Post Link:- [[Chinese New Year 2019 ](https://www.hdwallpapersmobile.com/2019/01/chinese-new-year-2019.html)](https://www.hdwallpapersmobile.com/2019/01/chinese-new-year-2019.html)
SharmaGTrend
<cantonese><hong-kong><greetings><chinese-new-year>
What are the most popular new year greetings in Cantonese?
# What are the most popular new year greetings in Cantonese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-20)

Lots of sites highlight the most popular new year greetings in Mandarin. What are the most popular ones for Cantonese, ideally categorized by usage (e.g., family, business, health, kids, parents, seniors)?

What are the most popular ones for the year of the sheep/ram/goat?

**Tags:** cantonese, hong-kong, greetings, chinese-new-year

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: As a kid I would say, "恭喜發財，利是來". ;)  
> **username_2**: @username_1 I think [you have a typo there](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%81%AD%E5%96%9C%E7%99%BC%E8%B2%A1) (reveal the quotations in the "Mandarin" part of the linked page). Jyutping: Gung1-hei2 faat3-coi4, lai6-si6 dau6 loi4.  
> **username_2**: Ah [alternate form](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%88%A9%E5%B8%82), sorry :). Still, good to know.  
> **username_3**: You can also check greetings and more chinese wishes on my post. Hope you like that and please give your feedback. Thank You Post Link:- [[Chinese New Year 2019 ](https://www.hdwallpapersmobile.com/2019/01/chinese-new-year-2019.html)](https://www.hdwallpapersmobile.com/2019/01/chinese-new-year-2019.html)  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-02-22. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

A few suggestions for you:

恭喜發財 gung1 hei2 faat3 choi4 新年快樂 san1 nin4 faai3 lok6

-- All purpose happy new year.

身體健康 san1 tai2 gin6 hong1 龍馬精神 lung4 ma2 jing1 san4

-- Mostly for older people (and health-conscious people), wishing them good health.

快高長大 faai3 gou1 jeung2 daai6 學業進步 hok6 yip6 jeun3 bou6

-- For children and students respectively, wishing them grow tall quickly, and make good progress in school.

步步高升 bou6 bou6 gou1 sing1

-- Suitable for working people, business associates, etc., wishing them advancement in their career.

喜氣洋洋 hei2 hei3 yeung4 yeung4

-- Also a general purpose wish for happiness. Since this is the year of the sheep, some people choose this one because of the 洋洋, a play on the word 羊 "sheep".


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-02-22. Score: 4

In Hong Kong, the two most popular greetings in Cantonese are

1. 恭喜發財
2. 新年快樂

I am not sure about other Cantonese-speaking areas.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-03-25. Score: 3

Cantonese and Chinese new year greetings are actually written the same. The only difference is about the accent. Here are some of the most popular new year greetings.
心想事成 (xīn xiǎnɡ shì chénɡ) - Whatever you dream of comes true.
万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì) - Everything goes your way.
六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn) - Everything goes smoothly.
年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú) - May there be surpluses every year.

Chinese New Year Greetings for Wealth
恭喜发财 (ɡōnɡ xǐ fā cái) - May you be happy and prosperous.
财源广进 (cái yuán ɡuǎnɡ jìn) – Money and treasure comes to you from multiple directions.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-02-20. Score: 2

## Here are some ways to say happy new year (in Mandarin and Cantonese):

新年快乐 / 新年快樂 Happy New Year in Chinese

'New Year happiness!'

In Mandarin: Xīnnián kuàilè /sshin-nyen kwhy-ler/
In Cantonese: San1-nin4 faai3-lok6 /sen-nin feye-lor/

---

新年好 / 新年好

'New Year goodness!' (like "Good day.")

In Mandarin: Xīnnián hǎo /sshin-nyen haoww/
In Cantonese: San1-nin4 hou2 /sen-nin haow/

---

过年好 / 過年好

'Pass the New Year well!'

In Mandarin: Guònián hǎo /gwor-nyen haoww/
In Cantonese: Gwo3-nin4 hou2 /gwor-nin haow/

---

## Here are some new year greetings (in Mandarin and Cantonese):

1. 恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財

'Happiness and prosperity!'

In Mandarin: Gōngxǐ fācái /gong-sshee faa-tseye/
In Cantonese: Gung1-hei2 faat3-coi4 (Kunghei fatchoy) /gong-hey faa-chwhy/

---

2. 步步高升 / 步步高陞

'step-by-step high promotion' — A steady rise to high places! — "on the up and up"

In Mandarin: Bùbù gāoshēng /boo-boo gaoww-shnng /
In Cantonese: Bou6-bou6 gou1-sing1 /boh-boh goh-sshin /

## I have to admit that I didn't find many either.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: What Romanization are you using here? Among other things, the Cantonese is missing all the clipped tones (入聲).  
> **username_2**: May I suggest taking those greetings, plugging them into the [MDBG dictionary](http://mdbg.net) and retrieving their Jyutping Romanisation? :)  
> **username_2**: More precisely, [here is the Jyutping](http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%BF%AB%E4%B9%90+X%C4%ABnni%C3%A1n+ku%C3%A0il%C3%A8+%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%A5%BD+X%C4%ABnni%C3%A1n+h%C7%8Eo+%E8%BF%87%E5%B9%B4%E5%A5%BD+Gu%C3%B2ni%C3%A1n+h%C7%8Eo+%E6%81%AD%E5%96%9C%E5%8F%91%E8%B4%A2+G%C5%8Dngx%C7%90+f%C4%81c%C3%A1i+%E6%AD%A5%E6%AD%A5%E9%AB%98%E5%8D%87) (click on the characters and open the drop-downs with the Jyutping), and [this](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/485/) should solve the sole tone ambiguity.  
> **username_2**: Leaving the comments above for future reference (i.e. in case someone who doesn't know about this IMHO very useful tool stumbles upon this question) and editing the answer to include the Jyutping.  
> **username_4**: @username_2 I wasn't talking about the missing tone marks. The clipped tone (-p, -t, -k ending sound) is essential in Cantonese. The OP's Romanization seems to be missing them, so I seriously doubt the accuracy of the Romanized Cantonese.  
> **username_2**: @username_4 I wouldn't call that a _romanization_, nor in fact a _transliteration_, but rather a _transcription_ or _phonetic representation_. That is, a (rather sloppy IMHO) attempt to mimic the Cantonese sounds with English spelling. For something similar, you can see the [enPR](http://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_pronunciation). Now, this kind of pseudo-English orthography cannot represent tones, and since syllable-final stops in Cantonese are [unreleased](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreleased_stop), which in English they aren't, I guess it is arguable whether turning ...  
> **username_2**: ... an unreleased stop into a released one would be better than dropping it altogether, which was the answerer's choice. Anyway, I wasn't proposing the MDBG for the tones only, but also for a real romanization that could be pronounced correctly without knowing English, which this transcription evidently can't. And I know what the clipped tones are. The point in that tone ambiguity part was that the character hăo has two possible tones in Canto, i.e. 2 and 3. MDBG can't solve the ambiguity, nor can the answer which doesn't give tones at all. So I used CantoDict.  
> **username_2**: The other pronunciation ambiguity presented by the MDBG, lok6 vs. ngok6, is solved instead by the answer. Lastly, the fact this is a phonetic representation should have been clear from the enclosing slashes, which usually surround IPA or phonemic transcriptions, and by the fact that gongxi facai had an alternative transcription outside slashes, which is much closer to a romanisation. Indeed, it looks like a distorted toneless Jyutping, but at least it marks the final stop on "fat" in "fatchoy".  
> **username_2**: Besides, have you seen the Mandarin "romanization" in slashes? It is even weirder :).  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2019-02-02. Score: 1

A note of context: 恭喜發財 (gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4) actually means "congratulations on making money". This probably has connections to Guangdong's commercial past, where many people work in trade and business.

This would be generally fine, but could be slightly awkward if the other party is e.g. a governmental official (this might be taken as mildly suggestive of corruption), so people (esp. in Hong Kong, where people generally take corruption rather seriously) sometimes consciously avoid 恭喜發財 when the other party is in a position like this.

新年快樂 (san1 nin4 faai3 lok6) has no such connotation is always fine, of course.


---

