It’s that time of the year again! Time to get our Christmas decorations out of the box, visit this year’s Christmas markets, and prepare some presents. And as the holidays are drawing closer, let’s look at some popular vocabulary related to the Christmas season in Chinese.
Christmas Chinese Vocabulary
01. Christmas Holidays
Let’s begin by looking at the names of the holidays themselves:
圣诞
Shèngdàn
Christmas
(lit.“holy/saint-to be born”)
圣诞节
Shèngdàn Jié
Christmas Day
(lit. “holy / saint-to be born-festival”)
平安夜
Píng’ān Yè
Christmas Eve
02. Christmas Characters
圣诞老人
Shèngdàn Lǎorén
Santa Claus / Father Christmas
驯鹿
xùnlù
reindeer
03. Christmas Items
Now, here are some of the things that come to mind when you think of Christmas. And if you’re planning to decorate your house, these could also be the keywords you’d want to search for on Taobao:
圣诞树
Shèngdàn shù
Christmas tree
礼物
lǐwù
present(s); gift(s)
圣诞贺卡
Shèngdàn hèkǎ
Christmas card
拐棍糖
guǎigùn táng
candy cane
圣诞装饰品
Shèngdàn zhuāngshìpǐn
Christmas ornaments
花环
huāhuán
wreath
圣诞彩带
Shèngdàn cǎidài
Christmas garland
04. Christmas Clothing
With Christmas coming soon or happening already, you might need these keywords for Taobao as well:
圣诞毛衣
Shèngdàn máoyī
Christmas sweater
圣诞袜(子)
Shèngdàn wà(zi)
Christmas stockings
圣诞帽
Shèngdàn mào
Christmas hat
05. Christmas Food
Whether or not you’ve grown up in a country where Christmas is traditionally celebrated, chances are that in China you will join the celebrations – with your foreign and local friends, colleagues, or at Christmas markets ✨
Here are some of the typical meals and beverages you might come across this season:
圣诞晚餐
Shèngdàn wǎncān
Christmas dinner
烤鸡
kǎojī
roast turkey
姜饼
jiāngbǐng
ginger cookies
热红酒
rè hóngjiǔ
mulled wine
蛋酒
dànjiǔ
eggnog
05. Christmas Wishes
Now that you’re equipped with a lot of Christmas-related Chinese vocabulary, you can also wish your friends and relatives a Merry Christmas in Chinese:
圣诞快乐!
Shèngdàn kuàilè!
Merry Christmas!
(lit. “Christmas-happy/merry”)
Practice with Teachers
To discuss the upcoming holidays
with Chinese teachers,
book a free trial class with That’s Mandarin.
0 Comments