How to give a Chinese New Year greeting in Hokkien.

This 2026, we're welcoming the Year of the Horse.

If you’re expected to give a Chinese New Year greeting in Hokkien, you might as well do it properly, and you might just receive a nice angpau in return!

Before we get to the Chinese New Year greeting in Hokkien, let’s take a look at the Mandarin version:

恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財
gong xi fa cai

年年进步 / 年年進步
nian nian jin bu

身体健康 / 身體健康
shen ti jian kang

万事如意 / 萬事如意
wan shi ru yi

And here's the verse in Hokkien:

Kiōnghì hua'tchái (恭喜發財)

Kionghi is an expression for well wishes and huatchai refers to the meaning “to be prosperous.” So in the context of Chinese New Year, Kionghi huatchai can be interpreted to mean “May you have a prosperous Chinese New Year!”

Nī ní cinpō (年年進步)

This phrase means “As year goes by, may you improve (in the things you do).”

Sīnthè kiānkhong (身體健康)

Sinthe means “body”, and kiankhong means “healthy.” This is also another wish meaning “May you be healthy.”

Bānsū lú-ì (萬事如意)

Bansu lu-i means “ten thousand things fulfilled,” but it can be interpreted as “May all your wishes come true.”

Āngpau giālái (紅包那來)

Kids and unmarried individuals typically rejoice during Chinese New Year as they're the ones who receive angpau, so who's not happy to receive one (or twenty) right?

If you are feeling playful, you can add Angpau gialai to the end of the verse, which means “Give me an angpau!”