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Happy New Year in 40 Languages!


Happy New Year everyone! I was thinking about how many people I know whose mother tongue is not English, and thought I'd like to try greeting them in their own language.

As a teenager, thanks to the encouragement of two brilliant French teachers, for a while I dreamed about becoming a linguist. (I also wanted to be a concert pianist, but it turned out I wasn't good enough at that either!)

Never mind - as Big Ben struck midnight in London and 2011 dawned, I began to wonder how many languages I could say Happy New Year in. Now, I'm definitely not a linguist and cannot guarantee that these are all grammatically correct, but if you'd like to try them yourself on your friends and neighbours, here are Happy New Year greetings in 40 different languages.....

So here's wishing you all a wonderfully prosperous, happy and healthy 2011!

Albanian: Gëzuar Vitin e Ri
Arabic: سنة جديدة سعيدة
Azerbaijani: Yeni iliniz mübarək
Belarusian: Z Novym hodam (З Новым годам)
Brazilian: Feliz Ano Novo
Bulgarian: Chestita Nova Godina (Честита Нова Година)
Chinese: Xīnnián kuàilè (新年快樂)
Czech: Šťastný nový rok
Croatian: Sretna Nova godina
Danish: Glad Nytår
Dutch: Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
English: Happy New Year
Farsi: سال نو
Finnish: Onnellista uutta vuotta
French: Joyeux Nouvel An
German: Glückliches neues Jahr
Greek: Eftychisméno to Néo Étos (Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος)
Hausa: Faranta wa sabuwar shekara
Hebrew: שנה טובה
Hindi: Nayā sāla mubāraka hō (नया साल मुबारक हो)
Hungarian: Boldog Új Évet
Indonesian: Selamat Tahun Baru
Italian: Nuovo anno felice
Japanese: Akemashite omedetōgozaimasu (明けましておめでとうございます)
Korean: saehae bog manh-i (새해 복 많이)
Latvian: Laimīgu Jauno gadu
Norwegian: Glad Nytt År
Pashto: نوي کال خوشحاله
Polish: Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku
Portugese: Ano novo feliz
Romanian: An Nou fericit
Russian: S Novym godom (С новым годом)
Serbian: srećnu Novu godinu
Spanish: Feliz Año Nuevo
Swahili: Furaha ya Mwaka Mpya
Swedish: Gott Nytt År
Thai: Swasdi pi hhımm (สวัสดีปีใหม่)
Turkish: Yeni Yılınız Kutlu Olsun Urdu: (نیا سال مبارک ہو)
Welsh: Blwyddyn Newydd Dda


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Comments

  1. Made By TammySunday, January 02, 2011 3:21:00 pm

    Wowza, 40 different languages...very Cool!
    Happy New Year to you too, Erika!

    ReplyDelete
  2. artangelSunday, January 02, 2011 3:22:00 pm

    I love the look of arabic writing - so pretty! There are languages in there that I'd never even heard of (Pashto??)

    I'd best stick to English to wish you a wonderful New Year too Erika! x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erika PriceSunday, January 02, 2011 3:44:00 pm

    Sorry Artangel! Pashto is another word for Afghani :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. SendingLoveGallerySunday, January 02, 2011 5:43:00 pm

    love this Erika! Happy New Year to all~

    ReplyDelete
  5. cooljewelrydesignSunday, January 02, 2011 6:12:00 pm

    Great sentiment, E...to reach out on a global basis. That is how we should all be thinking, b/c for all of our innate differences, we are one. Happy New Year in all languages to everyone!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. NuvofeltSunday, January 02, 2011 6:12:00 pm

    I hope you will repeat this on New Year's Eve this year, Erika, then we can all amaze our friends. And if there are any 'native' speakers in our midst we'll probably amaze them with our pronunciation too.

    Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DG Jewelry DesignsSunday, January 02, 2011 6:31:00 pm

    Happy New Year to All!

    ReplyDelete
  8. capitalcitycraftsMonday, January 03, 2011 2:04:00 am

    Thanks Erika & best wishes to you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Colours and TexturesMonday, January 03, 2011 5:26:00 pm

    Wow impressive!
    Apart from this english

    the best I can do is
    Bonne Année 2011 !

    ReplyDelete
  10. BrookeMonday, January 03, 2011 8:09:00 pm

    I'm part Dutch, German, Irish, English, Czech, and Native American (Blackfoot)...so
    Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
    Glückliches neues Jahr
    Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit
    Happy New Year
    Šťastný nový rok
    to you all!

    Brooke

    ReplyDelete
  11. Erika PriceMonday, January 03, 2011 8:32:00 pm

    Thank you all for your wonderful comments! I'm impressed with your genealogy, Brooke, and I promise to repeat this on New Years Eve, Myfanwy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. JuliaAMonday, January 03, 2011 8:38:00 pm

    happy new year!

    ReplyDelete

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Someone once said that comments are like chocolates - you can never eat just one. As a chocoholic, I love to dip into your replies, and always respond to as many comments as I can!
Erika x