Merry Christmas!

Sheng Dan Kuai Le

Sheng is sacred or holy. It is also short for sheng ren, meaning a sage or a saint.

Dan is birth or birthday.

Kuai le is happiness, joy, delight, or rejoicings.

So, Sheng Dan Kuai Le, Holy Birth Happy, is how you say Merry Christmas in Chinese.

For Christians who believe Jesus is more than a saint, there is another common phrase for Merry Christmas in Chinese: Ye Dan Kuai Le.

Click Ye Dan Kuai Le to see what it means, how it is pronounced, and how it is written.

December 2005
Updated December 2007