How to say Merry Christmas in 103 languages

Spanish speakers say Feliz Navidad, French speakers say Joyeux Noël, Germans say Frohe Weihnachten and Italians say Buon Natale. Open any language above to see the greeting in its own script, a simple English sound guide, other ways to say it, and Happy New Year too.

Short greetings with familiar sounds are easiest. God jul (Swedish and Norwegian), Feliz Navidad (Spanish) and Buon Natale (Italian) are great first picks. Mele Kalikimaka in Hawaiian is fun too, because many kids already know it from a Christmas song.

Many Orthodox churches, including those in Russia, Serbia, Georgia and Ethiopia, follow the older Julian calendar for church holidays. On that calendar, December 25 falls on January 7, so families celebrate then. Each language page tells you which day matters most.

The first place to reach Christmas each year is Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in Kiribati, because it sits in the earliest time zone on Earth. That is also where Rally starts his Christmas Eve trip on the Christmas Train.

Pick one language a day in December, let kids tap Hear it and copy the sound guide, then play the three-question game on each page. Many teachers pair it with a map so kids can color in each country as they learn its greeting.

It spells the greeting with English sounds so anyone can read it out loud. The part written in capital letters is the one to say a little louder. It is a close guide, not a perfect match, so listening with the Hear it button helps when your device has that voice.

Hear it uses the voices built into your phone, tablet or computer. Most devices include major languages like Spanish, Japanese or German, but fewer have voices for languages like Maori or Twi. When there is no voice, use the sound guide instead.

No. In many places Christmas is a holiday for a smaller Christian community, while other families celebrate different festivals. Saying Merry Christmas in someone's language is still a kind way to share in their traditions when you know they celebrate.