Merry Christmas in Finnish
Hyvää joulua
Say it like this: HUE-vaa YOH-loo-ah
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Finnish, Merry Christmas is Hyvää joulua, said like HUE-vaa YOH-loo-ah.
- Happy New Year is Hyvää uutta vuotta.
- People say it in Finland, Sweden (Finnish speakers), Norway (Kven communities), Estonia.
What Hyvää joulua means
'Hyvää' means good and 'joulua' means Christmas (Yule), so it is 'Good Christmas'.
Other ways to say it in Finnish
Hauskaa joulua
Say it like this: HOW-skaa YOH-loo-ah
Means "fun Christmas". A cheerful, casual alternative.
Happy New Year
Hyvää uutta vuotta
Say it like this: HUE-vaa OOT-tah VOO-ot-tah
Happy New Year (literally "good new year")
To write in a Christmas card
Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta
Say it like this: HUE-vaa YOH-loo-ah yah ON-nel-lis-tah OOT-tah VOO-ot-tah
Where people speak Finnish
FinlandSweden (Finnish speakers)Norway (Kven communities)Estonia
Finnish (Suomi) belongs to the Uralic (Finno-Ugric) language family.
Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Helsinki at about 12:33 AM local time, and kids learn to say Hyvää joulua as he lands.
Watch Rally arrive in Helsinki →Christmas traditions where people speak Finnish
- Declaration of Christmas Peace: At noon on December 24, the Declaration of Christmas Peace is read in Turku, in the Old Great Square, and broadcast on radio and TV. It is a long tradition that starts the Christmas season.[3][4]
- The Christmas sauna: Having a sauna at Christmas is an old Finnish tradition. People washed in the Christmas sauna before the festivities, and in the past food and drink gifts were left there for the elf.[3]
- Joulupukki, the Christmas goat: Finland's Santa is called Joulupukki. His name means Christmas goat. He is believed to live in Korvatunturi in Lapland, and he rides with reindeer. He receives hundreds of thousands of letters from around the world every year.[5][4]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Finnish
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- BelarusianЗ Калядамі
- LuxembourgishSchéine Chrëschtdag
- CatalanBon Nadal
- EsperantoFeliĉan Kristnaskon
- GalicianBo Nadal
- MacedonianСреќен Божиќ
- BulgarianВесела Коледа
- BasqueEguberri on
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Finnish?
The most common way is "Hyvää joulua" (HUE-vaa YOH-loo-ah). A cheerful casual option is "Hauskaa joulua", meaning fun Christmas. Both are friendly. On cards, people often write "Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta" to wish both a good Christmas and a happy new year.[1][2]
How do you pronounce Hyvää joulua?
Say "HUE-vaa YOH-loo-ah". The y in hyvää is a rounded sound, like the u in French tu, or say ee with rounded lips. The ää is a long a as in cat. The j in joulua sounds like an English y. Finnish stress is always on the first syllable of each word.[1]
What does Hyvää joulua mean?
Hyvää means good and joulua means Christmas, so the phrase means Good Christmas. The word joulu is the Finnish word for Yule, the old midwinter feast. Finnish is not related to Swedish or Norwegian, but joulu is borrowed from an old Nordic word for Yule.[1]
How do you write Hyvää joulua?
Write it as Hyvää joulua. Finnish common nouns are not capitalized, so joulua has a small j. On cards, only the first word is capitalized. The double ä in hyvää has two dots on each a, and they are important because they change the sound of the word.[1]
How do you say Happy New Year in Finnish?
Say "Hyvää uutta vuotta" (HUE-vaa OOT-tah VOO-ot-tah), meaning good new year. Another version is "Onnellista uutta vuotta", meaning happy new year. On New Year's Eve, Finns watch fireworks and some pour tin into water to predict the year ahead.[2]
Is there a formal way to say Merry Christmas in Finnish?
Hyvää joulua is polite for everyone. Finnish has no special formal Christmas wish, since people use the same phrase with friends and teachers. For a more formal card, write "Toivotan sinulle hyvää joulua" (I wish you a Merry Christmas). Hauskaa joulua is more casual.[1]
When do people say Hyvää joulua in Finland?
People say it from the start of December and especially on Christmas Eve, December 24. The Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku is read at noon that day. The Christmas period ends on Epiphany, January 6. People switch to Hyvää uutta vuotta after Christmas.[3][4]
Is Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the main celebration in Finland?
Christmas Eve is the main celebration. People visit the sauna, attend the Christmas Peace declaration, eat a festive dinner, and Joulupukki brings gifts in the evening. Public transport almost stops on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. December 25 is a calm day for church and family.[3][4]
What is a popular Christmas tradition in Finland?
Many Finns take a sauna on Christmas Eve, an old tradition. They eat a festive dinner, often with rice porridge, and Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa, brings gifts. Homes are decorated with spruce twigs, candles, apples and small goats made of straw, which echo the old Yule goat.[3][4]
How can I teach kids to say Hyvää joulua?
Say the words in two parts, with the stress at the start of each: HUE-vaa, YOH-loo-ah. Kids can practice the rounded u-sound in the first word. Make a straw goat decoration, a Finnish Christmas ornament, and tell them that Joulupukki means Christmas goat.[4][3]
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonSources
We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.
- merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- happy New Year (translations), Wiktionary
- Christmas in Finland, Wikipedia
- Christmas in Finland, WhyChristmas.com
- Joulupukki, Wikipedia
