san1 nin4新年
Jyutpingsan1 nin4
Yalesān nìhn
Definition
The New Year, referring to both the Gregorian New Year and the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong.
colloquialfestivaltime
How it's used
While referring to both the Gregorian and Lunar New Year, the term carries a much stronger cultural weight when applied to the Lunar New Year. During the Lunar period, people often use the phrase 新年流流 to remind others to maintain a positive and auspicious atmosphere. It is common to hear people exchange greetings like 新年快樂 throughout the first fifteen days of the Lunar calendar.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Where do you plan to go for the New Year this year?
It's the New Year season, don't say anything unlucky.
Related words
Common phrases
Happy New Year
New Year holiday
during the New Year season (often used to warn against bad behavior)
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 新年 with 農曆新年. While 新年 is a general term, if you are specifically talking about the Lunar New Year, using 農曆新年 or simply 過年 is more precise to avoid ambiguity with the January 1st holiday.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
