IntermediateUnit 312 min

Tết: words for the new year

Lì xì, bánh chưng, and what to say to grandma

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Tết has its own vocabulary and its own script. Memorize three greetings and you will be handed red envelopes well into your thirties.

01

Vocabulary

Tết Nguyên Đán
Say it like · tet ngoo-yen dahn
Lunar New Year
lì xì
Say it like · lee see
red envelope (lucky money)
bánh chưng
Say it like · bahn chung
square sticky rice cake (N)
bánh tét
Say it like · bahn tet
cylindrical sticky rice cake (S)
hoa mai
Say it like · hwah my
yellow apricot blossom (S)
hoa đào
Say it like · hwah dow
peach blossom (N)
múa lân
Say it like · moo-uh luhn
lion dance

02

Phrases

Chúc mừng năm mới!
Happy New Year!
Chúc bà sống lâu trăm tuổi.
Wishing grandma a life of a hundred years.
Chúc anh chị làm ăn phát tài.
Wishing you prosperity in business.

03

Tips

Don’t sweep on the first day. You are sweeping the luck out.
The first visitor of the year sets the tone. Families choose them carefully. Try to be invited, not to just show up.