կենացդ
kenacʻd/keˈnɑt͡sʰəd/
In Armenian, the way to say "cheers" is կենացդ (kenacʻd).
The phrase կենացդ is used specifically as a toast when drinking to someone's health or life.
Meaning: toast when drinking (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kenacʻd. The pronunciation is /keˈnɑtsʰəd/. The /k/ is like the s[c]an. /n/ is like [n]est. /ɑ/ is like l[a]va. /tsʰ/ is like ca[ts h]it. /ə/ is like [a]gain. And /d/ is like [d]og.
When do people say it?
In Armenian culture, it is customary to raise your glass while saying cheers to show unity and solidarity.
Did you know?
- Armenian toasts can be incredibly long and poetic, turning a simple կենացդ into a speech about family, history and ancestors. It is common for a single toast to last several minutes before anyone actually sips their drink.
- The word կենաց (life) is also the root for many Armenian blessings used during births and weddings, meaning the 'cheers' you say at a bar shares the same soul as a formal blessing for a newborn.
- If you are toasting a single person formally, you would actually switch to a different plural-style form to show respect, rather than using the casual version.
Examples in context
- Կենացդ, մեր բարի հարաբերությունների համար:Kenatsd, mer bari haraberutyunneri hamar:Cheers to our good relationship!
- Կենացդ, մեր ընկերության համար:Kenatsd, mer ynkerutyan hamar:Cheers to our friendship!
Example conversation
Mariam and Artash are having a drink together.
- Մարիամ MariamԱրտաշ, կենացդ:Artash, kenatsd:Artash, cheers!
- Արտաշ ArtashՇնորհակալություն, Մարիամ:Shnorhakalut’yun, Mariam:Thank you, Mariam!
- Արտաշ ArtashԻսկ հիմա կենացդ:Isk hima kenatsd:And now, cheers to you!
- Մարիամ MariamՇնորհակալ եմ:Shnorhakal em:Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheers” translations and entries կենացդ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
