frohes Chanukka
The English phrase "happy Hanukkah" is translated into German as frohes Chanukka. Wiktionary also lists fröhliches Chanukka.
Meaning: holiday greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| frohes Chanukka |
| fröhliches Chanukka |
Both forms are used as holiday greetings to wish someone a happy Hanukkah.
What does it mean word for word?
The word frohes is an inflected form of the adjective froh, which means happy or joyful.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, the variation Fröhliches Chanukka is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase frohes Chanukka, the adjective froh takes the -es ending because Chanukka is treated as a neuter noun in this context.
Did you know?
- While froh means 'happy', the root of the word is related to the English word 'free', as both originally described a state of being unburdened or carefree.
- In many German-speaking Jewish communities, it is common to use the Hebrew greeting Chanukah Sameach instead of the German frohes Chanukka.
- In Germany, many people prefer to use the term 'Lichterfest' (Festival of Lights) when describing the holiday in a secular or general context.
Examples in context
- Frohes Chanukka!Happy Hanukkah!This example shows how to use the phrase frohes Chanukka as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #6307988 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8383441 by shekitten
- Ich wünsche Ihnen ein frohes Chanukka!I wish you a Happy Hanukkah!
- Mögen diese Chanukka-Tage Ihr Herz mit Freude erfüllen.May these Hanukkah days fill your heart with joy.
- Ich wünsche dir ein frohes Chanukka.I wish you a happy Hanukkah.
- Wir wünschen euch ein frohes Chanukka.We wish you (plural) a happy Hanukkah.
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are greeting each other during the holiday.
- FelixHallo Julia, frohes Chanukka!Hello Julia, happy Hanukkah!
- JuliaDanke Felix, dir auch ein frohes Chanukka.Thanks Felix, a happy Hanukkah to you too.
- FelixVielen Dank, genieße die Feiertage.Thank you very much, enjoy the holidays.
- JuliaDas werde ich, bis bald!I will, see you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy Hanukkah” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
