Ways to say it
| Finnish |
|---|
| hyvää uutta vuotta |
| onnellista uutta vuotta |
Both forms are used to wish someone a Happy New Year, but they differ slightly in their nuance and the specific adjective used to describe the year.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase hyvää uutta vuotta literally translates to 'good new year'.
Which one should you use?
hyvää uutta vuotta is the most common way to say 'Happy New Year' in Finnish, using the adjective for 'good'. In contrast, onnellista uutta vuotta uses the adjective for 'happy' in the sense of being fortunate or blissful.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase hyvää uutta vuotta, all three words are in the partitive case. This case is required in Finnish when expressing wishes or greetings.
When do people say it?
When someone says Hyvää uutta vuotta!, a common response is Kiitos samoin!, which means 'Thanks, likewise!' or 'Thanks, the same to you!'
Did you know?
- In Finland, the New Year is often celebrated with 'luck' rituals, so saying Hyvää uutta vuotta is frequently accompanied by wishes for 'onnea', meaning 'luck' or 'fortune'.
- The partitive case used in hyvää uutta vuotta is the same grammar used when you are describing a piece of a larger whole, effectively treating the 'new year' as an ongoing process rather than a finished object.
- If you want to be even more festive, you can say Onnea uuteen vuoteen!, which uses the noun for 'luck' or 'congratulations' rather than an adjective.
Examples in context
- Hyvää uutta vuotta, Louise!Happy New Year, Louise!This shows how to address someone specifically using hyvää uutta vuotta.Tatoeba #2951208 by Silja, translation #269365 by CP
- "Hyvää uutta vuotta!" "Kiitos samoin!""A Happy New Year!" "I wish you the same!"This illustrates a common exchange where one person says hyvää uutta vuotta and the other responds.Tatoeba #2951207 by Silja, translation #73628 by CM
- Toivotan sinulle onnellista uutta vuotta.I wish you a Happy New Year.This demonstrates the use of onnellista uutta vuotta when expressing a wish.Tatoeba #2951205 by Silja, translation #30091 by Eldad
- Hyvää uutta vuotta! Toivon teille kaikille menestystä ja onnea uudelle vuodelle.Happy New Year! I wish you all success and happiness for the new year.
- Onnellista uutta vuotta! Toivon, että uusi vuosi tuo sinulle paljon iloa ja rakkautta.Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you lots of joy and love.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Juho meet at a party on New Year's Eve.
- LauraHyvää uutta vuotta, Juho!Happy New Year, Juho!
- JuhoKiitos, hyvää uutta vuotta myös sinulle, Laura!Thank you, happy new year to you too, Laura!
- LauraKiitos samoin!Thanks, same to you!
- JuhoNähdään pian!See you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations and entries hyvää uutta vuotta, onnellista uutta vuotta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
