გილოცავთ ახალ წელს
gilocavt axal c̣els[ɡ̊iɫo̞t͡sʰäftʰ äχäl t͡sʼe̞ls]
To say Happy New Year in Georgian, use გილოცავთ ახალ წელს (gilocavt axal c̣els). Wiktionary also lists გილოცავ ახალ წელს (gilocav axal c̣els).
Meaning: Happy New Year (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Georgian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| გილოცავთ ახალ წელს | gilocavt axal c̣els | [ɡ̊iɫo̞t͡sʰäftʰ äχäl t͡sʼe̞ls] (narrow) |
| გილოცავ ახალ წელს | gilocav axal c̣els | [ɡ̊iɫo̞t͡sʰäv äχäl t͡sʼe̞ls] (narrow) |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'I congratulate you on the new year'.
Which one should you use?
გილოცავ ახალ წელს is used when speaking to a single person informally, whereas გილოცავთ ახალ წელს is used for multiple people or to show respect to one person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb form გილოცავთ is used for plural or formal subjects. The phrase uses the accusative case for ახალ წელს because 'new year' acts as the direct object of the verb 'to congratulate'.
How do you pronounce it?
gilocavt axal c̣els
Did you know?
- While გილოცავთ ახალ წელს is the standard greeting, Georgians also celebrate the 'Old New Year' on January 14 based on the Julian calendar.
- During New Year celebrations, Georgians often use the word გაუმარჯოს, meaning 'may it be victorious', as a universal toast that accompanies the New Year's greeting.
- The Georgian script used in ახალ წელს is one of the world's most unique writing systems. It is an alphabet that does not derive from Latin, Greek, or Cyrillic, making the written form of your greeting look like beautiful, swirling art.
Examples in context
- გილოცავ ახალ წელს!Happy New Year!Tatoeba #8858138 by iiujik, translation #361350 by blay_paul
- გილოცავთ ახალ წელს და ბევრ ბედნიერებას!gilotsavt akhal ts'els da bevr bednierebas!Happy New Year and much happiness!
- ყველას გილოცავთ ახალ წელს!q'velas gilotsavt akhal ts'els!Happy New Year to everyone!
Example conversation
Two friends meet on January 1st.
- ლევან Levanგამარჯობა, ელენე! გილოცავთ ახალ წელს!gamarjoba, elene! gilotsavt akhal tsels!Hello, Elene! Happy New Year!
- ელენე Eleneგმადლობთ, ლევან! თქვენც გილოცავთ!gmadlobt, levan! tkvents gilotsavt!Thank you, Levan! Happy New Year to you too!
- ლევან Levanროგორ გაატარე დღესასწაული?rogor gaatare dghesascauli?How did you spend the holiday?
- ელენე Eleneძალიან კარგად, ოჯახთან ერთად.dzalian kargad, ojakhtan ertad.Very well, together with my family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations and entries გილოცავთ ახალ წელს, გილოცავ ახალ წელს, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
