felice anno nuovo
/feˈli.t͡ʃe ˈan.no ˈnwɔ.vo/
Happy New Year in Italian can be said as felice anno nuovo or buon anno.
Meaning: Happy New Year (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| felice anno nuovo | /feˈli.t͡ʃe ˈan.no ˈnwɔ.vo/ |
| buon anno | /ˈbwɔn ˈan.no/ |
Which one should you use?
buon anno is the more common and idiomatic way to say "Happy New Year" in everyday Italian conversation. In contrast, felice anno nuovo is more emphatic and is often used in written greetings or festive cards.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase in a full sentence to say "I wish you a happy new year," you must include the indefinite article un before the phrase, as seen in un buon anno.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˈli.tʃe ˈan.no ˈnwɔ.vo/. The word has 7 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italy, the tradition of eating lenticchie (lentils) on New Year's Eve is believed to bring wealth and prosperity in the anno nuovo.
- The word anno comes from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to go', reflecting the idea of a year as a cycle or a journey.
- In Italy, it is common to say Buon anno! while clinking glasses during the midnight toast, a gesture often accompanied by making eye contact with every person in the circle.
Examples in context
- Ti auguro un buon anno nuovo.I wish you a Happy New Year.This sentence shows how to use buon anno in a complete sentence with an article.Tatoeba #2461351 by Guybrush88, translation #30091 by Eldad
- Buon Natale e felice Anno Nuovo!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!This sentence shows a festive greeting using felice anno nuovo.Tatoeba #5589416 by dnnywld, translation #925023 by zvaigzne
- Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo a tutti.Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone.This sentence shows a greeting to a group of people using felice anno nuovo.Tatoeba #2848407 by Guybrush88, translation #683475 by Shishir
- Felice Anno Nuovo! Che tutti i tuoi desideri per l'anno nuovo si avverino!Happy New Year! May all your wishes for the new year come true!
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina meet at a cafe on January 1st.
- LorenzoCiao Martina, felice anno nuovo!Hi Martina, happy new year!
- MartinaGrazie Lorenzo, felice anno nuovo anche a te.Thanks Lorenzo, happy new year to you too.
- LorenzoCome hai passato le feste?How did you spend the holidays?
- MartinaMolto bene, grazie!Very well, thanks!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations and entries felice anno nuovo, buon anno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anno, felice, nuovo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
