joyeux Noël
/ʒwa.jø nɔ.ɛl/
joyeux Noël is the French way to say Merry Christmas.
The phrase joyeux Noël is used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season. You can expand this phrase to create different sentiments: Joyeux Noël à vous is used to say Merry Christmas to you in a formal or plural context, while Joyeux Noël à toi is used for a friend or a child. If you want to say Have a Merry Christmas, use Passez un Joyeux Noël. You can also say We wish you a Merry Christmas by using Nous vous souhaitons un Joyeux Noël.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word joyeux literally means joyful or joyous.
Which one should you use?
While joyeux Noël is the standard greeting, Joyeuses Fêtes can be used as a versatile alternative to mean Happy Holidays, particularly in written greetings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Joyeux Noël is the standard way to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Canadian French.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒwa.jø nɔ.ɛl/
Did you know?
- In France, the greeting joyeux Noël is often accompanied by the gesture of 'la bise', which involves kissing people on both cheeks.
- The word Noël is a linguistic sibling of the English word 'natal', as both come from the Latin 'natalis', meaning birthday.
- In France, the word noël can also refer to a specific type of traditional Christmas carol, rather than just the holiday itself.
Examples in context
- Joyeux Noël à tous !Merry Christmas, everybody!This sentence shows how to wish Merry Christmas to a group.Tatoeba #7663921 by Katastrauff, translation #6556054 by BHO
- Joyeux Noël, Tatoeba !Merry Christmas, Tatoeba!This sentence shows a direct address to a specific person or entity.Tatoeba #3663323 by fleur74, translation #6732233 by Eccles17
- Joyeux Noël à toi aussi.Merry Christmas to you, too.This sentence shows how to respond by wishing Merry Christmas back to someone.Tatoeba #9489672 by Micsmithel, translation #5736627 by CM
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are greeting each other at a holiday party.
- GabrielJoyeux Noël, Léa !Merry Christmas, Léa!
- LéaMerci, joyeux Noël à toi aussi, Gabriel.Thank you, merry Christmas to you too, Gabriel.
- GabrielTu passes une bonne soirée ?Are you having a good evening?
- LéaOui, c'est très agréable.Yes, it is very pleasant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries joyeux Noël, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Noël, joyeux, noël, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
