hyvää joulua
hyvää joulua is the Finnish way to say merry Christmas. Wiktionary also lists hauskaa joulua.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Finnish |
|---|
| hyvää joulua |
| hauskaa joulua |
hyvää joulua is the most common and natural way to wish someone a merry Christmas in Finnish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase hyvää joulua literally means good Christmas.
Which one should you use?
While hyvää joulua is the standard way to say merry Christmas, you can also use hauskaa joulua to wish someone a fun or enjoyable Christmas.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase hyvää joulua, both words are in the partitive case. This is the standard grammatical way to express wishes or greetings in Finnish.
Did you know?
- Finnish Christmas traditions often involve the 'joulupukki', which translates to 'Christmas goat' rather than 'Santa Claus'. This name is a linguistic relic of the ancient Yule goat tradition.
- In Finland, the greeting hyvää joulua is often accompanied by the tradition of the Christmas sauna, where families cleanse themselves before the holiday begins.
- The word 'joulua' in the greeting comes from the root 'joulu', which traces back to an ancient pagan festival. While it is used in a Christian context today, the word itself predates Christianity in the Nordic region.
Examples in context
- Hyvää huomenta, herra! Hyvää joulua teille!Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you!This sentence shows how to use hyvää joulua when addressing someone politely.Tatoeba #3715720 by Silja, translation #3714190 by Hybrid
- Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta kaikille.Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone.This sentence demonstrates using hyvää joulua alongside a New Year greeting.Tatoeba #2951210 by Silja, translation #683475 by Shishir
- Toivotan teille kaikille hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta.I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.This sentence shows a formal way to wish several people hyvää joulua and a happy new year.Tatoeba #2951206 by Silja, translation #32251 by mailohilohi
- Hyvää Joulua, äiti!Merry Christmas, Mom!
- Hauskaa Joulua, veli!Merry Christmas, brother!
- Hyvää Joulua, arvoisat kollegat!Merry Christmas, esteemed colleagues!
- Hauskaa Joulua, ystäväni!Merry Christmas, my friend!
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matti and Anna meet at a Christmas party.
- MattiHei Anna! Hyvää joulua!Hi Anna! Merry Christmas!
- AnnaKiitos Matti, hyvää joulua myös sinulle!Thanks Matti, Merry Christmas to you too!
- MattiKuinka menee?How is it going?
- AnnaKaikki on hyvin, kiitos.Everything is fine, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries hyvää joulua, hauskaa joulua, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
