καλά Χριστούγεννα
kalá Christoúgenna/kaˈla xɾiˈstu.ʝe.na/word by word
καλά Χριστούγεννα (kalá Christoúgenna) is the Greek way to say merry Christmas.
καλά Χριστούγεννα is the standard and most common way to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Greek. Other ways to express similar wishes include Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα!, which means Happy Christmas and Χαρούμενες γιορτές!, which means Happy festivities!
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good Christmas', where καλά means 'good' and Χριστούγεννα means 'Christmas'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective καλά is in the neuter plural form to agree with the noun Χριστούγεννα, which is a neuter plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kaˈla xɾiˈstu.ʝe.na/. It has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
When do people say it?
When someone offers you a Christmas greeting, you can reply with Ευχαριστώ! Και σε σένα χαρούμενα! to say Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too!
Did you know?
- While many countries celebrate on December 25, Greeks follow the Julian calendar and often celebrate Χριστούγεννα on January 7.
- The word Χριστούγεννα is a compound of Χριστός, meaning 'Christ', and γέννα, meaning 'birth'.
- The word Χριστούγεννα is grammatically plural in Greek, treating the birth of Christ as a multi-day celebration rather than a single event.
Examples in context
- Καλά Χριστούγεννα αγάπη μου!Merry Christmas, my love!This example shows how to use the phrase with a term of endearment.Tatoeba #4938967 by Ricardo14, translation #1320234 by Eldad
- Καλά Χριστούγεννα!Merry Christmas!This example shows the standard way to say the phrase.Tatoeba #1192003 by ellasevia, translation #1723 by brauliobezerra
- Καλά Χριστούγεννα, Μαρία!Merry Christmas, Maria!
Example conversation
Anastasia and Kostas meet in the street before the holiday.
- Αναστασία AnastasiaΓεια σου Κώστα, καλά Χριστούγεννα!Geia sou Kosta, kala Christougenna!Hello Kostas, Merry Christmas!
- Κώστας KostasΕυχαριστώ, Αναστασία! Και στα δικά σου!Efcharisto, Anastasia! Kai sta dika sou!Thank you, Anastasia! And to you too!
- Αναστασία AnastasiaΘα σε δούμε σύντομα λοιπόν.Tha se doume syntoma loipon.We will see you soon then.
- Κώστας KostasΝαι, καλά Χριστούγεννα και πάλι!Ne, kala Christougenna kai pali!Yes, Merry Christmas again!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries καλά Χριστούγεννα, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (καλά, Χριστούγεννα) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Χριστούγεννα, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.