How To Say Merry Christmas In Korean
Tis the season for Christmas greetings! With Christmas just around the corner, many Korean learners want to know how to say Merry Christmas in Korean so that they can wish their Korean friends and family a Merry Christmas. In this post, we will teach you 10 different ways to say Merry Christmas in Korean and show which one is the most appropriate to use in different situations.
In Korea, just like in many other countries, Christmas is a national holiday. Although Christmas is not celebrated by all Koreans, it is common to see beautiful Christmas lights and Christmas trees in the city and to hear Christmas music in stores and restaurants.
If you live in Korea or have Korean friends, family, or coworkers, you may wish to say Merry Christmas in Korean. Below you’ll find the most common ways to say Merry Christmas in Korean in spoken and written Korean language. All of these Korean Christmas greetings are in the polite or formal form so you can safely use these expression to wish someone a happy Christmas and you will sound polite.
Related: Christmas In Korea: Everything You Need To Know
Merry Christmas In Korean
If you’re in a rush and want to know how to say Merry Christmas in Korean, then here is the most common way to say it:
크리스마스 잘 보내세요.
The most common way to say Merry Christmas in Korean is 크리스마스 잘 보내세요 (keu-ri-seu-ma-seu jal bo-ne-say-yo). This is made up of the words 크리스마스 (Christmas), 잘 which means ‘well’, and 보내세요 which means ‘please spend time’. So, 크리스마스 잘 보내세요 literally means ‘Please spend Christmas well’ and is used when you want to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Korean.
크리스마스 즐겁게 보내세요.
Another common way to say Merry Christmas in Korean is 크리스마스 즐겁게 보내세요 (jeul-geop-ge bo-ne-say-yo). This is made of the words, 크리스마스 (Christmas), 즐겁게 which is an adverb meaning ‘happily’, and again 보내세요 which means ‘please spend time’. So, 크리스마스 즐겁게 보내세요 literally means ‘Please spend Christmas happily.’ and can be used when you want to say Merry Christmas to someone in Korean.
More Ways To Say Merry Christmas In Korean
The following ways to say Merry Christmas in Korean are more commonly used in written language. So, if you want to send a text message, email, letter, etc and write down ‘Merry Christmas’ in Korean, you can use the following expressions.
메리 크리스마스!
If you type in ‘Merry Christmas’ into a translation app, it will tell you that Merry Christmas in Korean is 메리 크리스마스. As you can see, this is just Merry Christmas spelled out in Korean characters. Although this can be used to say Merry Christmas in Korean, and people will understand you, if you want to really show off your Korean skills, try learning one of the following Korean Christmas greetings.
즐거운 크리스마스 보내세요.
즐거운 크리스마스 보내세요 is made up of 즐거운, which is an adjective meaning ‘happy’, 크리스마스 (Christmas), and 보내세요, meaning ‘please spend (time)’. So, 즐거운 크리스마스 보내세요 translates as ‘Have a happy Christmas.’ in Korean.
즐거운 크리스마스 되세요.
As you can see, 즐거운 크리스마스 되세요 is the same as the previous expression but with 되세요 instead of 보내세요. 되세요 means ‘please have’ so 즐거운 크리스마스 되세요 means ‘Please have a happy Christmas.’ in Korean.
즐거운 성탄절 보내세요.
This next Korean Christmas greeting again means ‘Have a happy Christmas.’. As you can see, it is similar to a previous greeting but instead of 크리스마스, there is the word 성탄절. 성탄절 also means Christmas in Korean.
즐거운 성탄절 되세요.
This is another way to say ‘Have a happy Christmas.’ in Korean.
즐겁고 행복한 크리스마스 보내세요.
This next Korean Christmas greeting is made up of 즐겁다 (to be pleasant/enjoyable), 고 (and), 크리스마스 (Christmas), and 보내세요 (please spend). So this Korean Christmas expression means ‘Please have a happy and enjoyable Christmas.’
행복한 성탄절 보내길 바랍니다.
This Christmas expression is similar to the English greeting ‘We wish you a merry Christmas.’. It is made up of 행복한 (happy) 성탄절 (Christmas) 보내시길 (spend-noun), and 바랍니자 (wish).
가족, 친구와 함께 따뜻한 크리스마스 보내세요.
If you want to write a very nice and warm Christmas message to your Korean friends, family, or coworkers, you can use this Korean Christmas Greeting. 가족, 친구와 함께 따뜻한 크리스마스 보내세요 is made up of the words 가족 (family), 친구 (friend) 와 (with), 함께 (together), 따뜻한 (warm) 크리스마스 (Christmas), and 보내세요 (please spend). So, this expression means ‘Please spend a warm Christmas together with your friends and family.
Say ‘Merry Christmas’ Like A Native Korean
To listen to a native Korean speaker saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Korean, check out this great video from Korean Arah.
Thanks for reading. I hope found a useful Korean Christmas greeting to wish your friends and family Merry Christmas in Korean. Before you go, if you want to learn more useful Korean vocabulary and expressions check out our free Korean lessons and Korean vocabulary lists.