The traditional greeting for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in English is Happy Hanukkah. But this is not the only expression you can use to recognize the holiday or wish celebratory cheer. Read on to learn how to say Happy Hanukkah in Hebrew and for some suggestions on what to write in cards, notes, and messages celebrating the holiday.
How to say Happy Hanukkah in Hebrew
You can wish someone a happy Hanukkah by saying chag sameach, which is pronounced [ khag sah–meh-ahkh ]. This expression means “happy holiday.” If you want to make it a bit more Hanukkah-specific, you can say chag Hanukkah sameach, pronounced [ khag khah-nuh-kuh sah–meh-ahkh ], instead.
Another Hanukkah greeting is chag urim sameach [ khag oo-reem sah–meh-ahkh ], which translates to “happy festival of lights.”
Learn about another Festival of Lights by reading about Diwali.
How is Hanukkah spelled?
The word Hanukkah in Hebrew is חֲנֻכָּה. The first letter of this word makes a [ kh ] sound. For this reason, Hanukkah is sometimes spelled Chanukah, with a CH- to represent the [ kh ] sound. Either spelling is correct—just be consistent.
How to write Hanukkah messages and cards
When writing holiday cards for Hanukkah, you will want to include the phrase Happy Hanukkah, Chag Sameach, or another of the variations we mentioned above.
You may also want to include a short message to go with the season. If you are looking for something to write in a Hanukkah message or card for a friend, colleague, or family member, try out one of these phrases:
- Best wishes of health and happiness to you in this season and all others.
- May you have a warm and joyous Festival of Light.
- May the Hanukkah lights find you together with loved ones.
- Sending wishes of light, laughter, and love to you and yours this Hanukkah.
- Wishing you and your family warmth and light this Hanukkah season.
- We hope you have a Hanukkah full of miracles.
- Hoping you have a happy season of miracles.
- Wishing you lots of love and latkes!
- Hope each of the eight nights of Hanukkah are filled with light.
Learn more about Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays
To learn more about the holiday of Hanukkah, the story of the Maccabees, and other vocabulary for Hanukkah, check out our Hanukkah slideshow here.
For more on how to share season’s greetings for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, click here. We also have a handy guide on season’s greetings for Passover, also known as Pesach.
