How to say "congratulations" in Chinese

When To Use It

"congratulations" maps to 恭喜你 (gōngxǐ nǐ), a formal polite phrase for celebration situations.

Use this phrase in the exact kind of real-life context named above, then listen for how native speakers shorten or soften it in reply.

Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.

Tone And Delivery

The register is formal, which means it is better for respectful, official, or carefully worded interactions than for playful small talk.

Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.

A good practice target is the example sentence 恭喜你毕业！ (gōngxǐ nǐ bìyè!). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.

Practice Ideas

This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 生日快乐 (shēngrì kuàilè).

A second nearby phrase to review is 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.

• Read the example “Congratulations on your graduation!” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
• Pair it with “Happy birthday” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
• Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
• If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.