Hi, my name is Manuel! I am from Spain and I am a Student Advisor at LTL and I’m based at our Taipei school.
Hi, my name is Mojca! I am from Slovenia in Europe and I work as a student advisor at our Shanghai school.Thanksgiving in Chinese (Vocab & Phrases) // Everything You Need To Know
The Complete Vocab List for Thanksgiving in Chinese 🥧
Many North American’s who come to LTL ask… How do you say “Thanksgiving in Chinese?”
And rightly so, this is one of the biggest events on the calendar for so many. It’s not a thing in China, but that certainly doesn’t stop us from wanting to teach you some Thanksgiving vocab in Chinese.
Thanksgiving in Chinese | Introduction
Thanksgiving in Chinese | What You Need to Know
Thanksgiving in Chinese | Expressions
Thanksgiving in Chinese | After the Feast?
Thanksgiving in Chinese | Ultimate Vocabulary List
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Thanksgiving in China – Introduction
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States and in Canada when families gather together to share festive meals, enjoy parades, and watch football matches and TV shows.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November while in Canada nearly one month and a half earlier, on the second Monday of October.
In China, many Canadian and North American expats like to have a Thanksgiving feast and invite their local friends, classmates or workmates.
Even though finding turkey might be problematic in most Chinese cities, they can still be found in many of the biggest ones such as Shanghai and Beijing.
Frozen turkey can be found in international supermarkets while roasted turkey can be ordered and delivered from international hotels and restaurants.
Thanksgiving – What We Need To Know
Before we start celebrating this holiday, let’s learn how to talk about Thanksgiving Day in Mandarin:
The Chinese word for Thanksgiving Day is
= 感恩 to feel gratitude, to feel thankful + 节 holiday
感恩节 (gǎn’ēn jié)
Our Chinese friends might ask:
- 你怎么庆祝感恩节？(nǐ zěnme qìngzhù gǎn’ēn jié)
- How will you celebrate Thanksgiving?
- 庆祝 qìngzhù = to celebrate
And we might need to say:
- 我要和家人朋友团聚。(wǒ yào hé jiārén péngyǒu tuánjù)
- I’m going to spend time with my family and friends.
- 团聚 tuánjù = to reunite
- 你会加入我们的感恩节大餐吗？(nǐ huì jiārù wǒmen de gǎn’ēn jié dà cān ma)
- Will you join us for our Thanksgiving feast?
- 加入 jiārù = to join
- 大餐 dà cān = feast
Thanksgiving in Chinese – Expressions
- 你喜欢吃。。。吗？
- nǐ xǐhuān chī… ma?
- Do you like to eat …?
- 你要不要。。。？
- nǐ yào bùyào…?
- Would you like some …?
请把。。。递给我，好吗？
qǐng bǎ… dì gěi wǒ, hǎo ma?
Could you please pass the …?
- 火鸡 huǒ jī = turkey (火 fire + 鸡 chicken)
- 烤火鸡 kǎohuǒ jī = roasted turkey
- 肉汁 ròuzhī = gravy (肉 meat + 汁 juice)
- 填料 tiánliào = stuffing or 内馅 nèixiàn
- 红莓酱 hóng méi jiàng = cranberry sauce
- 土豆泥 tǔdòu ní = mashed potatoes
- 地瓜 dìguā = sweet potatoes
- 南瓜派 nánguā pài = pumpkin pie
- 玉米 yùmǐ = corn
- 烤红薯泥 kǎo hóngshǔ ní = sweet potato casserole
Thanksgiving in Chinese – After the Feast?
- 你会看足球比赛吗？
- nǐ huì kàn zúqiú bǐsài ma?
- Will you be watching the football game?
- 美式足球比赛
- měishì zúqiú bǐsài
- American football match
- 我总是和家人一起观看游行
- wǒ zǒng shì hé jiārén yīqǐ guānkàn yóuxíng
- I always watch the Thanksgiving parade with my family
- 游行
- yóuxíng
- parade
Chinese Alphabet 🗣 What is it? Does it Exist? A Definitive Guide
Does the Chinese Alphabet exist? What’s the history of Chinese Characters? What are the most common Chinese characters? All your questions, answered
Ultimate Thanksgiving Vocab List
| English | Chinese translation | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | 感恩节 | gǎn’ēn jié |
| Native Americans | 美洲原住民 | měizhōu yuán zhùmín |
| Pilgrims | 清教徒前辈移民 | qīngjiàotú qiánbèi yímín |
| Turkey | 火鸡 | huǒ jī |
| Pumpkin pie | 南瓜派 | nánguā pài |
| Apple pie | 苹果派 | píngguǒ pài |
| Cornucopia | 聚宝盆 | jùbǎopén |
| Feast | 大餐 | dà cān |
| Harvest | 收成 | shōuchéng |
| Acorn | 橡子 | xiàng zi |
| Turkey | 火鸡 (火 fire + 鸡 chicken ) | huǒ jī |
| Roasted turkey | 烤火鸡 | kǎohuǒ jī |
| Gravy | 肉汁 (肉 meat + 汁 juice) | ròuzhī |
| Stuffing | 填料 or 内馅 | tiánliào / nèixiàn |
| Cranberry sauce | 红莓酱 | hóng méi jiàng |
| Mashed potatoes | 土豆泥 | tǔdòu ní |
| Sweet potatoes | 地瓜 | dìguā |
| Pumpkin pie | 南瓜派 | nánguā pài |
| Corn | 玉米 | yùmǐ |
| Sweet potato casserole | 烤红薯泥 | kǎo hóngshǔ ní |
| Parade | 游行 | yóuxíng |
Now that you know all the most useful words to celebrate this holiday with your Chinese friends, LTL Mandarin School wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!
感恩节快乐!
gǎn’ēn jié kuàilè!
FAQ’S
Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in China?
Thanksgiving is NOT a national Chinese holiday. However, Chinese people are generally aware of North American holidays and traditions and would partake in the festivities with their foreign friends.
How do you say Thanksgiving in Chinese?
You say “Thanksgiving” 感恩节 (gǎn’ēn jié) = 感恩 to feel gratitude, to feel thankful + 节 holiday
When is Chinese Thanksgiving?
China does not have a Thanksgiving holiday.
Visit our Chinese National Holidays page to see what holidays are celebrated in China and when.
Are Chinese places open on Thanksgiving?
YES! China does not celebrate the North American holiday so it’s business as usual for businesses operating in China.
What are some Chinese holidays?
The biggest Chinese holiday is Chinese New Year, usually in January/February. It last for a week and celebrations take place in the whole country. Families travel from far away to spend the holiday together, eat lots of good food and make memories.
The next biggest holiday is National Day, on the 1st October. The holiday last for a week and people take advantage of this time off to travel the country and visit new places.
There are other holidays throughout the year, check them all out here.
Are LTL Schools open during holidays?
We are indeed! You can take classes all year long at LTL. Some classes might need to be rescheduled so teachers can take some time off to visit their family during the holiday, but you will always be notified long in advance.
Want more from LTL?
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[…] Thanksgiving, we don’t have turkey, we have roast duck (kǎoyā, or […]
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