Cheers

Cheers in Other Languages & Cultures

By “Cheers” I mean, of course, a one-word or simple toast that is common the way Cheers is many English-speaking countries and cultures. If you know of one that’s missing here or is wrong, please be so kind as to drop me a note.

• Albanian: Gëzuar / Shëndeti tuaj
• American: Down the hatch / Here’s mud in your eye
• Arabian: Bismilah / Fi schettak or Fisehatak (“to your health”)
• Armenian: Genatzt or Genatset or Genatsoot (“life”)
• Asturian: Gayola
• Australian: Cheers / Kia ora
• Austrian: Prosit / Stoss an! (“clink glasses”) / Zum Wohl
• Basque: On egin / Topa
• Azerbaijani: Afiyæt oslun
• Belgian: Gezondheid (huh-zohnd’-hayt) / Op uw gezonheid
• Bolivian: Salud
• Borneo: Minum! (“drink”)
• Bosnian: Zivjeli
• Brazilian: Saúde (“to your health”) / Tim-tim / Viva
• Breton: Yec’hed mat
• Bulgarian: Nazdrave
• Canadian: Cheers
• Catalan: Txin txin
• Chichewa: Wawa
• Chilean: Salud
• Chinese: Gom bui [Cantonese] or Gan Bei [Mandarin] or Kan bei (“dry the cup”) / Kong Chien / Nien Nien nu e / Wen lie / Yam sing, Yung sing or Yum Sen (“drink and win”)
• Colombian: Salud
• Costa Rican: Pura Vida (“pure life”)
• Croatian: Uzdraulje or U zdravlje / Zivjeli
• Czech: Nazdar or Na zdraví (“to your health”)
• Danish: Skål or Skaal
• Dutch: Geluch / Proost
• English: Bottoms up / Cheers
• Egyptian: Bisochtak / Fee sihetak
• Equadoran: Salud
• Esperanto: Je zia sano / Sanon
• Estonian: Tervist / Terviseks (“to your health”)
• Ethiopian: T’chen chen
• Farsi: Ba’sal’a'ma’ti
• Finnish: Kippis / Kippis Terveydeksi (“to your health”) / Maljanne (“a toast to you sir”)
• Flemish: Proost
• French: A votre santé / Santé
• Frisian: Tsjoch
• Gaelic: Sláinte (“to your health”) [Ireland] // Slaandjivaa (“to your health”) / Slainte Mhath (“good health”) / Slainte mhoiz or Slainte Mhor (Slainte vor, “great health”) [Scotland]
• Galacian: Saúde / Chinchín
• Georgian: Gagimardschoss or Gaumardschoss / Vakhtanguri
• German: Auf ihr wohl / Prosit
• Greek: Eis Igian / Gia’sou / Jamas / Stin igia sou or Stin ijiasas
• Greenlandic: Kasugta or Kassutta (“let our glasses meet”) / Imeqatigiitta (“let’s drink together”)
• Guatemalan: Salud
• Hawaiian: Hauolo maoli oe / Hipahipa / Meli kalikama / Okole maluna or Okole malune
• Hindi: Apki Lambi Umar Ke Liye
• Holooe: Kam-poe
• Honduran: Salud
• Hungarian: Egészségedre (“to your health”) / Kedves egészségere
• Icelandic: Santanka nu
• Ido: Ye vua saneso
• Indian: Aanand / A la sature / Harsha [Bangla] / Jaikind
• Indonesian: Pro [Bahasa] / Selamat / Tos (toss)
• Iranian: Besalmati or Be salam ati (“to your health”) / Nush (“enjoy it, and let it be part of your body”) / Shemoh / Vashi [Baluchi]
• Irish: Sláinte / Guid forder! (“good luck”) [Ulster-Scots]
• Israeli: Le’chayim (“to life”) / Mazel Tov (“congratulations”)
• Italian: A la salute / Cin cin / Salute
• Japanese: Banzai / Campai or Kampai
• Kenyan: Rathima andu atene [Kikuyu]
• Korean: Chukbae / Kong gang ul wi ha yo / Konbe
• Latin: Bene tibi / Sanitas bona (“to your health”)
• Latvian: Prieka / Uz veselibu
• Lebanese: Kesak
• Lithuanian: I sveikas / I sveikata
• Macedonian: Na zdravje! (“to your health”)
• Malayan: Slamat minum
• Maori: Kia ora (“good health”)
• Mexican: Salud
• Moroccan: Saha wa’afiab
• New Zealander: Kia ora (“good health”)
• Nicaraguan: Salud
• Norwegian: Skål
• Occitan: A la vòstra
• Pakistani: Sanda Bashi
• Panamanian: Salud
• Paraguayan: Salud
• Persian: Besalmati or Be salam ati (“to your health”) / Nush (“enjoy it, and let it be part of your body”)
• Peruvian: Salud
• Philippine: Mabuhay
• Polish: Na zdrowie / Vivat
• Portuguese: A sua saúde / Saúde (“to your health”)
• Romanian: Noroc (“good luck”) / Pentru sanatatea dunneavoastra
• Russian: Budem zdorovy (“let’s stay healthy”) / Chtob vse byli zdorovy (“let everybody be healthy”) / Na zdorovia *may not actually be used* / Na zdorovje (“to your health”) / Za sbychu mecht
• Scottish: Sláinte
• Serbian: Ziveli (zjee-ve-lee, “let’s live long”) / Zivio Ziveli
• Sesotho: Nqa
• Slovakian: Na zdravie (“to your health”) / Stolicka!
• Slovenian: Na zdravje / Zivjo!
• Somalian: Auguryo
• South African: Amandla / Gezondheid [Afrikaans]
• Spanish: Salud / Chin chin
• Sri Lankan: Seiradewa [Sinhala]
• Swahili: Afya / Maisha marefu (“good life”) / Vifijo
• Swedish: Skål / Skaal / Helan går (“everything goes”)
• Swiss: Proscht [Bärndütsch]
• Tagalog: Mabuhay (“long life”)
• Tahitian: Manuta
• Taiwanese: Gun bi
• Thai: Chai yo / Choc-tee or Chook-die / Sawasdi *Sawadekaa (to a male) Sawadekap (to a female)*
• Turkish: Serefe (“to honor”) / Sagliginiza (“to your health”)
• United Arab Emirate: Shucram
• United Kingdom: Cheers
• Ukranian: Boovatje zdorovi / Budem (“let’s stay healthy”) / Budmo (“shall we live forever”) *after one person says Budmo, the rest say ‘Hey’
• Urdu: Djam
• Uruguayan: Salud
• Uyghur: Hoshe (“cheers”) / Salametlikingiz ucun (“for your health”)
• Venezualan: Salud
• Vietnamese: Can chén [North V.] / Can ly [South V.] / Chia / Cung ly (gumm lee)
• Welsh: Iechyd da
• Yugoslavian: Ziveli / Zivio
• Zulu: Oogy wawa

Key:

1. [in brackets] = toast is in that specific language or dialect in that country
2. (italics in parentheses) = phonetic pronunciation
3. *note* = a note about the toast
4. (parentheses, no italics with quotation marks) = translation of the toast