How to Say Happy New Year in Italian
The most common way to say “happy new year” in Italian is buon anno (pronounced “bwon AHN-no”), which translates literally as “good year”. The more formal option is felice anno nuovo, and on the holiday itself you will also hear buon capodanno.
There are a few variations and phrases that Italians like using to wish someone a happy new year, so let’s go through them.
Felice anno nuovo is another way to say “happy new year” and it’s slightly more formal. It is the literal translation of “happy new year”.
Ti auguro un felice anno nuovo!
I wish you a happy new year!
Buon capodanno is another very common expression. In Italian, capodanno is the new year’s day, buon capodanno specifically refers to the holiday.
Linguistically speaking, capodanno is composed of the words capo (lit. head) used to mean the beginning of something, and d’anno (of the year), where the preposition di uses the apostrophe in front of a word beginning with a vowel.
Buon capodanno! Come lo festeggerai?
Happy New Year! How will you celebrate it?
How to Pronounce “Buon Anno”
In buon, the u works like an English w, so it sounds like “bwon”, not “bon”. In anno, stress the first syllable and hold the double n a little longer than a single one: AHN-no.
When Do Italians Say “Buon Anno”?
You say buon anno at midnight on New Year’s Eve and for the first days of January, whenever you meet someone for the first time in the new year.
In the days before, Italians usually say buone feste (happy holidays) or buon fine e buon principio, literally “good end and good beginning”, which wishes someone a good end to the old year and a good start to the new one.
How to Reply to “Buon Anno”
The simplest reply is to return the wish. You can say altrettanto (same to you), or repeat the greeting.
Buon anno!
Grazie, altrettanto!
Buon anno a tutti!
Grazie, anche a te!
With someone you address formally, use Lei instead of te:
Buon anno, professore!
Grazie, buon anno anche a Lei!
Phrases to use During New Year’s Celebrations
If you are Italian, I am sure that, at least once, you helped your grandparents with writing messages to greet friends, relatives, and colleagues.
This was a very common activity for me during my childhood, because my grandfather does not know how to use a cellphone, yet he wanted to wish buon anno to his contacts.
Of course there are some fixed formulas, as the ones that I will be showing you below:
Tanti auguri per un anno pieno di gioia e successo!
Best wishes for a year full of joy and success!
Che sia un anno fortunato!
May it be a lucky year!
Buon anno e tanta felicità!
Happy New Year and lots of happiness!
Buon anno e buona salute!
Happy New Year and good health!
Buon anno a te e alla tua famiglia!
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Che il nuovo anno ti porti tanta felicità!
May the new year bring you lots of happiness!
Italian New Year’s Vocabulary
- San Silvestro – New Year’s Eve (31 December, named after the saint of the day). You will also hear l’ultimo dell’anno, “the last day of the year”.
- Capodanno – New Year’s Day and the New Year holiday.
- il cenone – the big dinner, as in il cenone di Capodanno.
- la mezzanotte – midnight.
- il conto alla rovescia – the countdown.
- il brindisi – the toast.
- lo spumante – Italian sparkling wine, opened at midnight.
- i fuochi d’artificio – fireworks.
- i buoni propositi – New Year’s resolutions.
A mezzanotte facciamo il conto alla rovescia e poi il brindisi.
At midnight we do the countdown and then the toast.
To go with the toast, see how to say cheers in Italian.
Italian New Year Traditions
In many Italian families, New Year’s Eve means a long dinner, the cenone, followed by a toast at midnight and fireworks.
Two customs are worth knowing because they come up in conversation:
- Lentils. Many families eat le lenticchie on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. They look like small coins, so they are meant to bring money in the new year.
- Red underwear. Wearing something red, traditionally biancheria intima rossa, is supposed to bring good luck.
A Capodanno mangiamo le lenticchie per portare fortuna.
On New Year’s we eat lentils to bring good luck.
For the greetings that come before New Year, see how to say Merry Christmas in Italian.
Happy New Year in Italian: Quick Questions
Do Italians say “buon anno nuovo”?
Yes, buon anno nuovo exists and everyone understands it, but buon anno is enough. The word “new” is already implied.
What is the difference between “buon anno” and “buon capodanno”?
Buon anno wishes someone a good year ahead, and you can say it for several days. Buon capodanno is tied to the holiday itself, so it fits best on 31 December and 1 January.
How do you say “Happy New Year” in a message or card?
Use tanti auguri di buon anno (“best wishes for a happy new year”) or one of the longer wishes above, such as buon anno e tanta felicità.
