Merry Christmas in Lithuanian

Contents5

• Lithuanian Merry Christmas phrases to copy
• How to pronounce Linksmų Kalėdų
• Spelling a card or message
• When to use the greeting
• Verdict: the Lithuanian Merry Christmas greeting

The Lithuanian Merry Christmas greeting is Linksmų Kalėdų! For Happy New Year, write Laimingų Naujųjų metų! Both appear in Omniglot's Lithuanian phrase guide. You can join them as Linksmų Kalėdų ir laimingų Naujųjų metų! for a Christmas card that also wishes the reader a happy new year.

Copy Linksmų Kalėdų! for a short greeting. Add ir laimingų Naujųjų metų! for the new year. Keep the marks on ų, ė and ū when writing, and use a native-speaker recording to hear the sounds.

Lithuanian Merry Christmas phrases to copy

The first two phrases come from Omniglot. The word ir means “and,” joining the wishes. Glosbe's English-Lithuanian Christmas entry also gives Christmas and New Year examples together.

You may see Linksmų šv. Kalėdų! on a card. The abbreviation šv. stands for šventų, adding the sense of “holy” to the Christmas greeting; forms with it appear in the dictionary examples. The short Linksmų Kalėdų! is enough for a general card or spoken wish.

How to pronounce Linksmų Kalėdų

A rough English sound guide is links-MOO kah-LYEH-doo. It is an aid for getting started, instead of a full account of Lithuanian stress and vowel length. Listen to the audio linked in Omniglot's phrase guide and copy the speaker's rhythm.

Say linksmų as one word, with the consonants together at the start. Do not add a separate vowel between every consonant. The ending ų has a long “oo” sound, while ė is a long vowel that English spelling can only roughly suggest.

For a spoken greeting, learn the short Christmas phrase first. Once it feels comfortable, add the New Year wish. A slow, clear greeting is easier to understand than rushing through a long line from a sound guide.

Spelling a card or message

Copy the Lithuanian spelling instead of removing the letter marks. “Linksmu Kaledu” may be seen in messages typed without a Lithuanian keyboard, but Linksmų Kalėdų is the form to use on a finished card. The same care applies to Naujųjų in the New Year wish.

For the simplest card, put the greeting on its own line and sign your name below it. You can write the rest of the message in English if the reader understands it. This avoids turning a small greeting into a sentence you are unsure how to phrase.

If a print shop is making the card, ask for a proof that shows the Lithuanian letters clearly. Some fonts can make the marks hard to see. Check the copied text again before approving the print.

When to use the greeting

Use it when exchanging festive wishes with a host, friend or colleague. The phrase does not require a long conversation in Lithuanian. For someone you do not know well, a short greeting is enough.

If you are joining a family meal, learn about Lithuanian Christmas traditions too. Knowing the greeting helps you join in; knowing the host's plan helps you choose what to bring.

For the next part of the route, see Baltic Weather by Season, Best Time to Visit Latvia.

Verdict: the Lithuanian Merry Christmas greeting

For a Lithuanian Merry Christmas greeting, write Linksmų Kalėdų! and keep the Lithuanian letters. For a card, add ir laimingų Naujųjų metų! If the greeting is part of a visit, use Christmas in Lithuania, Lithuania's Christmas markets and the Baltic seasonal guide to plan the trip.

Questions people also ask

Should I keep the Lithuanian letter marks on a card?

Yes. Copy Linksmų Kalėdų! with its letter marks and check them on the print proof. The short greeting is enough; the rest of the message can be in a language you know.

Is a rough English pronunciation guide enough?

Use it to get started, then listen to a native-speaker recording. Lithuanian vowel length and stress are easier to learn from the sound than from English spelling alone.