Red envelopes (hongbao) in Chinese 红包

hóngbāo

Red envelope in Chinese is 红包 (hóng bāo).

Also searched for as: hongbao, red packets, lucky money, lai see, Chinese New Year money, WeChat red envelope.

Lucky money in a red envelope, now mostly on your phone. 15 words and phrases for Red envelopes (hongbao) in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.

A red envelope in Chinese is 红包 (hóng bāo), a gift of money given at New Year, weddings and other happy occasions. Children receive 压岁钱 (yā suì qián) from older relatives, bosses 发红包 (fā hóng bāo) to their staff, and these days much of it happens on phones, where friends 抢红包 (qiǎng hóng bāo) in group chats. These words cover giving, receiving and the etiquette in between.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
红包	hóng bāo	red envelope; money gift
压岁钱	yā suì qián	New Year money (given to children)
发红包	fā hóng bāo	to give out red envelopes
收红包	shōu hóng bāo	to receive red envelopes
抢红包	qiǎng hóng bāo	to grab red envelopes (in group chats)
微信红包	Wēi xìn hóng bāo	WeChat red envelope
拼手气红包	pīn shǒu qì hóng bāo	random-amount group red envelope
手气最佳	shǒu qì zuì jiā	best luck (grabbed the biggest share)
领红包	lǐng hóng bāo	to claim a red envelope
谢谢老板	xiè xie lǎo bǎn	thanks, boss (said after grabbing a red envelope)
利是	lì shì	red envelope (Cantonese)
吉利数字	jí lì shù zì	lucky number
新钞	xīn chāo	new banknotes
推来推去	tuī lái tuī qù	to push back and forth (politely refusing)
份子钱	fèn zi qián	cash gift (at a wedding)

Usage tips

Crisp 新钞 (xīn chāo), new banknotes, show you've made an effort, which is why many people visit the bank before New Year to swap their old notes.
In Cantonese-speaking communities you'll hear 利是 (lì shì), "lai see" in Cantonese, and in Singapore and Malaysia 红包 is often said the Hokkien way, "ang pow".
When offered a red envelope, take it with both hands and say 谢谢; between adults, a polite round of 推来推去 (tuī lái tuī qù), pushing it back and forth, is normal before the gift is finally accepted.

Common mistakes

Putting a 4 in the amount, such as 400 → 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), "death", so choose even, lucky sums like 600, 800 or 888 instead.
Opening a red envelope in front of the giver → say 谢谢 and put it away to open later; opening it on the spot can look as if you're checking the amount.

Mini dialogue

A快看群里，老板发了个拼手气红包！Kuài kàn qún li, lǎo bǎn fā le gè pīn shǒu qì hóng bāo!Quick, look at the group chat, the boss has sent a lucky-draw red envelope!
B我抢到了！八十八块，手气最佳！Wǒ qiǎng dào le! Bā shí bā kuài, shǒu qì zuì jiā!Got it! 88 yuan, the biggest share!
A我才抢到两块钱……Wǒ cái qiǎng dào liǎng kuài qián...I only got two yuan...
B哈哈，快在群里说谢谢老板！Hā ha, kuài zài qún li shuō xiè xie lǎo bǎn!Ha, quick, say "thanks, boss" in the group!

Example sentences

奶奶给了我一个大红包。Grandma gave me a big red envelope.
你小时候的压岁钱都给谁了？Who ended up with your New Year money when you were little?
过年老板给每个人发红包。At New Year the boss gives everyone a red envelope.
今年我收红包收到手软。This year I got so many red envelopes I lost count.
大家都在群里抢红包。Everyone's grabbing red envelopes in the group chat.
我给我妈发了个微信红包。I sent my mum a WeChat red envelope.
我在群里发了个拼手气红包。I sent a lucky-draw red envelope in the group chat.
我抢到了八十块，手气最佳！I got 80 yuan, the biggest share!
快去领红包，二十四小时后就退回了。Go and claim the red envelope, it goes back after 24 hours.
抢完红包，大家都说谢谢老板。After grabbing the red envelopes, everyone says "thanks, boss".
广东人把红包叫利是。Cantonese people call red envelopes "lai see".
红包金额最好是吉利数字，比如八百八。The amount in a red envelope should ideally be a lucky number, like 880.
过年前我去银行换新钞。Before New Year I go to the bank for crisp new notes.
给红包的时候大家总是推来推去。When giving red envelopes, people always push them back and forth.
朋友结婚，我给了五百块份子钱。My friend got married and I gave 500 yuan as a gift.

Practise speaking

Ready to use these words? The Red envelopes (hongbao) speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Red envelopes (hongbao) to prepare your own answers to.