One table. Sixteen languages. And one surprisingly useful way to start a conversation.<\/p>\n
Imagine you’re at Oktoberfest in Munich. Someone at your table lifts a glass, looks around, and says:<\/p>\n
Prost!<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t need a grammar lesson to understand what happens next.<\/p>\n That’s what makes toasting expressions so useful for language learners. They’re short, memorable, deeply connected to culture, and likely to come up in real social situations. Better still, the words people use for \u201ccheers\u201d reveal something interesting: different languages aren’t always saying the same thing at all.<\/p>\n Some wish you health<\/strong>. So raise your glass\u2014beer, sparkling water, tea, or anything else\u2014and let’s travel through 16 languages, one toast at a time.<\/p>\n Not exactly.<\/p>\n English speakers tend to think of cheers<\/em> as a single concept that should have a direct equivalent in every language. But that’s not how languages work.<\/p>\n A Spanish speaker says \u00a1Salud!<\/strong>, literally \u201cHealth!\u201d<\/p>\n A Hebrew speaker says \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd! (L’chaim!)<\/strong>, or \u201cTo life!\u201d<\/p>\n A Mandarin speaker may say \u5e72\u676f! (G\u0101nb\u0113i!)<\/strong>, literally \u201cDry the cup!\u201d<\/p>\n These expressions perform roughly the same social function, but their literal meanings can be very different.<\/p>\n For language learners, that’s the interesting part.<\/p>\n Let’s begin in Munich.<\/p>\n German: Prost!<\/strong> Prost!<\/strong> is the everyday German toast you’ll want at Oktoberfest, in a beer garden, or at a casual dinner.<\/p>\n There’s also the longer form Prosit!<\/strong>. The German dictionary Duden traces prosit<\/em> to Latin and gives its meaning as a call used when people drink together\u2014essentially \u201cMay it benefit you.\u201d<\/p>\n If you’re visiting Oktoberfest, you may also hear:<\/p>\n Ein Prosit!<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s especially familiar from the song Ein Prosit der Gem\u00fctlichkeit<\/strong>, regularly heard in beer tents.<\/p>\n One useful distinction for learners:<\/p>\n Prost!<\/strong> = Cheers! The famous Bavarian O’zapft is!<\/strong> announces that the first Oktoberfest beer barrel has been tapped. It isn’t another way to say \u201ccheers.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you learn this pattern, several European toasts become much easier to remember.<\/p>\n The words look different, but the idea behind them is remarkably similar:<\/p>\n To your health!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a1Salud!<\/strong> Salud<\/em> simply means health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You’ll hear it across the Spanish-speaking world, although customs and additional expressions naturally vary from country to country.<\/p>\n If you already know:<\/p>\n la salud<\/strong> = health<\/p>\n then you already know the toast.<\/p>\n That’s a useful language-learning trick: a word you first encounter at a party may later appear in conversations about doctors, exercise, or healthy habits.<\/p>\n Sant\u00e9!<\/strong> Again, the literal meaning is health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You may also encounter:<\/p>\n \u00c0 votre sant\u00e9!<\/strong> The French Academy defines a toast as an invitation to drink in honor of a person, wish, or event\u2014showing that the concept is broader than simply clinking glasses and saying one magic word.<\/p>\n Sa\u00fade!<\/strong><\/p>\n Another member of the health family.<\/p>\n Portuguese pronunciation differs noticeably between Brazil, Portugal, and other Portuguese-speaking regions, so treat English pronunciation guides as approximations rather than rules.<\/p>\n The important connection for learners is:<\/p>\n sa\u00fade = health<\/strong><\/p>\n You may recognize its similarity to Spanish salud<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Salute!<\/strong> Yes\u2014health again.<\/p>\n Italian speakers may also use:<\/p>\n Cin cin!<\/strong> That makes Italian especially useful to know because you’ll encounter more than one casual option.<\/p>\n Na zdrowie!<\/strong> This means \u201cto health\u201d and really is used as a Polish toast. Cambridge lists na zdrowie<\/strong> as the Polish equivalent of \u201ccheers\u201d when drinking.<\/p>\n Keep this one in mind, because it becomes important when we get to Russian.<\/p>\n Na zdrav\u00ed!<\/strong> If Polish Na zdrowie!<\/strong> looks familiar, Czech Na zdrav\u00ed!<\/strong> should be easier to remember.<\/p>\n Both connect the toast with health.<\/p>\n For learners studying related languages, expressions like these are a great reminder that vocabulary often travels in families.<\/p>\n \u0393\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b1\u03c2!<\/strong> The idea is roughly \u201cto our health.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The word \u03bc\u03b1\u03c2 (mas)<\/strong> means \u201cour,\u201d so instead of only wishing health to another person, the expression includes everyone raising a glass.<\/p>\n Some languages choose an even bigger concept than health.<\/p>\n Hebrew: \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd!<\/strong> It means:<\/p>\n To life!<\/strong><\/p>\n Even people who don’t study Hebrew may recognize L’chaim<\/em> from movies, songs, weddings, or Jewish celebrations.<\/p>\n For a learner, the useful word is:<\/p>\n \u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd (chaim)<\/strong> = life<\/p>\n That’s a good example of why toasting expressions can be more than party vocabulary. One memorable phrase gives you a high-value everyday noun at the same time.<\/p>\n Not every toast is built around the word \u201chealth.\u201d<\/p>\n Proost!<\/strong> If you’re studying both Dutch and German, this one is wonderfully easy:<\/p>\n German: Prost!<\/strong> Similar language family, similar toast.<\/p>\n Just don’t assume that every similar-looking word across related languages will behave this conveniently.<\/p>\n Sk\u00e5l!<\/strong> You’ll also encounter related forms in other Scandinavian languages.<\/p>\n The letter \u00e5<\/strong> is worth noticing if you’re a Swedish learner. Toasting gives you a convenient excuse to practice a sound\u2014and a letter\u2014you may not have in English.<\/p>\n Turkish: \u015eerefe!<\/strong> The expression comes from \u015feref<\/strong>, meaning honor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So while Spanish and French drink to health and Hebrew drinks to life, Turkish brings another idea to the table: honor.<\/p>\n It’s exactly the kind of difference that disappears when every expression is translated simply as cheers<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here’s one of the most interesting connections for language learners.<\/p>\n Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean all have familiar toasting expressions historically built from the same Chinese characters:<\/p>\n \u4e7e\u676f \/ \u5e72\u676f<\/strong><\/p>\n The literal image is essentially an empty or dry cup<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But the pronunciation is completely different in each language.<\/p>\n \u5e72\u676f!<\/strong> The characters literally suggest \u201cdry the cup.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s why \u5e72\u676f<\/strong> can sometimes sound closer to English \u201cbottoms up!\u201d<\/strong> than a gentle \u201ccheers.\u201d<\/p>\n As always, context matters. Knowing the literal meaning does not mean you should assume every person expects you to drain every drink.<\/p>\n \u4e7e\u676f!<\/strong> Japanese uses the same traditional characters, but reads them as kanpai<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Here’s an especially useful cultural correction: although the characters suggest emptying the cup, you do not have to finish your entire drink after saying kanpai<\/strong>. The Japan Foundation explains that people normally take a sip after the toast, and at group events it is common to wait until the initial toast before starting to drink.<\/p>\n So:<\/p>\n \u4e7e\u676f does not mean you must chug your drink.<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s the difference between knowing a dictionary definition and knowing how a phrase actually works.<\/p>\n \uac74\ubc30!<\/strong> Korean gives us the third version of the same expression.<\/p>\n Compare them:<\/p>\n Mandarin: g\u0101nb\u0113i<\/strong> They look completely unrelated when written in the Latin alphabet.<\/p>\n But historically, they’re connected.<\/p>\n For people interested in East Asian languages, that’s a much more useful insight than memorizing three isolated translations of the English word cheers<\/em>.<\/p>\n Now for one of the most persistent language-learning myths.<\/p>\n Search for \u201ccheers in Russian\u201d and you may encounter:<\/p>\n \u041d\u0430 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c\u0435! (Na zdorovie!)<\/strong><\/p>\n There’s just one problem.<\/p>\n That’s not the standard Russian equivalent of \u201cCheers!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Russia’s Gramota language reference service specifically distinguishes \u041d\u0430 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c\u0435!<\/strong> from a toast. It gives forms such as \u0412\u0430\u0448\u0435 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c\u0435!<\/strong> (\u201cYour health!\u201d) or \u0417\u0430 \u0432\u0430\u0448\u0435 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c\u0435!<\/strong> (\u201cTo your health!\u201d) for raising a toast, while \u041d\u0430 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c\u0435!<\/strong> can be used as a good wish in response to thanks for food or hospitality.<\/p>\n And Russian toasts often name whatever people are drinking to:<\/p>\n \u0417\u0430 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0436\u0431\u0443!<\/strong> \u0417\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0443!<\/strong> That makes Russian especially interesting for learners because there isn’t one neat little word you can substitute every time an English speaker would say \u201ccheers.\u201d<\/p>\n And here’s the twist:<\/p>\n The phrase that foreigners often mistakenly think is Russian\u2014<\/p>\n Na zdrowie!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014is perfectly good Polish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Language learning loves tricks like that.<\/p>\n Pronunciations and preferred expressions can vary by country, region, generation, and situation, so think of this as a starting point\u2014not a universal rulebook.<\/p>\n Learning to say cheers in another language isn’t just a party trick \u2014 it’s a tiny window into how different people relate to one another. And in a beer tent in Munich, or at a dinner table in Tokyo, or over tapas in Barcelona, saying that one word in the local language can open a door that might otherwise stay closed.<\/p>\n So the next time you raise a glass with someone from a different part of the world, try their word for cheers. Make eye contact, mean it \u2014 and see what happens next. Prost!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From Prost to Kanpai, learn how to say cheers in 8 languages, plus toasting etiquette and cultural tips just in time for Oktoberfest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2083,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions\/2083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSome toast to life<\/strong>.
\nSome literally tell you to empty your glass<\/strong>.
\nAnd some don’t even have a single word equivalent to English \u201ccheers.\u201d<\/p>\nFirst, Does \u201cCheers\u201d Really Translate?<\/h2>\n
The Oktoberfest Essential: German \u2014 Prost!<\/h2>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly prohst<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nO’zapft is!<\/strong> = It’s tapped!<\/p>\nThe \u201cHealth\u201d Family<\/h2>\n
Spanish \u2014 \u00a1Salud!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly sah-LOOD<\/strong><\/p>\nFrench \u2014 Sant\u00e9!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly sahn-TAY<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nTo your health!<\/em><\/p>\nPortuguese \u2014 Sa\u00fade!<\/h3>\n
Italian \u2014 Salute!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly sah-LOO-teh<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nPronunciation: chin chin<\/strong><\/p>\nPolish \u2014 Na zdrowie!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly nah ZDROH-vyeh<\/strong><\/p>\nCzech \u2014 Na zdrav\u00ed!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly nah ZDRAH-vee<\/strong><\/p>\nGreek \u2014 \u0393\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b1\u03c2!<\/h3>\n
\nRomanization: Yia mas!<\/strong>
\nPronunciation: roughly YAH mahs<\/strong><\/p>\nA Toast to Life: Hebrew \u2014 L’chaim!<\/h2>\n
\nRomanization: L’chaim!<\/strong>
\nPronunciation: roughly l’KHAI-im<\/strong><\/p>\nNorthern Europe: Proost and Sk\u00e5l<\/h2>\n
Dutch \u2014 Proost!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly prohst<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nDutch: Proost!<\/strong><\/p>\nSwedish \u2014 Sk\u00e5l!<\/h3>\n
\nPronunciation: approximately skohl<\/strong><\/p>\nTo Honor: Turkish \u2014 \u015eerefe!<\/h2>\n
\nPronunciation: roughly sheh-reh-FEH<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cDry the Cup\u201d: Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean<\/h2>\n
Mandarin Chinese \u2014 \u5e72\u676f!<\/h3>\n
\nPinyin: G\u0101nb\u0113i!<\/strong>
\nPronunciation: roughly gahn-bay<\/strong><\/p>\nJapanese \u2014 \u4e7e\u676f!<\/h3>\n
\nRomanization: Kanpai!<\/strong>
\nPronunciation: roughly kahn-pie<\/strong><\/p>\nKorean \u2014 \uac74\ubc30!<\/h3>\n
\nRomanization: Geonbae!<\/strong>
\nPronunciation: roughly guhn-bae<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nJapanese: kanpai<\/strong>
\nKorean: geonbae<\/strong><\/p>\nThe One You Shouldn’t Memorize: Russian \u201cNa Zdorovie\u201d<\/h2>\n
\nTo friendship!<\/em><\/p>\n
\nTo our meeting!<\/em><\/p>\n16 Ways to Say Cheers: Quick Reference<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nLanguage<\/th>\n Expression<\/th>\n Basic idea<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n German<\/td>\n Prost!<\/strong><\/td>\n A traditional drinking toast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spanish<\/td>\n \u00a1Salud!<\/strong><\/td>\n Health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n French<\/td>\n Sant\u00e9!<\/strong><\/td>\n Health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Portuguese<\/td>\n Sa\u00fade!<\/strong><\/td>\n Health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Italian<\/td>\n Salute! \/ Cin cin!<\/strong><\/td>\n Health \/ casual toast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Polish<\/td>\n Na zdrowie!<\/strong><\/td>\n To health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Czech<\/td>\n Na zdrav\u00ed!<\/strong><\/td>\n To health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Greek<\/td>\n \u0393\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b1\u03c2! (Yia mas!)<\/strong><\/td>\n To our health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Dutch<\/td>\n Proost!<\/strong><\/td>\n Cheers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Swedish<\/td>\n Sk\u00e5l!<\/strong><\/td>\n Cheers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Turkish<\/td>\n \u015eerefe!<\/strong><\/td>\n To honor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Hebrew<\/td>\n \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd! (L’chaim!)<\/strong><\/td>\n To life<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Mandarin Chinese<\/td>\n \u5e72\u676f! (G\u0101nb\u0113i!)<\/strong><\/td>\n Dry the cup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Japanese<\/td>\n \u4e7e\u676f! (Kanpai!)<\/strong><\/td>\n Dry the cup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Korean<\/td>\n \uac74\ubc30! (Geonbae!)<\/strong><\/td>\n Dry the cup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Russian<\/td>\n \u0417\u0430 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0436\u0431\u0443! \/ \u0417\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0443!<\/strong><\/td>\n To friendship \/ to our meeting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n The Real Magic of Toasting Across Cultures<\/h2>\n