How to Say Happy Valentine’s Day in Different Languages
Although Valentine’s Day, February 14th, is not an official holiday in any country, it is a special day for most of us throughout the world. On this day, we celebrate love in many different ways with those we care about most.
We show love for our spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, children, friends, and more. We express our love in many languages across the globe. We give and receive flowers, candy, greeting cards, and romantic dinners. Many of us also show appreciation for friends, students, teachers, bosses, co-workers, and other special people.
Many couples, understandably, pick Valentine’s Day for their wedding. There are lots of surprise marriage proposals too! As any jeweler knows, diamond engagement rings are very popular Valentine’s gifts.
There are many legends about how Valentine’s Day began. Roman legends say that Saint Valentine, a third-century Catholic priest, disobeyed Claudius II’s law and was sentenced to death. The Emperor wanted single young men for soldiers, but Valentine secretly performed weddings.
Some believe that Valentine sent a love letter from prison right before he died. It was signed, “From your Valentine,” words that are special and constantly used to this day.
How Do You Say Valentine’s Day in Different Languages?
Since Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love around the world, it’s fun to see how “Happy Valentine’s Day” is expressed in different languages and countries:
- Afrikaans Gelukkige Valentynsdag
- Arabic (speaking to male) Eid hob sá eed, habibi (speaking to a female) Eid hob sá eed, habibti
- Argentina Feliz día de San Valentín
- Bengali Subha bhalobasa dibasa Śubha bhōbdibasa
- Bosnia Sretno valentinovo
- Bulgaria mutlu Sevggililer Günü
- Chile Feliz Dia de San Valentin
- Chinese Qingren jie kuaile
- Corsican Bona festa di San Valentinu
- Czech Štastné ho Valenty′na
- Danish Glǣdelig Valentijnsdag
- Dutch fijne Valentijnsdag or Gelukkige Valentijnsdag
- Filipino Maligayang Araw ng mga Puso
- French Joyeux Saint Valentin
- German Alles Liebe zum Valentins or Alles Gute zum Valentins Tag
- Greek eftychisméni iméra tou Agíou Valentínou
- Gujarati Vēlēnat īnsa dinanī śubhēcch
- Hausa Ranar ranar soyayya
- Hindi vailentains divas mubaarak ho
- Indonesian Selamat Hari Kasih Sayang
- Italian Buon San Valentino
- Japanese Shiawasena Barentaindee
- Kenya Furaha valentines siku
- Korean haengboghan ballentain dei
- Lithuania Su Valentino diena
- Malay Selamat Hari kekasih
- Mandarin Oingren jie kuaile
- Morocco Bonne St-Valentin
- Mozambique Feliz Dia de São Valetim
- Myanmar main galar Valentine Day ko
- Namibia Happy Valentynsdag
- Portuguese Feliz Dia dos Namorados
- Puntjabi Prēma dihmubaka
- Romanian Ziua Indragostitilor fericita
- Somali Maalinta Valentine’s Hoyka
- South Africa Happy Valentynsdag
- Spanish Feliz dia de San Valentin
- Swedish Glad Alla hjärtans dag
- Thai Sukhsant wan wãlenthiń
- Turkish Mutlu sevgililer Günü
- Vietnamese Chuc mung ngay le tinh nhan
- Welsh Valentines dydd yn hapus
- Yoruba E ku ayajo ojo ololufe
- Zulu Usuku oluhle lwe-Valentines
In the United States, about 190 million Valentine’s cards are exchanged, not counting the millions given out by school children. Valentine’s Day is celebrated throughout the world in many different cultures and languages. I hope that you have enjoyed learning some of the many ways that Valentine’s wishes are shared! For valentine’s day you can also check out our article about how to say “I love you” in different languages.
