The greeting you need, what it literally means, and who says it when - plus 165 holiday words across eleven festivals, every one of them with vowel marks, an English-letter transliteration and audio.
Rosh Hashanah - רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, literally "head of the year" - starts at sundown on 11 September 2026. These are the greetings you will actually hear and send.
Happy New Year
שָׁנָהטוֹבָה
sha-NA to-VA
without vowels: שנה טובה
Literally: "a good year". The everyday Rosh Hashanah greeting. Said to anyone, from the days before Rosh Hashanah right through Yom Kippur.
A good and sweet New Year
שָׁנָהטוֹבָהוּמְתוּקָה
sha-NA to-VA u-me-tu-KA
without vowels: שנה טובה ומתוקה
Literally: "a good and sweet year". The warmer version, echoing the apple dipped in honey. Very common to children and on cards.
May you be inscribed for a good year
לְשָׁנָהטוֹבָהתִּכָּתֵבוּ
le-sha-NA to-VA ti-ka-TE-vu
without vowels: לשנה טובה תיכתבו
Literally: "for a good year may you be written". The traditional blessing, about being written in the book of life. Use it before and on Rosh Hashanah only; after that switch to gmar khatima tova. This form addresses a group - to one man ti-ka-TEV, to one woman ti-ka-TE-vi.
May you be written and sealed for good
כְּתִיבָהוַחֲתִימָהטוֹבָה
kti-VA va-kha-ti-MA to-VA
without vowels: כתיבה וחתימה טובה
Literally: "a good writing and sealing". Covers both halves of the season at once: the writing on Rosh Hashanah and the sealing at Yom Kippur. The conjunction is va-, not ve-, because the next syllable carries a hataf vowel.
A good and blessed New Year
שָׁנָהטוֹבָהוּמְבֹרֶכֶת
sha-NA to-VA u-me-vo-RE-khet
without vowels: שנה טובה ומבורכת
Literally: "a good and blessed year". A more formal register than "good and sweet" - printed cards, synagogue, written wishes.
May you live many more years
תִּזְכּוּלְשָׁנִיםרַבּוֹת
tiz-KU le-sha-NIM ra-BOT
without vowels: תזכו לשנים רבות
Literally: "may you merit many years". A warm add-on, usually to an older person or a whole family. This form addresses a group - to one man tiz-KE, to one woman tiz-KI.
Yom Kippur, Sukkot and everyday holiday greetings
The season does not end with Rosh Hashanah. These carry you through Yom Kippur and Sukkot, and the general ones work for any festival in the year.
May you be sealed for good
גְּמַרחֲתִימָהטוֹבָה
GMAR kha-ti-MA to-VA
without vowels: גמר חתימה טובה
Literally: "a good final sealing". For the ten days from just after Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, and on Yom Kippur itself. Mainly the Ashkenazi wording.
May you be sealed for good (short form)
חֲתִימָהטוֹבָה
kha-ti-MA to-VA
without vowels: חתימה טובה
Literally: "a good sealing". The same wish, shorter. Mainly the Sephardi and Mizrahi wording, used across the whole stretch from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Have an easy fast
צוֹםקַל
TSOM KAL
without vowels: צום קל
Literally: "an easy fast". Said in the hours before Yom Kippur begins, to anyone who will be fasting. Also used before Tisha B'Av. The fuller version is tsom KAL u-mo-IL, "an easy and beneficial fast".
Happy holiday
חַגשָׂמֵחַ
KHAG sa-ME-akh
without vowels: חג שמח
Literally: "joyful festival". Works for any festival, Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot included. Never on Yom Kippur, which is a fast day. The usual reply is khag sameakh gam lekha or gam lakh.
Happy Sukkot
חַגסֻכּוֹתשָׂמֵחַ
KHAG su-KOT sa-ME-akh
without vowels: חג סוכות שמח
Literally: "joyful festival of Sukkot". For Sukkot, which begins five days after Yom Kippur and closes the High Holiday season. Plain khag sameakh works just as well.
Happy festival season
מוֹעֲדִיםלְשִׂמְחָה
mo-a-DIM le-sim-KHA
without vowels: מועדים לשמחה
Literally: "appointed times for joy". For chol ha-moed, the intermediate weekdays of Sukkot and Pesach, rather than the festival days themselves.
Festivals and seasons for joy
חַגִּיםוּזְמַנִּיםלְשָׂשׂוֹן
kha-GIM u-zma-NIM le-sa-SON
without vowels: חגים וזמנים לששון
Literally: "festivals and appointed times for gladness". The set reply to mo-a-DIM le-sim-KHA. Say this back rather than repeating the greeting.
You too (to a man)
גַּםלְךָ
GAM le-KHA
without vowels: גם לך
Literally: "also to you". The standard short reply to any of these greetings. To a group of men, gam la-KHEM.
You too (to a woman)
גַּםלָךְ
GAM LAKH
without vowels: גם לך
Literally: "also to you". The same reply to a woman. Unvocalized the two are spelled identically - only the vowels tell them apart. To a group of women, gam la-KHEN.
Holiday word packs
Eleven picture-and-audio word lists, one per holiday. Each word has niqqud, a transliteration, an example sentence and a recording - and each pack has free printable worksheets attached.
Rosh Hashanah 5787 begins at sundown on Friday 11 September 2026 and ends at nightfall on Sunday 13 September 2026. Like every Jewish holiday it starts the evening before the first full day.
What does Shana Tova mean?
Shana tova means simply "a good year". It is the everyday Rosh Hashanah greeting, used through the whole holiday season, and it is often extended to shana tova u-metuka, "a good and sweet year".
What is the difference between Shana Tova and Gmar Chatima Tova?
Shana tova is used from before Rosh Hashanah onward. Gmar chatima tova - "a good final sealing" - belongs to the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when the year's judgement is traditionally being sealed.
How do I reply when someone greets me in Hebrew on a holiday?
The short reply is gam lekha to a man and gam lakh to a woman - "you too". Repeating the greeting back works just as well.
Do I need to read Hebrew to use this page?
No. Every greeting and every holiday word on Heb4You is written with niqqud (the vowel marks), with an English-letter transliteration, so you can say it correctly before you can read it.
Go deeper
The greetings above are the short version. The blog post walks through every Rosh Hashanah greeting, including the traditional blessings and how to answer each one.
Rosh Hashana15 words11-13 September 2026
Yom Kippur15 words20-21 September 2026
Sukkot15 words25 September - 4 October 2026
Shabbat15 wordsevery Friday sundown
Hanukkah15 words4-12 December 2026
Tu BiShvat15 words22-23 January 2027
Purim15 words22-23 March 2027
Pesach15 words21-29 April 2027
Yom HaAtzmaut15 words11-12 May 2027
Lag BaOmer15 words24-25 May 2027
Shavuot15 words10-12 June 2027