11 Merry Chinese Christmas Songs for Language Learners

Christmas is just around the corner. And for you, dear language learner, it’s also the perfect time to brush up on your Chinese.

Let’s put on our headphones, listen to and learn from some Chinese Christmas songs.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. “圣诞节” by EXO | “Christmas Day” by EXO

This isn’t your regular Christmas song. It’s actually a ballad that compares a man in love to that of a boy opening his first gift on Christmas Day.

But what’s really nice about this is that it has a soothing melody, so it’s easier to follow the lyrics. On top of that, you’ll surely love the rich vocabulary it possesses. And despite EXO being a Korean boy band, the Chinese lyrics are spot on.

2. “圣诞领声” | “Jingle Bells”

By far, this is our favorite Christmas song! But if you’re going to search for a video of this, don’t get confused.

There are two Chinese titles for “Jingle Bells.” One is what I’ve mentioned above, the other is 叮叮当 (dīng dīng dāng), which is literally “the sound produced by the bells.” Between the two, there’s not much difference—the lyrics are almost the same.

3. “2999 年的圣诞节” by 光良 | “Christmas in Year 2999” by Michael Wong

Wong has always been famous for his love songs, and this piece is just the perfect song for lovers out there.

In most Chinese countries, Christmas is a day for couples, which sets it apart from the way other nations celebrate the holiday. So this song is the perfect testament to true love—one that knows no boundaries across time and place.

4. “雪人不见了” | “The Snowman Disappeared”

This song is like one of those nursery rhymes we learned as a kid. It tells of the life of a snowman and the fact that it just disappeared one day. They go on guessing how that could have happened, since the snowman didn’t have any feet.

If you’re not sure which song to start with, pick this one. It’s really short and catchy, so you’re sure to have fun learning it!

5. “听啊! 天使高声唱” | “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

This one has some of the more difficult vocabulary among the songs in our list. If you’re a Chinese beginner, I suggest that you pick one of the other songs for now.

On the other hand, if you already know the basic Christmas vocabulary and want to expand your knowledge, I recommend spending some time with these singing angels. You’ll get a lot out of it.

6. “初雪” by EXO | “First Snow” by EXO

Here’s another wonderful Christmas song by EXO! I think it’s becoming quite obvious that I’m a huge fan of EXO, but I just have to include this song.

Only a few Asian singers release a Chinese Christmas album, so it’s a great gift that this group actually did. Like their other song on the list, this one is a love song, but it has an upbeat tune so it’ll stick to your memory in no time.

7. “平安夜” | “Silent Night”

As you can expect, this is the Chinese version of the classic “Silent Night.” There’s some difficult vocabulary here concerning prominent religious figures in Christianity, so this is a good song to listen to if you’re curious about how to convey the birth of Jesus Christ in Mandarin Chinese.

8. “祝你圣诞快乐” | “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”

Some of you might want to just learn the basic greetings for the holidays. If that sounds like you, then this song is perfect. It’s short, repetitive and catchy. You’ll be able to learn those characters in no time!

9. “十二月的情歌” by Gackt | “December Love Song” by Gackt

Remember the song “Happy Christmas, War is Over” by Michael Jackson? I’d like to think that this song by Gackt is its Asian counterpart.  Both songs give the same message of happiness and world peace. 

10. “圣诞老人进城” | “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

No Christmas song list is complete without this holiday hit, so you should definitely include it in your Chinese holiday lessons. Again, this song has a lot to offer with its rich vocabulary.

11. “陳奕迅” | “Lonely Christmas” by Eason Chan

Sick of all the jolly Christmas jingles when your holidays are anything but? Give this classic song by Eason Chan a whirl.

As you can guess from the title, it’s about a man lamenting how sad his Christmas is because his loved one is gone. It’s also a great song for learning Chinese words related to love—or, at least, longing for love.

Why Learn Chinese Through Christmas Songs

• They’re timely. It’s that time of the year! I’m sure most of your Chinese lessons are geared toward greetings and conversational phrases. So you’ll probably overlook the need to learn the Mandarin characters related to the most widely celebrated holiday in the world. If that’s the case for you, here’s your chance to take advantage of the holiday season by picking up some crucial festive words. And learning will be effortless and so much fun with your favorite Christmas tunes and jingles.
• They’re rich in new vocabulary. From Santa to reindeers to Christmas stockings, you’ll be surprised at how many new words you’ll learn from these simple Christmas songs. They have so many characters seldom used in daily conversations that you’ll want to learn as many songs and as much holiday vocabulary as you can. Add in the FluentU program, and you’ll be able to see songs just like these (and hundreds of other videos) with subtitles and other learning tools.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

  P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

  

  Try FluentU for FREE!

• They’re familiar. One of the best ways to help you retain your Chinese language skills is to repeat the characters as many times as you possibly can. This is why I highly recommend learning these Chinese Christmas songs. Since the tunes are already familiar to you, you’ll know the number of syllables needed in a stanza—all you have to do is insert the Mandarin characters. Even without your guides, you’ll be able to repeat the verses on your own. This makes your Chinese learning easier and faster.

Tips on How to Advance Your Chinese Learning Through Songs

• Choose your favorite Christmas song. It’ll encourage you to learn the piece faster. You’ve probably already memorized the English version by heart, so it’ll be easier to remember the Chinese lyrics as well. It’ll help you understand the characters better and at a faster pace.
• Go for catchy tunes. This way, you can clearly follow the beat, and the songs will play in your head over and over again. In no time, you’ll find yourself humming the Chinese lyrics. It’ll be a great starting point, and from there you can decipher the meaning of each character. Plus, you’ll find it easier to retain those characters in your memory.
• Pick artists with a clear voice. You’ll want to listen to artists who can pronounce each character accordingly. A lot of Chinese singers have a tendency to mumble their words. It’s become some sort of a trademark in the industry. But you don’t want that—choose artists who have a clear voice. It’ll help you follow the lyrics with ease.
• Sing along. Don’t just silently read the lyrics while listening to the songs! You’ll get the most out of listening to Chinese songs if you sing along with them. Not only will this help increase your vocabulary, but it’ll also improve your pronunciation and Chinese speaking skills.
• Take note of the characters rather than the sentence structure. Lyrics are composed to fit the tune and beat of the song, so they might not always make the most sense. For that reason, it’s better to focus on the rich vocabulary of the lyrics. Never try to understand the structure of the sentences and stanzas—it’ll only confuse you.

 

And that completes our list! Once you’ve listened to and sung these songs so many times that you feel you actually might need a break from Christmas tunes, check out these karaoke classics and Mandopop love songs to keep on learning Mandarin with music. Enjoy!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)