How to Say Good Luck in 20 Languages (With Pronunciation)

“Good luck” is easy to translate word for word, but the most natural wish may mean “do your best,” “much success,” or even “into the wolf’s mouth.” Here are useful expressions in 20 languages, with rough pronunciation and the situations where another phrase may sound more natural.

Good Luck in 20 Languages

Capital letters mark the stressed part of each rough pronunciation. These English-style hints cannot reproduce tones, vowel length, or sounds that English does not have, so use them only as a starting point.

Language	Phrase	Romanization or rough pronunciation	What it means and when to use it
Spanish	¡Buena suerte!	BWEH-nah SWEHR-teh	“Good luck”; standard before an exam, trip, interview, or event
French	Bonne chance !	bon shahns	“Good luck”; standard in everyday and formal situations
German	Viel Glück!	feel glyuk	“Much luck”; a safe general wish
Italian	Buona fortuna!	BWOH-nah for-TOO-nah	“Good fortune”; clear and widely understood
Portuguese	Boa sorte!	BOH-ah SOR-chee	“Good luck”; pronunciation shown is roughly Brazilian Portuguese
Dutch	Veel succes!	vayl suk-SES	“Much success”; especially natural before a task, test, or interview
Polish	Powodzenia!	poh-voh-DZEH-nyah	“Success” or “good luck”; a standard all-purpose wish
Russian	Удачи!	Udachi - oo-DAH-chee	“Good luck”; common and concise
Greek	Καλή τύχη!	Kalí týchi - kah-LEE TEE-khee	“Good luck”; the final sound in týchi is not an English k
Turkish	Bol şans!	bol shahns	“Lots of luck”; Başarılar! is also common when wishing success
Arabic	حظًا سعيدًا!	Hazzan sa’idan - HAHZ-zan sah-EE-dan	“Good luck” in Modern Standard Arabic; regional speech varies
Hebrew	בהצלחה!	Behatzlacha - beh-hahts-lah-KHAH	Literally “with success”; common before work, study, and performances
Hindi	शुभकामनाएँ!	Shubhkamnaen - shubh-kaam-NAA-ehn	“Best wishes”; polite and broadly useful
Mandarin Chinese	祝你好运！	Zhù nǐ hǎoyùn - joo nee how-ywin	“Wish you good luck”; 加油 is more natural for active encouragement
Japanese	頑張って！	Ganbatte - gahn-BAHT-teh	“Do your best” or “keep going”; often more natural than a literal luck wish
Korean	행운을 빌어요!	Haenguneul bireoyo - heng-oo-nuhl bee-ruh-yo	“I wish you luck”; 화이팅! is common for energetic encouragement
Thai	โชคดี!	Chok di - choke DEE	“Good luck”; tones are not represented by the English hint
Vietnamese	Chúc may mắn!	chook my MAHN	“Wish you luck”; exact sounds and tones vary by region
Indonesian	Semoga berhasil!	suh-MOH-gah buhr-HAH-seel	“May you succeed”; natural before a test, project, or attempt
Swedish	Lycka till!	LUUK-kah till	The standard wish; the first vowel is rounded and has no exact English match

The table gives one useful default for each language, not every regional or formal variant. When speaking to a close friend, a teacher, a customer, or an older person, the surrounding sentence may need a different level of politeness.

When the Natural Phrase Is Not About Luck

Several languages prefer encouragement or success over the idea that a result depends on chance. These phrases are the ones most likely to sound odd when translated word for word.

German: Hold Your Thumbs

Alongside Viel Glück, German speakers say Ich drücke dir die Daumen, literally “I press the thumbs for you.” It fills much the same role as “I’ll keep my fingers crossed” in English.

Example: Du hast morgen deine Prüfung? Ich drücke dir die Daumen!
”Your exam is tomorrow? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!”

The phrase changes with the person: dir is informal singular, while Ihnen is formal. If you do not want to choose a pronoun, Viel Glück! is simpler.

Italian: Into the Wolf’s Mouth

Before an exam, audition, performance, or other challenge, Italians often say In bocca al lupo!, literally “Into the wolf’s mouth!” The traditional reply is Crepi! or Crepi il lupo!, literally wishing that the wolf may die.

This works more like “Break a leg!” than a literal prediction. Buona fortuna! remains understandable, but In bocca al lupo! carries the memorable cultural image.

Japanese: Keep Going

Japanese 頑張って (ganbatte) comes from 頑張る (ganbaru), meaning to persevere, hold firm, or do one’s best. It focuses on effort rather than luck.

Use it before a test, match, interview, or difficult task. 頑張ってください (ganbatte kudasai) is more polite, while 頑張れ (ganbare) is a stronger cheer that can sound too forceful in the wrong relationship.

Mandarin Chinese: Add Oil

祝你好运 (zhù nǐ hǎoyùn) is a direct wish for good luck. In a competition, exam, difficult project, or moment when someone needs energy, 加油 (jiāyóu) is often more natural.

The literal components mean “add oil” or “add fuel,” but the expression means “Come on,” “Keep going,” or “You can do it.” It is encouragement, not a comment about gasoline.

Korean: Fighting

Korean 화이팅 (hwaiting) comes from the English word fighting, but it does not invite a fight. It is a cheerful “You can do it!” used before work, study, sports, and performances.

For a direct and polite luck wish, use 행운을 빌어요. For a quick group cheer or message to a friend, 화이팅! often sounds livelier.

These differences resemble the way politeness can work without a direct word for “please”: the natural expression follows the culture and situation, not the English sentence structure.

Pick the Phrase for the Situation

Situation	Best approach	Examples
Exam or interview	Wish success or encourage effort	Veel succes, 頑張って, Semoga berhasil
Sports match	Use a short energetic cheer	加油, 화이팅, 頑張って
Audition or stage performance	Check the local theatrical custom	In bocca al lupo in Italian; “Break a leg” in English
Trip or new experience	A general luck wish is usually safe	Buena suerte, Bonne chance, Viel Glück
Formal card or work message	Write a complete sentence, not only a slogan	“Wishing you every success in your new role”
Someone facing illness or grief	Avoid a casual luck phrase	Offer support specific to the situation

Context matters most when the outcome is serious. A bright Good luck! fits an exam but can sound careless before surgery, a legal hearing, or a difficult personal event. In those cases, say what you actually mean: “I hope everything goes smoothly,” “I’m thinking of you,” or “Wishing you strength.”

For other short, practical expressions, keep the 50 travel phrases you will actually use abroad with your trip notes. When someone wishes you well, knowing how to say thank you in 20 languages completes the exchange.

Pronunciation Tips

1. Listen before repeating. English spelling cannot show Mandarin, Thai, or Vietnamese tones, and it handles German, Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew consonants poorly.
2. Copy the whole phrase. Rhythm and stress are easier to imitate in a complete expression than one sound at a time.
3. Do not overpronounce Romanization. Pinyin, Hepburn, and other systems have their own rules; they are not ordinary English spelling.
4. Accept regional variation. Portuguese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish, and many other languages have more than one standard accent.

For a longer message, OpenL Translate can translate the full sentence instead of swapping in one phrase. Check the relationship, level of formality, and situation before sending it.

Sources

• Omniglot: Good luck in many languages - comparative phrase list used to cross-check common wishes and regional alternatives.
• Wiktionary: good luck - multilingual translation list and links to individual phrase entries with pronunciation data.
• Duden: Daumen - German dictionary entry documenting the idiom jemandem die Daumen drücken.
• Wiktionary: in bocca al lupo - Italian meaning, usage, and traditional response.
• Wiktionary: 頑張って - Japanese reading and connection to ganbaru.
• Wiktionary: 加油 - Mandarin pronunciation, literal components, and use as encouragement.
• Wiktionary: 화이팅 - Korean pronunciation, origin, and use as an encouragement.
• OpenL Translate - official OpenL text translation page.