Today is International Beer Day, a celebration which wouldn’t be the same without one merry wish: cheers!

First recorded as “”makien cheres” in 1225 AD, the phrase evolved to “what chere be with you?” in the 14th century which was a common greeting in England. Eventually, ‘chere’ began to mean good humor. In 1919, the phrase was first written as the “cheers” we know today.

One of the suggested ways (according to the official website) to celebrate is to enjoy beers from other cultures. So, wherever you may find yourself in the world, here is a guide on how to say ‘Cheers’ in 20 different languages, while the image above shows you how to say ‘Beer’ when travelling around Europe.

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Afrikaans: Gesondheid
Pronounced: Ge-sund-hate
Meaning: Health

Chinese (Mandarin):干杯 / gān bēi
Pronounced: Gan bay
Meaning: Cheers

Czech: Na zdravi
Pronounced: Naz-drah vi
Meaning: Cheers

Dutch: Proost
Pronounced: Prohst
Meaning: Cheers

French: Santé! / À votre santé!
Pronounced: Sahn-tay / Ah la vo-tre sahn-tay
Meaning: To your health

German: Prost / Zum wohl
Pronounced: Prohst / Tsum vohl
Meaning: Cheers/ to your health

Greek: ΥΓΕΙΑ
Pronounced: Yamas
Meaning: Health

Irish Gaelic: Sláinte
Pronounced: Slawn-cha
Meaning: Health

Italian: Salute / Cin cin
Pronounced: Saw-lutay / Chin chin
Meaning: Health/ cheers

Japanese: 乾杯/ Kanpai
Pronounced: Kan-pie
Meaning: Cheers/ Empty the glass

Korean: 건배
Pronounced: Gun bae
Meaning: Cheers/ toast

Lithuanian: į sveikatą
Pronounced: Ee sweh-kata
Meaning: To your health

Moldovan: Noroc
Pronounced: No-rock
Meaning: Luck

Polish: Na zdrowie
Pronounced: Naz-droh-vee-ay
Meaning: To your health

Portugese: Saúde
Pronounced: Saw-OO-de
Meaning: Health

Russian: Будем здоровы/ На здоровье
Pronounced: Budem zdorovi/ Na zdorovie
Meaning: To your health (It is interesting to note that most Russians rarely use this expression, and the above is used more by foreigners. Russians will change their wishes based on the person and celebration.)

Spanish: Salud
Pronounced: Sah-lud
Meaning: Health

Swedish: Skål
Pronounced: Skawl
Meaning: Cheers (and don’t forget to look everyone in the eye!)

Welsh: Iechyd da
Pronounced: Yeh-chid dah
Meaning: Good health

Yiddish: Sei gesund
Pronounced: Say geh-sund
Meaning: Be healthy

Today Translations is a London-based translation company who can translate and localise any expression into over 200 languages. With our Doing Business In series, we ensure you know the dinner and drinking etiquette in Australia, France, Germany, and more.

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