Japanese Toasts: Say 'Cheers!' and 'To Your Health!' Naturally
Learn elementary Japanese celebratory toasts: kanpai, kenkō o inoru, and how to respond. Includes pronunciation, usage, and a short dialogue.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, a toast is a short, cheerful phrase said while raising a glass. The most common toast is 乾杯 (kanpai), which means 'Cheers!' It is used at parties, dinners, weddings, and after-work gatherings. A slightly more formal toast is ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu), meaning 'I pray for your health' or 'To your health.' This lesson focuses only on celebratory toasts, not compliments. You will learn five useful phrases, when to use them, and how to respond. Japanese toasts are usually short and said together, often after everyone has a drink in hand. Let's practice saying them with clear pronunciation and appropriate politeness.
By the end, you can…
- say 'Cheers!' in Japanese using 乾杯 (kanpai).
- offer a health toast using ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu).
- respond to a toast with 乾杯 (kanpai) or ありがとう (arigatō).
- choose between casual and polite toast phrases in a group setting.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
乾杯！
Cheers!
kanpai!
The standard, versatile toast. Use it at any celebration with friends, family, or colleagues. Raise your glass and say it together.
ご健康を祈ります。
To your health.
go-kenkō o inorimasu.
A polite, slightly formal toast. Good for a boss, an older relative, or a formal dinner. Literally 'I pray for your health.'
皆さんの健康に乾杯！
Cheers to everyone's health!
minasan no kenkō ni kanpai!
A warm group toast. Use when you want to include everyone. 'Minasan' means 'everyone.'
おめでとう！乾杯！
Congratulations! Cheers!
omedetō! kanpai!
For birthdays, promotions, weddings, or graduations. 'Omedetō' means 'congratulations.'
乾杯しましょう。
Let's toast.
kanpai shimashō.
A gentle way to start a toast. Use it when you are the host or want to invite others to join.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core toast is 乾杯 (kanpai). You can add a reason or a person before it. For example, 皆さんの健康に乾杯 (minasan no kenkō ni kanpai) means 'Cheers to everyone's health.' The particle に (ni) marks the target of the toast. To make a polite offer, say 乾杯しましょう (kanpai shimashō), 'Let's toast.' For a formal health wish, use ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu). The prefix ご (go) adds politeness to 健康 (kenkō, health). The particle を (o) marks the object of 祈ります (inorimasu, pray/wish).
When to use it
Use 乾杯 (kanpai) at casual gatherings, parties, and meals with friends. It is safe and friendly. Use ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu) at formal events, with a boss, or when you want to sound respectful. At a wedding, you might hear おめでとう (omedetō) followed by 乾杯 (kanpai). If you are the host, start with 乾杯しましょう (kanpai shimashō) so everyone joins. In Japan, people usually wait until everyone has a drink before toasting. Do not start drinking before the toast.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます。乾杯しましょう！
Everyone, thank you for gathering. Let's toast!minasan, o-atsumari itadaki arigatō gozaimasu. kanpai shimashō!乾杯！
Cheers!kanpai!ご健康を祈ります。
To your health.go-kenkō o inorimasu.ありがとうございます。乾杯！
Thank you. Cheers!arigatō gozaimasu. kanpai!A little context goes a long way
In Japan, toasts are often group activities. People wait until everyone has a drink, then say 乾杯 (kanpai) together. It is polite to say 乾杯 (kanpai) even if you are not drinking alcohol; you can hold a non-alcoholic drink. At formal events, a guest may give a short speech before the toast. Avoid starting to drink before the toast is finished. Also, ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu) is more formal and less common at casual parties, where 乾杯 (kanpai) is enough.
One thing to watch for
Using 乾杯 (kanpai) to mean 'congratulations' by itself.
Try this instead: 乾杯 (kanpai) means 'Cheers!' or 'toast,' not 'congratulations.' For congratulations, say おめでとう (omedetō). You can combine them: おめでとう、乾杯！ (omedetō, kanpai!) means 'Congratulations, cheers!'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You are at a casual dinner with friends. What is the most natural toast?
Show a sample answer
乾杯！ (kanpai!)
乾杯 (kanpai) is the standard, friendly toast for any casual gathering. It is short and everyone can join. Other phrases like ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu) are more formal and less common here.
2How do you say 'Cheers to everyone's health' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
皆さんの健康に乾杯！ (minasan no kenkō ni kanpai!)
This uses 皆さん (minasan, everyone), の (no, possessive), 健康 (kenkō, health), に (ni, target particle), and 乾杯 (kanpai, cheers). It is a warm group toast.
3Your boss is at a formal dinner. You want to offer a polite health toast. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
ご健康を祈ります。 (go-kenkō o inorimasu.)
This is a polite, formal toast meaning 'To your health.' The prefix ご (go) adds respect. 乾杯 (kanpai) is also acceptable, but ご健康を祈ります is more appropriate for a formal setting with a superior.
Use 乾杯 (kanpai) for most toasts, and ご健康を祈ります (go-kenkō o inorimasu) for formal health wishes. Wait for everyone to have a drink, then toast together.
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