How to Say Cheers in Italian
How to say cheers in Italian: 'Salute!' (sah-LOO-teh) and 'Cin cin!' (chin chin) are the toasts. Pronunciation, toasting etiquette and variations inside.
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Quick answer
To say cheers in Italian, raise your glass and say 'Salute!' (pronounced 'sah-LOO-teh'), meaning 'to your health,' or the cheerful 'Cin cin!' (chin chin), which mimics the clink of glasses. Both are common; 'Salute' is slightly more polite.
Salute!
/sah-LOO-teh/ — Italian
How to Say Cheers in Italian
To toast in Italian, raise your glass and say Salute! (pronounced sah-LOO-teh) — “to your health” — or the playful Cin cin! (chin chin), which mimics the clink of glasses. Both are everyday, and Italians take their toasting etiquette seriously. Here’s how to say cheers correctly, plus the little rules that keep your toast from bringing “bad luck.”
The Two Main Toasts: Salute & Cin Cin
- Salute! /sah-LOO-teh/ — “Health!” The classic, slightly more formal toast.
- Cin cin! /chin chin/ — a cheerful, onomatopoeic “cheers,” imitating clinking glasses.
Both are interchangeable at most gatherings. Salute feels a touch more refined; Cin cin is lighthearted and social. You’ll often hear them together: Salute, cin cin!
Examples:
- Salute a tutti! — Cheers, everyone!
- Cin cin! Alla nostra! — Cheers! To us!
- Salute e cin cin! — Health and cheers!
What the Words Literally Mean
Salute simply means “health” — toasting with it is wishing the other person well, exactly like the English “to your health.” (It’s also what Italians say when someone sneezes, just like “bless you.”)
Cin cin is onomatopoeic, imitating the “ching” of glasses. Its history is charming: Venetian and Genoese sailors picked up the Chinese phrase qǐng qǐng (“please, please”), used in toasts, and brought it home — where it morphed into the cin cin Italians say today.
More Toasts & Drinking Phrases
| Italian | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Salute! | sah-LOO-teh | Cheers! (to your health) |
| Cin cin! | chin chin | Cheers! (clink-clink) |
| Alla salute! | AL-lah sah-LOO-teh | To (your) health! |
| Alla nostra! | AL-lah NOH-strah | To us! |
| Prosit! | PROH-zit | Cheers! (Latin, formal/old-fashioned) |
| Cento di questi giorni! | CHEN-toh dee KWEH-stee JOR-nee | A hundred more days like this! |
| Brindiamo! | breen-DYAH-mo | Let’s make a toast! |
| Alla tua! | AL-lah TOO-ah | To yours / to you! (informal) |
Cento di questi giorni! is the warm toast for birthdays and celebrations — literally “(may you have) a hundred more days like this one.”
Italian Toasting Etiquette
Italians follow a few superstitions that are genuinely good to know:
- Make eye contact while clinking glasses. Looking away is said to bring bad luck (and, jokingly, seven years of bad sex).
- Don’t cross arms with another person while toasting — clink without tangling.
- Never toast with water — it’s considered unlucky and an ill wish.
- Wait for everyone to be served before the toast, and clink with each person if the group is small.
Formal vs. Informal Notes
- Polite / mixed company: Salute! or Alla salute!
- Casual / friends: Cin cin! or Alla nostra!
- Celebratory: Cento di questi giorni! for birthdays and milestones.
- To propose a toast: Facciamo un brindisi! (“Let’s make a toast!”).
Pronunciation Tips
- Salute: sah-LOO-teh — three clear syllables; the final “e” is “eh,” never silent.
- Cin cin: “chin chin” — the “c” before “i” is a soft “ch,” and the “n” is light.
- Brindiamo: breen-DYAH-mo — the “di” glides into a “dyah” sound.
- Double consonants (alla, nostra) keep the vowels short and crisp.
Cultural Notes
A brindisi (toast) is a small ritual of connection in Italy, often raised over a glass of wine, prosecco or an aperitivo like Aperol Spritz or Negroni. Keep it brief, look people in the eye, and you’ll fit right in. For a complete, warm toast at a celebration, try: “Salute, cin cin — e cento di questi giorni!”
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say cheers in Italian?
Say 'Salute!' (sah-LOO-teh), meaning 'to your health,' or 'Cin cin!' (chin chin), an onomatopoeic toast imitating the clink of glasses. Both are used when toasting; 'Salute' is the more formal of the two.
How do you pronounce 'Salute' and 'Cin cin'?
'Salute' is three syllables: sah-LOO-teh, stress on 'LOO,' with the final 'e' pronounced 'eh.' 'Cin cin' sounds like the English 'chin chin' — a soft 'ch' followed by 'een,' said twice.
What does 'Salute' literally mean?
'Salute' literally means 'health.' Raising a glass with 'Salute!' is wishing the other person good health — the same impulse behind the English 'to your health' or the German 'Prost.'
What is the origin of 'Cin cin'?
'Cin cin' is onomatopoeic — it imitates the 'ching ching' sound of glasses clinking. It entered Italian via Venetian and Genoese sailors who borrowed the Chinese greeting 'qing qing' (please, please) used when toasting.
What are the rules for toasting in Italy?
Make eye contact while clinking glasses (Italians believe avoiding eye contact brings bad luck), don't cross arms with another person while toasting, and never toast with water — it's considered unlucky. A longer toast may end with 'Cento di questi giorni!' (a hundred more days like this).