The ultimate Chinese New Year quiz for a prosperous year

Wishing you and your team a prosperous new year.

Whether you're kicking off a training session, warming up a town hall, or just want a fresh icebreaker for the classroom, a Lunar New Year quiz is an easy way to get a room talking. In lieu of a big celebration, let's have some fun with 20 questions for hosting the ultimate Chinese New Year quiz.

An estimated 2 billion people worldwide mark the occasion in some form, according to TIME, which makes it one of the most widely shared cultural touchpoints you can build a quiz night around.

Chinese New Year quiz

Four rounds, one score

Zodiac, traditions, food and legends. You'll find out whether you got each one right as you go, with a note on the answer.

How the Chinese New Year is celebrated

The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture.

During this time, Chinese people and communities worldwide celebrate with colorful traditions like lighting firecrackers to ward off bad vibes, exchanging red envelopes containing money for luck, cleaning their homes, gathering with family, and wishing loved ones a prosperous year ahead.

Diverse types of special foods are also enjoyed throughout the celebration depending on the region you're in. Dragon dances and New Year's celebration live shows are a must if you are part of the Chinese community.

Infographic showing 20 Chinese New Year trivia questions split into 4 rounds: Chinese zodiac quiz, New Year traditions, New Year's food, and legends and gods

20 Chinese New Year trivia questions and answers

Here are 20 Chinese New Year quiz questions split into 4 distinct rounds. Make them part of any New Year's quiz.

Round 1: Chinese zodiac quiz

Which 3 are NOT animals of the Chinese zodiac?
Horse // Goat // Bear // Ox // Dog // Giraffe // Lion // Pig
Lunar New Year 2027 is the year of the what?
Rat // Tiger // Snake // Monkey // Goat
The 5 elements of the Chinese zodiac are water, wood, earth, fire and... what?
Metal
In some cultures, what zodiac animal replaces the goat?
Deer // Llama // Sheep // Parrot
If 2026 is the Year of the Horse, what is the order of the following 4 years?
Dog (4) // Goat (1) // Monkey (2) // Rooster (3)

Round 2: New Year traditions

In most countries, it is traditional to remove bad luck before the Lunar New Year by doing what?
Sweeping the house // Washing the dog // Lighting incense // Donating to charity
What color of envelope would you expect to see at Lunar New Year?
Green // Yellow // Purple // Red
Match the country to the name of its Lunar New Year.
Vietnam (Tết) // Korea (Seollal) // Mongolia (Tsagaan Sar)
How many days does the Lunar New Year in China typically last?
5 // 10 // 15 // 20
The final day of the Lunar New Year in China is known as the Shangyuan Festival, the festival of what?
Lucky money // Rice // Lanterns // Oxen

Round 3: New Year's food

Which country or territory celebrates Lunar New Year with 'bánh chưng'?
Cambodia // Myanmar // The Philippines // Vietnam
Which country or territory celebrates Lunar New Year with 'tteokguk'?
Malaysia // Indonesia // South Korea // Brunei
Which country or territory celebrates Lunar New Year with 'ul boov'?
Mongolia // Japan // North Korea // Uzbekistan
Which country or territory celebrates Lunar New Year with 'guthuk'?
Taiwan // Thailand // Tibet // Laos
Which country or territory celebrates Lunar New Year with 'jiǎo zi'?
China // Nepal // Myanmar // Bhutan
What are the 8 Chinese culinary traditions? (Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan and Zhejiang)

Round 4: New Year legends and gods

The heavenly emperor who rules over Lunar New Year is named after which gemstone?
Ruby // Jade // Sapphire // Onyx
According to legend, how were the 12 zodiac animals first decided?
A game of chess // An eating competition // A race // A water right
In China, which of these is used to scare off the legendary beast 'Nian' on the day of the new year?
Drums // Firecrackers // Dragon dances // Peach blossom trees
It's traditional to leave 'zào táng' out in the house to appease which god?
Kitchen God // Balcony God // Living Room God // Bedroom God
The 7th day of the Lunar New Year is 'ren ri' (人日). Legend says it's the birthday of which creature?
Goats // Humans // Dragons // Monkeys

Want to build a quiz like this but you're short on time? Type your question into AhaSlides and let the built-in AI write the answer options for you.

AhaSlides live quiz slide showing a Chinese zodiac trivia question with four answer options

Tips for hosting a Chinese New Year quiz

Keep it diverse - Remember, it's not just China that celebrates Lunar New Year. Include questions about other countries in your quiz, such as South Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia. There are hugely interesting questions to be pulled from each.

Be sure about your stories - Stories and legends tend to transform over time; there's always another version of each Lunar New Year story. Do some research and make sure the version of the story in your Chinese New Year quiz is well known.

Make it varied - It's always best, if possible, to split your quiz into a set of rounds, each carrying a different theme. One random question after the next can be draining after a while, but a set number of questions within 4 differently themed rounds keeps the engagement high.

Try different question formats - Another great way to keep engagement high is to use different question types. The standard multiple choice or open-ended question loses its luster after the 50th repetition, so try some image questions, audio questions, matching pair questions, and correct order questions to switch it up.