{{Short description|Jewish phrase for congratulations}} {{about|the Jewish phrase|the play|Mazel Tov (play)}} {{Redirect|Mazal|the village in Iran|Mazal, Iran|Mazalot|Jewish astrology}} [[File:Mazel Tov!.jpg|thumb|200px|"Mazel Tov!" written on a wine glass tag]] [[File:Mazel Tov! wedding.jpg|thumb|200px|In a Jewish wedding, it is common that after the groom breaks the glass, the guests shout "Mazel tov!"]] [[File:Happy Cake.jpg|thumb|200px|A [[birthday cake]] iced with the words ''mazal tov'', often done in [[Israel]]. Here the phrase is written in [[Hebrew cursive]].]]
"'''Mazel tov'''" ({{langx|yi|מזל טוב|mázl tov}}) or "'''mazal tov'''" ({{langx|he|מזל טוב|mazál tov}}; [[literal translation|lit.]] "good fortune") is a [[Jews|Jewish]] phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event.
== Etymology and pronunciation == {{see also|Mazalot}} The word ''mazel'' comes from the [[Biblical Hebrew]] {{Transliteration|he|mazzāl}}, meaning "[[constellation]]" or (in [[Mishnaic Hebrew]]) "astrological sign" and may be related to the root {{lang|he|נ-ז-ל}} meaning "to flow down". The phrase ''mazel tov'' first appears in [[Geonic]] Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune."<ref>See {{cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Trachtenberg|orig-date=Originally published 1939|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|date=13 February 2004 |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms37.htm|publication-place=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|publication-date=2004|page=311|isbn=9780812218626|access-date=Sep 29, 2022|quote=We call good fortune, good ''mazal'', and the reverse, bad ''mazal''… ([[Elia Levita|Levita]], ''Tishbi'', s. v. ''mazal'').}}</ref> The Medieval Hebrew chant {{Transliteration|he|siman tov u-mazel tov, yehe lanu ulkhol yisrael}} "A good sign, a good omen! Let it happen for us and for all Israel" was used to congratulate, and the phrase itself acquired a congratulatory usage in [[Yiddish]] and Hebrew by the early 19th century and was later incorporated into [[Modern Hebrew]]. The Yiddish and [[Ashkenazi Hebrew|Ashkenazic]] pronunciation of ''mazel'' has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word {{Transliteration|he|mazal}} has the stress on the last syllable. Mazel-tov is also used as a personal name.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Posner |first1=Menachem |title=What Does “Mazel Tov” Mean? |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm |website=Chabad |access-date=January 25, 2026}}</ref>
The phrase "mazel tov" is recorded as entering into American English from Yiddish in 1862,<ref name="RW">{{Cite Dictionary.com|mazel tov|accessdate=2021-05-09}}</ref> pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɑː|z|əl|t|ɒ|v|,_|-|t|ɒ|f}} {{respell|MAH|zəl|TOV|,_-|TOF}}.<ref name="MW">{{Cite Merriam-Webster|mazel tov|accessdate=2021-05-09}}</ref> The word ''mazel'' was lent to a number of European languages, meaning "luck", such as: [[German language|German]], as {{lang|de|Massel}}; [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], as {{lang|hu|mázli}}; [[Dutch language|Dutch]], as {{lang|nl|mazzel}} and the verb {{lang|nl|mazzelen}} ("to be lucky").<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/mazzel | title=Mazzel (geluk), (het beste) | website=etymologiebank.nl | language=nl | access-date=2021-05-09}}</ref> The word {{Transliteration|he|tov}} also entered Dutch as {{lang|nl|tof}} or {{lang|nl|toffe}} ("nice" or "great")<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/tof | title=Tof (leuk, aardig) | website=etymologiebank.nl | language=nl | access-date=2021-05-09}}</ref> and German as {{lang|de|töfte}} or {{lang|de|dufte}}.<ref>[[wiktionary:töfte]]</ref>
== Usage == ''Mazel tov'' is literally translated as "good luck" in its meaning as a description, not a wish. The implicit meaning is "good luck has occurred" or "your fortune has been good" and the expression is an acknowledgement of that fact. It is similar in usage to the word "congratulations!" and conveys roughly, "I am pleased this good thing has happened to you!".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lobell |first=Kylie Ora |date=2023-08-23 |title=What Does Mazel Tov Mean? |url=https://aish.com/what-does-mazel-tov-mean/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=[[Aish HaTorah]] |language=en-US}}</ref> A common Hebrew phrase for ''wishing'' "good luck" is {{Transliteration|he|b'hatzlacha}} ({{lang|he|בהצלחה}}), literally meaning "with success".<ref>[[wiktionary:בהצלחה]]</ref>
Throughout the Jewish world, including the [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora]], "mazel tov!" is a common Jewish expression at events such as a [[Bar and Bat Mitzvah|bar or bat mitzvah]] or a [[Jewish wedding|wedding]]. For example, it is customary at a Jewish wedding for the couple's friends and family to clap and chant or shout "mazel tov!" after the ceremonial [[Jewish wedding#Breaking the glass|breaking of the glass]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/nissuin-the-second-of-the-two-ceremonies/ | title=Nissuin: The Second of the Two Ceremonies | author=Rabbi Daniel Gordis | date=2003-07-30 | website=myjewishlearning.com | access-date=2021-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Herman |first1=Jane E. |title=12 Rituals You May See at a Jewish Wedding |url=https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/lifecycle-rituals/weddings/12-rituals-you-may-see-jewish-wedding |website=Reform Judaism |publisher=Union for Reform Judaism |access-date=20 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Diamant |first1=Anita |title=Breaking the Glass at a Jewish Wedding |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/breaking-the-glass-at-a-jewish-wedding/ |website=My Jewish Learning |access-date=20 October 2025}}</ref>
In Israel, the phrase is used for all sorts of happy occasions, such as getting a new driver's license, a birthday, or getting a new job.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}
== See also == * [[Jewish astrology]] * [[Jewish greetings]] * [[List of English words of Yiddish origin]] *[[Siman tov]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Wiktionary|mazel tov}} {{Commons category|Mazel tov}} * [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm What Does “Mazel Tov” Mean?] Chabad.org
[[Category:English phrases]] [[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]] [[Category:Yiddish words and phrases]]