# Mazel tov > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mazel_tov > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mazel_tov.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazel_tov > Source revision: 1334811689 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Jewish phrase for congratulations This article is about the Jewish phrase. For the play, see [Mazel Tov (play)](/source/Mazel_Tov_(play)). "Mazal" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see [Mazal, Iran](/source/Mazal%2C_Iran). For Mazalot, see [Jewish astrology](/source/Jewish_astrology). "Mazel Tov!" written on a wine glass tag In a Jewish wedding, it is common that after the groom breaks the glass, the guests shout "Mazel tov!" A [birthday cake](/source/Birthday_cake) iced with the words *mazal tov*, often done in [Israel](/source/Israel). Here the phrase is written in [Hebrew cursive](/source/Hebrew_cursive). "**Mazel tov**" ([Yiddish](/source/Yiddish_language): מזל טוב, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Yiddish): *mázl tov*) or "**mazal tov**" ([Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language): מזל טוב, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Hebrew): *mazál tov*; [lit.](/source/Literal_translation) "good fortune") is a [Jewish](/source/Jews) phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event. ## Etymology and pronunciation See also: [Mazalot](/source/Mazalot) The word *mazel* comes from the [Biblical Hebrew](/source/Biblical_Hebrew) *mazzāl*, meaning "[constellation](/source/Constellation)" or (in [Mishnaic Hebrew](/source/Mishnaic_Hebrew)) "astrological sign" and may be related to the root נ-ז-ל meaning "to flow down". The phrase *mazel tov* first appears in [Geonic](/source/Geonic) Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune."[1] The Medieval Hebrew chant *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](/source/Yiddish) and Hebrew by the early 19th century and was later incorporated into [Modern Hebrew](/source/Modern_Hebrew). The Yiddish and [Ashkenazic](/source/Ashkenazi_Hebrew) pronunciation of *mazel* has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word *mazal* has the stress on the last syllable. Mazel-tov is also used as a personal name.[2] The phrase "mazel tov" is recorded as entering into American English from Yiddish in 1862,[3] pronounced [/ˈmɑːzəltɒv, -tɒf/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [*MAH-zəl-TOV, -⁠TOF*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key).[4] The word *mazel* was lent to a number of European languages, meaning "luck", such as: [German](/source/German_language), as *Massel*; [Hungarian](/source/Hungarian_language), as *mázli*; [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language), as *mazzel* and the verb *mazzelen* ("to be lucky").[5] The word *tov* also entered Dutch as *tof* or *toffe* ("nice" or "great")[6] and German as *töfte* or *dufte*.[7] ## 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!".[8] A common Hebrew phrase for *wishing* "good luck" is *b'hatzlacha* (בהצלחה), literally meaning "with success".[9] Throughout the Jewish world, including the [diaspora](/source/Jewish_diaspora), "mazel tov!" is a common Jewish expression at events such as a [bar or bat mitzvah](/source/Bar_and_Bat_Mitzvah) or a [wedding](/source/Jewish_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 [breaking of the glass](/source/Jewish_wedding#Breaking_the_glass).[10][11][12] 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## See also - [Jewish astrology](/source/Jewish_astrology) - [Jewish greetings](/source/Jewish_greetings) - [List of English words of Yiddish origin](/source/List_of_English_words_of_Yiddish_origin) - [Siman tov](/source/Siman_tov) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** See [Trachtenberg, Joshua](/source/Joshua_Trachtenberg) (13 February 2004) [Originally published 1939]. [*Jewish Magic and Superstition*](https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms37.htm). Philadelphia: [University of Pennsylvania Press](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania_Press) (published 2004). p. 311. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780812218626](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780812218626). Retrieved Sep 29, 2022. We call good fortune, good *mazal*, and the reverse, bad *mazal*… ([Levita](/source/Elia_Levita), *Tishbi*, s. v. *mazal*). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Posner, Menachem. ["What Does "Mazel Tov" Mean?"](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm). *Chabad*. Retrieved January 25, 2026. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-RW_3-0)** ["mazel tov"](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mazel-tov). *[Dictionary.com Unabridged](/source/Dictionary.com)* (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2021-05-09. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-MW_4-0)** ["mazel tov"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mazel%20tov). *[Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary](/source/Merriam-Webster)*. Merriam-Webster. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1032680871](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1032680871). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Mazzel (geluk), (het beste)"](http://www.etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/mazzel). *etymologiebank.nl* (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-09. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Tof (leuk, aardig)"](http://www.etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/tof). *etymologiebank.nl* (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-09. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [wiktionary:töfte](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/t%C3%B6fte) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Lobell, Kylie Ora (2023-08-23). ["What Does Mazel Tov Mean?"](https://aish.com/what-does-mazel-tov-mean/). *[Aish HaTorah](/source/Aish_HaTorah)*. Retrieved 2023-12-21. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [wiktionary:בהצלחה](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%94) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Rabbi Daniel Gordis (2003-07-30). ["Nissuin: The Second of the Two Ceremonies"](https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/nissuin-the-second-of-the-two-ceremonies/). *myjewishlearning.com*. Retrieved 2021-05-09. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Herman, Jane E. ["12 Rituals You May See at a Jewish Wedding"](https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/lifecycle-rituals/weddings/12-rituals-you-may-see-jewish-wedding). *Reform Judaism*. Union for Reform Judaism. Retrieved 20 October 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Diamant, Anita. ["Breaking the Glass at a Jewish Wedding"](https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/breaking-the-glass-at-a-jewish-wedding/). *My Jewish Learning*. Retrieved 20 October 2025. ## External links Look up ***[mazel tov](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mazel_tov)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Mazel tov](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mazel_tov). - [What Does “Mazel Tov” Mean?](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm) Chabad.org --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mazel tov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazel_tov) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazel_tov?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.