12 Round Fruits for New Year: List, Meanings and Mandarin Names for Kids

On New Year’s Eve, many Filipino families set out a table full of round fruits before midnight. Grapes, oranges, apples and pomelo sit in a basket or bowl, ready for the media noche feast. The goal is twelve kinds of round fruit, one for each month of the coming year, as a wish for good fortune all year long.

This guide gives you a complete list of round fruits for New Year, what each one is said to mean, a shopping checklist you can tick off at the grocery and the Mandarin name of every fruit with audio. Counting and naming the fruits together is a fun way for kids to join the tradition and learn a few new words.

Why Filipinos Prepare Round Fruits for New Year

Round fruits are said to look like coins, so a table full of them is a wish for money and good fortune in the new year. Their shape has no corners or ends, which many families also see as a sign of blessings that keep coming.

The number twelve stands for the twelve months, so each fruit is a small wish for one month. The tradition mixes several influences. Chinese beliefs about lucky shapes, colors and sounds clearly shaped it, and many Filipino-Chinese households keep their own versions. Some families prefer thirteen fruits for an extra bit of luck, and some older Filipino-Chinese households used seven or nine.

The Chinese word for round, 圆 (yuán), even sounds like 元 (yuán), a unit of money in China, which is one more reason round shapes feel lucky. Tap below to hear 圆圆的 (yuán yuán de), which means “nice and round,” a phrase kids love to say.

The 12 Round Fruits for New Year

Here is a list families commonly use, with the meaning often attached to each one. Pick any twelve that are easy to find near you. Local fruits like chico, lanzones and santol work just as well as imported ones.

Need a few backups if the grocery runs out? Plums, cherries and dragon fruit are also popular, along with local favorites like chico, lanzones, santol and guava.

Fruits Families Debate

Not everyone agrees on these three. Follow whatever your family usually does, because there is no wrong answer.

• Pineapple (菠萝, bō luó): In Hokkien it is ong lai (旺来), which sounds like “fortune comes,” so many Filipino-Chinese families love it. Others skip it because of the thorny skin.
• Mango (芒果, máng guǒ): A Filipino favorite for sweetness, though it is more oval than round.
• Banana (香蕉, xiāng jiāo): Not round, so it usually stays off the round fruit list. Some families include it anyway.

Learn the Fruit Names in Mandarin

Turn the fruit basket into a mini Mandarin lesson. Tap each card to hear the fruit’s name, then let your child point to the real fruit on the table and say it. The Filipino name is under each card, so the whole family can join in.

After naming the fruits, count them together in Mandarin, from 一 (yī) to 十二 (shí èr). Our guide to Chinese numbers 1 to 10 with audio covers the first ten, and eleven and twelve are simply 十一 (shí yī) and 十二 (shí èr).

Your Round Fruit Shopping Checklist

Bring this list to the grocery or the market. Fruit prices can climb in the last days of December, so many families shop a few days early and keep the fruits in a cool place.

Other Lucky Food for New Year in the Philippines

Round fruits are only one part of the media noche table. Here are other foods many Filipino families prepare for luck, along with the meaning usually attached to each.

• Pancit or spaghetti. Long noodles stand for long life, so families serve them uncut.
• Sticky rice treats. Biko, suman and tikoy are said to make good fortune stick and keep the family close.
• Round desserts. Leche flan in a round llanera, ensaymada and other round sweets carry the same wish as round fruits.
• Pork dishes. Lechon, hamon and other pork dishes stand for plenty. Some families also serve a whole fish for abundance, while others skip fish, so follow your own family’s custom.
• What some families skip. Chicken is avoided by some, because chickens scratch the ground for food, which is linked to a hand-to-mouth year. Beliefs differ from family to family.

Many families also wear polka dots for coins, open doors and windows at midnight, jingle coins in their pockets and have kids jump at the stroke of twelve to grow taller. Whichever customs your family keeps, the real point is welcoming the new year together.

How to Set Up Your Round Fruit Table

FAQs About Round Fruits for New Year

Why 12 Round Fruits for New Year?

The twelve fruits stand for the twelve months of the year. Each one is a wish for good fortune in that month.

Is It 12 or 13 Round Fruits?

Twelve is the most common number. Some families prepare thirteen for an extra bit of luck, and both are fine.

Can Banana Be Included in the 12 Round Fruits?

Bananas are not round, so most lists leave them out. Some families still include them, especially when other fruits are hard to find.

Is Pineapple Lucky for New Year?

It depends on the family. Many Filipino-Chinese families see pineapple as lucky because its Hokkien name, ong lai, sounds like “fortune comes.” Others avoid it because of its thorny skin.

When Should You Prepare the Round Fruits?

Most families buy them a few days before December 31 and set them out on New Year’s Eve, then share them on New Year’s Day.

What Is the Chinese Word for Fruit?

Fruit is 水果 (shuǐ guǒ). Many fruit names end in 果 (guǒ), such as 苹果 (píng guǒ, apple) and 芒果 (máng guǒ, mango).

Start the New Year With a New Language

A New Year’s Eve fruit basket is a lovely way to spark curiosity about Mandarin, and the Chinese New Year follows soon after on February 6, 2027. Our Chinese New Year 2027 guide has the dates, greetings with audio and an ang pao game to help your child get ready.