誕生日
tanjōbi[tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi]
The English phrase 'birthday' is translated into Japanese as 誕生日 (tanjōbi). If unsure, use 誕生日. Wiktionary also lists バースデー (bāsudē) and 生日 (seijitsu).
Meaning: anniversary (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 誕生日 | tanjōbi | [tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi] (narrow) | |
| バースデー | bāsudē | [ba̠ːsɨde̞ː] (narrow) | |
| 生日 | seijitsu | [se̞ːʑit͡sɨ] (narrow) | |
| お誕生日 | o-tanjōbi | honorific | |
| 誕辰 | tanshin | [tã̠ɰ̃ɕĩɴ] (narrow) |
The standard Japanese word for birthday is 誕生日.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 誕生日 is composed of 誕生, meaning birth and 日, meaning day.
Which one should you use?
While 誕生日 is the standard term, the katakana loanword バースデー is often used in casual contexts, such as in song titles or marketing. Other forms include 生日, 誕辰 and the honorific お誕生日.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
誕生日 is the standard term. You can make it more polite or respectful when referring to someone else's birthday by adding the honorific prefix お to create お誕生日. To say 'Happy Birthday' politely, you can use お誕生日おめでとうございます or Tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu. For a friend or someone younger, you can use the informal 誕生日おめでとう or the shorter Tanjoubi omedetou.
How do you pronounce it?
tanjōbi
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese culture, the first birthday is celebrated with 一升餅, where a child carries a giant rice cake on their back to wish for a lifetime of food and health.
- The word 誕生日 contains a linguistic phenomenon called 'rendaku', where the original sound of 日 ('hi') changes to び ('bi') to make the compound easier to pronounce.
- In highly formal or imperial contexts, the word 誕辰 is used instead of 誕生日 to refer to the birthday of a royal or a deity.
Examples in context
- 誰の誕生日？Whose birthday is it?This sentence is useful for asking whose birthday it is using 誕生日.Tatoeba #11571100 by small_snow, translation #10626796 by megamanenm
- 誕生日、いつなの？When is your birthday?This sentence is useful for asking when a birthday is using 誕生日.Tatoeba #11047948 by small_snow, translation #16997 by CK
- 今日、誕生日だね。Today is your birthday.This sentence is useful for stating that today is a birthday using 誕生日.Tatoeba #11059737 by small_snow, translation #464264 by lukaszpp
- 296 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are looking at a calendar in the living room.
- 陽太 Yota陽太の誕生日は来月だよ。Youta no tanjoubi wa raigetsu da yo.Youta's birthday is next month.
- 陽葵 Himariえ、もうそんな時期？E, mou sonna jiki?What, is it that time already?
- 陽太 Yotaそうだよ、準備しなきゃ。Sou da yo, junbi shinakya.That's right, I have to prepare.
- 陽葵 Himari陽葵も手伝うね。Himari mo tetsudau ne.Himari will help too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “birthday” translations and entries 誕生日, バースデー, 生日, 誕辰, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries バースデー, 生日, 誕生日, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
