Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| день наро́дження | denʹ naródžennja | masculine |
| уроди́ни | urodýny | plural |
The standard way to refer to a birthday is день наро́дження. For significant milestones or major anniversaries, you may also use the term ювілей. When someone wishes you a happy birthday by saying З днём наро́дження!, the standard response is Дякую! (Thank you!).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase день наро́дження is a compound noun where день means 'day' and наро́дження means 'birth'.
Which one should you use?
While день наро́дження is the standard way to refer to the specific day of birth, уроди́ни is a more festive, plural form used to refer to the birthday celebration or the anniversary itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
день наро́дження is a masculine noun. уроди́ни is a plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
denʹ naródžennja
When do people say it?
In Ukraine, a designated toastmaster is known as тамада.
Did you know?
- The word уроди́ни is a feminine plural noun, which means that even if you are a man, your 'birthday celebration' is grammatically feminine.
- The word день is a distant relative of the Sanskrit word dina, showing a shared linguistic ancestor from thousands of years ago.
- The word уроди́ни is quite old-fashioned and festive, making it sound much more grand and traditional than the everyday день наро́дження.
Examples in context
- Сьогодні мій день наро́дження.Siohodni miy den naró dzhennya.Today is my birthday.
- Я хочу відсвяткувати свій день наро́дження.Ya khochu vidsvyatkuvaty sviy den naró dzhennya.I want to celebrate my birthday.
Example conversation
Mariya and Oleksandr are talking about a party.
- Марія MariiaОлександре, коли твій день наро́дження?Oleksandre, koly tviy den narodzhennya?Oleksandr, when is your birthday?
- Олександр OleksandrМій день наро́дження наступного тижня.Miy den narodzhennya nastupnoho tyzhnya.My birthday is next week.
- Марія MariiaЯ хочу зробити тобі подарунок.Ya khochu zrobyty tobi podarunok.I want to give you a gift.
- Олександр OleksandrДякую, Маріє, це дуже мило!Dyakuyu, Mariye, tse duzhe mylo!Thank you, Mariya, that is very sweet!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “birthday” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries день, CC BY-SA 4.0.