お誕生日おめでとう
otanjōbi omedetō
In Japanese, birthday wishes is expressed as お誕生日おめでとう (otanjōbi omedetō).
The phrase is a greeting used to congratulate someone on their birthday. It is common practice to include the person's name followed by the honorific さん before giving the birthday wish. To show respect in formal birthday wishes, it is important to include the honorific prefix お before 誕生日.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard, polite way to say Happy Birthday is お誕生日おめでとう. For a more formal and respectful version suitable for superiors or elders, you can use お誕生日おめでとうございます. In informal situations, such as with friends, you can simply say お誕生日おめでとう！
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding ございます to the end of the phrase お誕生日おめでとう makes it much more formal and respectful.
How do you pronounce it?
otanjōbi omedetō
Did you know?
- Traditionally, Japanese culture did not celebrate individual birthdays, as everyone's age increased by one year on New Year's Day.
- For a very special 60th birthday, known as 還暦 (kanreki), the person traditionally wears a red vest and hat to symbolize rebirth.
- In Japan, it is common to celebrate a child's first birthday with 一歳 (one year old) celebrations that involve the child choosing an object to predict their future career.
Examples in context
- お誕生日おめでとう！otanjoubi omedetou!Happy birthday!
- 改めて、お誕生日おめでとう。aratamete, otanjoubi omedetou.Happy birthday once again.
- お誕生日おめでとう！素敵な一年になりますように。otanjoubi omedetou! suteki na ichinen ni narimasu you ni.Happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful year.
Example conversation
Ren gives a small gift to Yui on her birthday.
- 蓮 Ren結衣、お誕生日おめでとう！Yui, otanjoubi omedetou!Yui, happy birthday!
- 結衣 Yui蓮くん、ありがとう！Ren-kun, arigatou!Ren, thank you!
- 蓮 Renこれ、プレゼントだよ。kore, purezento da yo.This is a present for you.
- 結衣 Yui嬉しい！大切にするね。ureshii! taisetsu ni suru ne.I'm so happy! I'll cherish it.
