祝奶奶生日快乐
zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè
The English phrase "happy birthday grandma" is translated into Chinese as 祝奶奶生日快乐 (zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè).
This phrase is used to wish one's paternal grandmother a happy birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 祝奶奶生日快乐 is composed of 祝 (wish), 奶奶 (paternal grandmother), 生日 (birthday) and 快乐 (happy).
Which one should you use?
The term 奶奶 (nǎinai) refers specifically to a paternal grandmother. If you are addressing a maternal grandmother, you should use 外婆 (wàipó) instead.
How do you pronounce it?
zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè
When do people say it?
When celebrating the birthday of an elderly grandmother, it is culturally common to supplement birthday wishes with wishes for longevity, such as 祝您长寿 (wish you longevity).
Did you know?
- Giving a clock as a birthday gift to a grandmother is a major taboo because the phrase for 'giving a clock' sounds like a phrase for 'attending a funeral'.
- In very traditional settings, a grandmother's birthday might be celebrated with 'longevity noodles' (长寿面), where the length of the noodle symbolizes a long life.
- In many Chinese households, instead of saying 生日快乐, people often wish the elderly 'longevity' by saying 福如东海, which means 'may your fortune be as vast as the East Sea'.
Examples in context
- 奶奶，生日快乐！希望您在这特殊的日子里感受到我的爱。(Nǎinai, shēngrì kuàilè! Xīwàng nín zài zhè tèshū de rìzi lǐ gǎnshòu dào wǒ de ài.)Grandma, happy birthday! I hope you feel my love on this special day.
- 亲爱的奶奶，祝您生辰快乐，健康长寿！(Qīn'àide nǎinai, zhù nín shēngchén kuàilè, jiànkāng chángshòu!)Dear grandma, I wish you a joyous birthday and good health for a long life!
- 祝奶奶生日快乐！Zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè!Happy birthday, grandma!
- 我想对奶奶说：祝奶奶生日快乐。Wǒ xiǎng duì nǎinai shuō: Zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè.I want to say to grandma: Happy birthday, grandma.
- 我们要大声地祝奶奶生日快乐。Wǒmen yào dàshēng de zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè.We should say happy birthday to grandma loudly.
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting are preparing a cake for their grandmother.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，蛋糕准备好了吗？Jùnjié, dàngāo zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?Junjie, is the cake ready?
- 俊杰 Junjie准备好了，我们快去祝奶奶生日快乐！Zhǔnbèi hǎo le, wǒmen kuài qù zhù nǎinai shēngrì kuàilè!It's ready, let's go wish grandma a happy birthday!
- 雨婷 Yuting好，奶奶一定会很开心的。Hǎo, nǎinai yīdìng huì hěn kāxīn de.Okay, grandma will definitely be very happy.
- 俊杰 Junjie快走吧，她已经在等我们了。Kuài zǒu ba, tā yǐjīng zài děng wǒmen le.Let's go, she is already waiting for us.
