joyeux anniversaire
/ʒwa.jø.z‿a.ni.vɛʁ.sɛʁ/
In French, happy birthday is said as joyeux anniversaire. Wiktionary also lists bon anniversaire and bonne fête.
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bon anniversaire | /bɔ.n‿a.ni.vɛʁ.sɛʁ/ | |
| joyeux anniversaire | /ʒwa.jø.z‿a.ni.vɛʁ.sɛʁ/ | |
| bonne fête | /bɔn fɛt/ (France) /bɔn fɛːt/ (Quebec) |
Canada |
These phrases are used to offer good wishes to someone on their birthday. To express the action of wishing someone a happy birthday, you can use the verb phrase souhaiter un joyeux anniversaire.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase joyeux anniversaire literally translates to 'joyful anniversary'.
Which one should you use?
Both bon anniversaire and joyeux anniversaire are used to say happy birthday, but bon anniversaire is slightly more common in casual, everyday conversation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, it is common to use bonne fête instead of bon anniversaire.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because anniversaire is a masculine noun, the adjective joyeux remains in its masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒwa.jø.z‿a.ni.vɛʁ.sɛʁ/
Did you know?
- In Quebec, saying bonne fête is the standard way to wish someone a happy birthday. In France, however, this same phrase is used to celebrate a person's 'name day', the feast day of the saint they were named after.
- The word anniversaire comes from the Latin 'vertō', meaning 'to turn'. It suggests the idea of the earth turning once around the sun to complete a year.
- While English speakers use 'birthday' for the date of birth, anniversaire is used in French for both birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Examples in context
- Bon anniversaire, Tom !Happy birthday, Tom!This example shows the use of bon anniversaire.Tatoeba #8648902 by Micsmithel, translation #2337263 by Hybrid
- Bon anniversaire, Shishir !Happy birthday, Shishir!Tatoeba #1111516 by sacredceltic, translation #1110954 by Ricardo14
- Joyeux anniversaire Muiriel !Happy birthday, Muiriel!This example shows the use of joyeux anniversaire.Tatoeba #3096 by sysko, translation #355041 by human600
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are at a cafe for her birthday.
- NathanJoyeux anniversaire, Chloé !Happy birthday, Chloé!
- ChloéMerci beaucoup, Nathan !Thank you very much, Nathan!
- NathanTu as passé une bonne journée ?Have you had a good day?
- ChloéOui, c'est une journée parfaite.Yes, it is a perfect day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries bon anniversaire, joyeux anniversaire, bonne fête, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anniversaire, bon, fête, joyeux, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
