お誕生日おめでとうございます
o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu[o̞tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi o̞me̞de̞to̞ː ɡo̞za̠ima̠sɨ̥]formal
Happy birthday in Japanese is expressed as お誕生日おめでとうございます (o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu). Wiktionary also lists 誕生日おめでとう (tanjōbi omedetō).
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| お誕生日おめでとうございます | o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu | [o̞tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi o̞me̞de̞to̞ː ɡo̞za̠ima̠sɨ̥] (narrow) | formal |
| 誕生日おめでとう | tanjōbi omedetō | [tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi o̞me̞de̞to̞ː] (narrow) | informal |
This phrase is used to offer good wishes to someone on their birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal phrase お誕生日おめでとうございます is composed of o (an honorific prefix), tanjōbi (birthday), omedetō (congratulations) and gozaimasu (a polite verb to be). Adding the honorific o to tanjōbi makes the phrase sound more respectful and is the standard way to address someone's birthday.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お誕生日おめでとうございます is a formal way to wish someone a happy birthday. Use the full form o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu for superiors, teachers or people you are not close to, whereas tanjōbi omedetō is for friends and family.
How do you pronounce it?
o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu
Did you know?
- In Japan, the custom of celebrating birthdays with cakes and candles is a relatively modern Western import. Historically, birthdays were often celebrated on the same day for everyone in the community during the New Year.
- A common response to otanjōbi omedetō is arigatō, but in very formal settings, the recipient might humbly downplay the attention by saying sumimasen, which means 'sorry' or 'thank you for the trouble'.
- In traditional Japanese culture, the first birthday was especially significant. Families would place long threads of hemp or cotton in the child's crib to symbolize a wish for a long life.
Examples in context
- トム、お誕生日おめでとう！Happy birthday, Tom!This sentence shows how to use 誕生日おめでとう when addressing Tom.Tatoeba #9997297 by small_snow, translation #2337263 by Hybrid
- 誕生日おめでとうございます。Happy birthday to you!This sentence shows how to use 誕生日おめでとう to wish someone a happy birthday.Tatoeba #127350 by bunbuku, translation #64233 by shekitten
- お誕生日おめでとうムーリエル！Happy birthday, Muiriel!This sentence shows how to use 誕生日おめでとう when addressing Muiriel.Tatoeba #4706 by bunbuku, translation #355041 by human600
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta greets Misaki at her office on her birthday.
- 健太 Kenta美咲さん、お誕生日おめでとうございます。Misaki-san, otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu.Misaki, happy birthday.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さん、ありがとうございます。Kenta-san, arigatou gozaimasu.Kenta, thank you very much.
- 健太 Kenta素敵な一年になりますように。Suteki na ichinen ni narimasu you ni.I hope you have a wonderful year.
- 美咲 Misakiとても嬉しいです。Totemo ureshii desu.I am very happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries お誕生日おめでとうございます, 誕生日おめでとう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
