selamat hari lahir
To say happy birthday in Malay, you use selamat hari lahir. Wiktionary also lists selamat hari jadi.
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| Malay | IPA |
|---|---|
| selamat hari lahir | |
| selamat hari jadi | /səˈlamat ˈhari ˈd͡ʒadi/ (word by word) |
The phrases are used to express good wishes to someone on their birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase selamat hari lahir literally translates to 'happy/safe birth day'.
Which one should you use?
selamat hari lahir is slightly more formal or standard than selamat hari jadi. selamat hari jadi is a very common, slightly more colloquial way to say 'happy birthday' in Malaysia.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word selamat functions as a greeting of safety or well-wishing and does not change based on the person being addressed.
When do people say it?
When offering birthday wishes, it is common to say Semoga panjang umur, which means 'May you have a long life'.
Did you know?
- The word hari appears in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, which dates back to 900 AD.
Examples in context
- Selamat Hari Jadi! Semoga panjang umur dan sentiasa diberkati dengan kebahagiaan.Happy Birthday! May you have a long life and be blessed with happiness.
- Selamat hari lahir kepada awak!Happy birthday to you!
- Saya ucapkan selamat hari lahir buat kamu.I wish you a happy birthday.
- Selamat hari lahir, kawan!Happy birthday, friend!
Example conversation
Nur is greeting Muhammad at his birthday party.
- NurSelamat hari lahir, Muhammad!Happy birthday, Muhammad!
- MuhammadTerima kasih, Nur!Thank you, Nur!
- NurIni hadiah untuk awak.This is a gift for you.
- MuhammadWah, terima kasih banyak-banyak!Wow, thank you very much!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries selamat hari lahir, selamat hari jadi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (selamat, hari, jadi) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hari, jadi, lahir, selamat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
