생일 축하해 내 사랑
saeng-il chukhahae nae sarang
생일 축하해 내 사랑 (saeng-il chukhahae nae sarang) is the Korean way to say happy birthday, my love.
This phrase is a romantic greeting used to wish a partner or spouse a happy birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The word for birthday, 생일 (saeng-il), is composed of 생 (birth) and 일 (day).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can use a more polite version by adding the suffix '-yo' to the verb, resulting in 생일 축하해요 내 사랑. For a very formal expression, you can say 사랑하는 _______의 생일을 축하합니다, where you replace the blank with your loved one's name.
How do you pronounce it?
saeng-il chukhahae nae sarang
Did you know?
- In Korea, the most common birthday treat is a bowl of 미역국 (miyeok-guk), which is a soup made from seaweed. It is eaten to honor the mother, as seaweed soup is the traditional first meal a mother eats after giving birth.
- While 생일 (saeng-il) is used for birthdays, Koreans use a different word, 생신 (saeng-sin), when speaking to elders. Using 생일 for a grandparent would be considered quite rude regardless of the romantic modifiers used elsewhere.
- In romantic relationships, Korean couples often avoid using the literal 'my love' 내 사랑 (nae sarang) in favor of the term 자기 (jagi), which translates more closely to 'honey' or 'self'.
Examples in context
- 생일 축하해 내 사랑.saeng-il chuk-ha-hae nae sa-rang.Happy birthday, my love.
- 다시 한번 생일 축하해 내 사랑.da-si han-beon saeng-il chuk-ha-hae nae sa-rang.Happy birthday, my love, once again.
Example conversation
Subin gives a gift to Dohyun on his birthday.
- 수빈 Su-bin생일 축하해 내 사랑, 선물이야.saeng-il chuk-ha-hae nae sa-rang, seon-mul-i-ya.Happy birthday, my love, here is a gift.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워, 수빈아. 정말 감동이야.go-ma-wo, su-bin-a. jeong-mal gam-dong-i-ya.Thank you, Subin. I am really touched.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현아, 태어나줘서 고마워.do-hyeon-a, tae-eo-na-jwo-seo go-ma-wo.Dohyun, thank you for being born.
- 도현 Do-hyeon사랑해, 수빈아.sa-rang-hae, su-bin-a.I love you, Subin.
