생일 축하해, 내 여동생
saeng-il chukhahae, nae yeodongsaeng
To say "happy birthday my younger sister" in Korean, use 생일 축하해, 내 여동생 (saeng-il chukhahae, nae yeodongsaeng).
This phrase is a greeting used specifically to wish a younger sister a happy birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase can be broken down as follows: 생일 (saeng-il) means "birthday", which is composed of 생 (birth) and 일 (day). 내 (nae) is the casual way to say "my", and 여동생 (yeodongsaeng) literally means "female younger sibling" (younger sister).
How do you pronounce it?
saeng-il chukhahae, nae yeodongsaeng
Did you know?
- While 생일 축하해 is used for younger people, Koreans use a completely different, more honorific word 생신 (saeng-sin) for the birthdays of elders.
- In Korean culture, you would rarely address your sister as 내 여동생 while speaking directly to her, as the possessive 'my' is often omitted in direct speech.
- The word 여동생 specifically denotes a female sibling who is younger than the speaker, as Korean has different words for older and younger siblings.
Example conversation
Jihoon gives a gift to his younger sister, Seoyeon.
- 서연 Seo-yeon생일 축하해, 내 여동생!saeng-il chuk-ha-hae, nae yeo-dong-saeng!Happy birthday, my younger sister!
- 지훈 Ji-hun오빠, 고마워요!oppa, go-ma-wo-yo!Thank you, brother!
- 서연 Seo-yeon이거 네 선물이야.i-geo ne seon-mul-i-ya.This is your present.
- 지훈 Ji-hun우와, 정말 좋아!u-wa, jeong-mal jo-a!Wow, I really love it!
