내 생일 축하해
nae saeng-il chukahae
The English phrase 'happy birthday to me' is translated into Korean as 내 생일 축하해 (nae saeng-il chukahae).
This phrase is used by a person to celebrate their own birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 내 (my), 생일 (birthday) and 축하해 (celebrate/congratulations).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 내 생일 축하해 is an informal expression.
How do you pronounce it?
nae saeng-il chukahae
Did you know?
- When celebrating a birthday, Koreans traditionally eat 미역국, which is a seaweed soup. This is because it is the first food a mother eats after giving birth to help her recover.
- To say 'happy birthday' to someone much older or in a higher position, Koreans use a specialized honorific word 생신 instead of 생일. Using 생일 in these cases would be considered impolite.
- The word 내 used in this phrase is a homophone for several other words, including 'inside' and 'stream'. Because there were so many words that sounded like 내, the word for 'smoke' was eventually replaced by a different term to avoid confusion.
Examples in context
- 제 생일을 축하해 주세요Please wish me a happy birthday.
- 오늘은 제 생일입니다. 축하해 주세요Today is my birthday. Please wish me a happy birthday.
- 혼자서라도 내 생일 축하해.hon-ja-seo-ra-do nae saeng-il chuk-ha-hae.Even if I'm alone, happy birthday to me.
Example conversation
Minji and Dohyun are looking at a cake.
- 민지 Min-ji우와, 케이크 정말 예쁘다! 내 생일 축하해!uwa, ke-i-keu jeong-mal ye-ppeu-da! nae saeng-il chuk-ha-hae!Wow, the cake is so pretty! Happy birthday to me!
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지야, 생일 진심으로 축하해.Minji-ya, saeng-il jin-sim-eu-ro chuk-ha-hae.Minji, happy birthday from the bottom of my heart.
- 민지 Min-ji고마워, 도현아!go-ma-wo, Dohyun-a!Thank you, Dohyun!
- 도현 Do-hyeon이제 촛불을 꺼 봐.i-je chot-bul-eul kkeo bwa.Now, try blowing out the candles.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 내, CC BY-SA 4.0.
