남자친구 생일 축하해
The English phrase "happy birthday to your boyfriend" is translated into Korean as 남자친구 생일 축하해.
You use 남자친구 생일 축하해 to wish a happy birthday to someone's boyfriend. If you want to express your wishes more deeply, you can use the informal phrase 생일 진심으로 축하해 to mean "I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday," or use 행복한 생일 보내 to tell someone to "have a happy birthday."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of several parts: 남자친구 is a compound of 남자 (man) and 친구 (friend), which literally means "male friend" but is the specific term for "boyfriend". 생일 means "birthday". And 축하해 is the informal conjugation of the verb 축하하다, meaning "to congratulate" or "to celebrate".
Which one should you use?
While 생일 is the standard word for birthday, there is an honorific version, 생신, used for elders or people of much higher social status. You would not use 생신 when talking about a boyfriend.
Did you know?
- When celebrating a birthday, Koreans traditionally eat 미역국, a seaweed soup, to honor the mother who gave birth to them.
- In Korea, it is common for couples to celebrate '100-day anniversaries' as a major milestone, often with more fanfare than a yearly birthday.
- The term 남자친구 is a modern linguistic calque, meaning it was constructed by directly translating the English concept of 'boyfriend' into Korean components.
Examples in context
- 수빈아, 남자친구 생일 축하해.Subin-a, namjachingu saengil chukha-hae.Subin, happy birthday to your boyfriend.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Subin are chatting over coffee.
- 지훈 Ji-hun오늘 무슨 날이야?oneul museun nariya?What is today?
- 수빈 Su-bin내 남자친구 생일이야.nae namjachingu saengiriya.It is my boyfriend's birthday.
- 지훈 Ji-hun진짜? 남자친구 생일 축하해!jinjja? namjachingu saengil chukha-hae!Really? Happy birthday to your boyfriend!
- 수빈 Su-bin고마워, 지훈아.gomawo, Jihoon-a.Thanks, Jihoon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 남자친구, 생일, CC BY-SA 4.0.
