遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう
okurebasenagara tanjōbi omedetō
The English phrase "happy late birthday" is translated into Japanese as 遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう (okurebasenagara tanjōbi omedetō).
This phrase is used to wish someone a happy birthday after the actual date has passed. The first part of the phrase, 遅ればせながら, is a common way to apologize for being late in a formal or polite manner when delivering news or greetings, effectively meaning "belatedly" or "although I am late."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 遅ればせながら literally means "being late" or "belatedly."
How do you pronounce it?
okurebasenagara tanjōbi omedetō
Did you know?
- The word おめでとう comes from the verb めでたい, which describes something auspicious or joyful rather than just a feeling of happiness.
- The word 誕生日 (tanjōbi) contains the character for 'birth' and 'day', but in many formal contexts, people use the term 御生誕 (onseitan) for more prestigious figures or deities.
- The phrase 遅ればせながら can be used for any late greeting, such as New Year's wishes, making it a versatile tool for social repair in Japanese.
Examples in context
- 遅くなったが、お誕生日おめでとうございます。I'm late, but happy birthday.
- 遅くなってしまいましたが、お誕生日おめでとうございます。I'm sorry I'm late, but happy birthday.
- 遅くなっちゃったけど、お誕生日おめでとう！I'm late, but happy birthday!
- ごめんね、遅かったけど、お誕生日おめでとう！I'm sorry, I was late, but happy birthday!
- 遅くなっちゃったけど、お誕生日おめでとうございまーす！I'm late, but happyyy birthdaaay!
- 遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう。Okurebasenagara tanjoubi omedetou.Happy late birthday.
- 遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう！素敵な一年を。Okurebasenagara tanjoubi omedetou! Suteki na ichinen o.Happy late birthday! Have a wonderful year.
- 遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう、また今度お祝いさせて。Okurebasenagara tanjoubi omedetou, mata kondo oiwai sasete.Happy late birthday, let me celebrate with you next time.
Example conversation
Yui sends a text message to Kenta after missing his birthday.
- 結衣 Yui健太君、遅ればせながら誕生日おめでとう！Kenta-kun, okurebasenagara tanjoubi omedetou!Kenta, happy late birthday!
- 健太 Kenta結衣ちゃん、ありがとう！わざわざ連絡くれて嬉しいよ。Yui-chan, arigatou! Wazawaza renraku kurete ureshii yo.Yui, thank you! I'm happy you reached out.
- 結衣 Yui昨日は忙しくて、気づくのが遅くなっちゃった。Kinou wa isogashikute, kizuku no ga osoku natchatta.I was busy yesterday and noticed too late.
- 健太 Kenta全然大丈夫だよ。メッセージありがとうね。Zenzen daijoubu da yo. Messeji arigatou ne.It's totally fine. Thanks for the message.
