Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| お誕生日おめでとうございます | o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu | [o̞tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi o̞me̞de̞to̞ː ɡo̞za̠ima̠sɨ̥] (narrow) | formal |
| 誕生日おめでとう | tanjōbi omedetō | [tã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ːbʲi o̞me̞de̞to̞ː] (narrow) | informal |
The phrase is used to offer good wishes for a birthday. You can use お誕生日おめでとうございます to say "Congratulations on your birthday" in a formal manner, while shorter versions like 誕生日おめでとう or お誕生日おめでとう are common informal ways to express the same sentiment among friends, family or classmates.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase お誕生日おめでとうございます is composed of o (an honorific prefix), tanjōbi (birthday), omedetō (congratulations) and gozaimasu (a polite verb).
Which one should you use?
The full form o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu is the formal version, whereas tanjōbi omedetō is used for friends and family.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お誕生日おめでとうございます is a formal way to wish someone a happy birthday and is appropriate for colleagues, acquaintances, superiors or teachers. In contrast, 誕生日おめでとう or お誕生日おめでとう are informal versions used with friends and family.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the formal version, the prefix o- is added to tanjōbi to create お誕生日 to show respect to the person whose birthday it is.
How do you pronounce it?
o-tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese culture, birthdays were not celebrated individually. Instead, everyone turned a year older on New Year's Day.
- In very casual settings, younger generations might shorten 誕生日おめでとう even further to 誕おめ tan-ome in text messages.
- When giving a birthday gift, it is common to wrap it in bright colors, but you should avoid using white or black paper as these are associated with funerals.
Examples in context
- トム、お誕生日おめでとう！Happy birthday, Tom!This sentence shows how to say Happy Birthday to Tom using the informal 誕生日おめでとう.Tatoeba #9997297 by small_snow, translation #2337263 by Hybrid
- 誕生日おめでとうございます。Happy birthday to you!This sentence shows how to say Happy Birthday to someone using the formal 誕生日おめでとうございます.Tatoeba #127350 by bunbuku, translation #64233 by shekitten
- お誕生日おめでとうムーリエル！Happy birthday, Muiriel!This sentence shows how to say Happy Birthday to Muiriel using the informal 誕生日おめでとう.Tatoeba #4706 by bunbuku, translation #355041 by human600
- お誕生日おめでとうございます、太郎さん！素敵な一年になりますように。Happy Birthday, Tarou! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki wishes her boss, Kenta, a happy birthday at the office.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さん、お誕生日おめでとうございます！Kenta-san, otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu!Happy birthday, Mr. Kenta!
- 健太 Kentaありがとうございます。嬉しいです。Arigatou gozaimasu. Ureshii desu.Thank you. I'm happy.
- 美咲 Misakiいい一日になりますように。Ii ichinichi ni narimasu you ni.I hope you have a great day.
- 健太 Kenta優しいですね。ありがとうございます。Yasashii desu ne. Arigatou gozaimasu.That's kind of you. Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries お誕生日おめでとうございます, 誕生日おめでとう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
