내 생일
nae saeng-il
The Korean phrase for "my birthday" is 내 생일 (nae saeng-il).
The phrase refers to the anniversary of the day a person was born.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 내, meaning "my" and 생일, meaning "birthday".
Which one should you use?
While 내 생일 is used in casual speech, 제 생일 is the correct polite form to use when speaking to elders or in formal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
When 생일 is the subject of the sentence, the particle 이 is attached to form 생일이.
How do you pronounce it?
nae saeng-il
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is a traditional custom to eat 미역국 'seaweed soup' on your birthday to honor the mother who gave birth to you.
- Korean culture often uses 'counting age', where a person is considered one year old the moment they are born, making the birthday calculation different from the Western system.
- The word 생일 'birthday' is primarily used for younger people, while the word 생신 'saeng-sin' is used to show respect to elders.
Examples in context
- 내 생일은 오늘부터 한달 후야.My birthday is one month from today.This sentence is useful for stating when your birthday occurs using 내 생일.Tatoeba #8361903 by Eunhee, translation #251417 by Swift
- 난 내 생일을 축하하고 싶지 않다.I don't want to celebrate my birthday.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of desire to celebrate using 내 생일.Tatoeba #3675129 by ssuss32, translation #1032538 by Brian255
- 아무도 내 생일을 기억해주지 않았어.No one remembered my birthday.This sentence is useful for describing a situation where no one remembered your birthday using 내 생일.Tatoeba #8361906 by Eunhee, translation #6058285 by mailohilohi
- 오늘은 내 생일이야Today is my birthday
- 오늘은 제 생일이에요.Today is my birthday.
- 아빠, 오늘은 내 생일이야.Dad, it's my birthday today.
- 선생님, 제 생일 축하해 주셔서 감사해요.Teacher, thank you for celebrating my birthday.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their upcoming plans.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지야, 내 생일이 곧 다가와.Min-ji-ya, nae saeng-il-i got da-ga-wa.Minji, my birthday is coming up soon.
- 민지 Min-ji정말? 축하해! 내 생일도 다음 달이야.Jeong-mal? Chuk-ha-hae! Nae saeng-il-do da-eum dal-i-ya.Really? Congratulations! My birthday is also next month.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo우리 같이 파티를 할까?U-ri gat-i pa-ti-reul hal-kka?Shall we have a party together?
- 민지 Min-ji좋아, 현우야! 꼭 하자.Jo-a, Hyeon-u-ya! Kkok ha-ja.Sounds good, Hyeonu! Let's definitely do it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
