내일은 내 생일이야
naeireun nae saengiriya
To say "tomorrow is my birthday" in Korean, use 내일은 내 생일이야 (naeireun nae saengiriya).
This phrase is used to inform others that your birthday occurs on the following day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 내일은 내 생일이야 breaks down into 내일 (tomorrow) + 은 (topic marker), 내 (my) + 생일 (birthday) + 이야 (is).
Which one should you use?
The default form 내일은 내 생일이야 is used in casual settings with friends or people younger than you, whereas 내일은 제 생일이에요 is used in formal or polite settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite, change the possessive pronoun 내 to 제 and the verb ending 이야 to 이에요.
How do you pronounce it?
naeireun nae saengiriya
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is common to celebrate a birthday by eating 미역국 ('seaweed soup'), a dish traditionally eaten by mothers after giving birth to honor the mother's hardship.
- In Korea, many people celebrate their 'true' age based on the day they were born, but traditional customs often meant a person was one year old the moment they were born, a concept known as 'Korean age'.
- In the past, some Koreans celebrated their birthday based on the lunar calendar rather than the solar calendar, meaning the date of the celebration changed every year on the Gregorian calendar.
Examples in context
- 내일은 내 생일이야.naeil-eun nae saeng-il-iya.Tomorrow is my birthday.
- 잊지 마, 내일은 내 생일이야!it-ji ma, naeil-eun nae saeng-il-iya!Don't forget, tomorrow is my birthday!
Example conversation
Ji-eun tells Min-jun her birthday is coming up.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준아, 내일은 내 생일이야.minjun-a, naeil-eun nae saeng-il-iya.Min-jun, tomorrow is my birthday.
- 민준 Min-jun정말? 미리 축하해!jeong-mal? mi-ri chuk-ha-hae!Really? Happy birthday in advance!
- 지은 Ji-eun고마워, 선물은 필요 없어.go-ma-wo, seon-mul-eun pil-yo eop-seo.Thanks, I don't need a gift.
- 민준 Min-jun그래도 맛있는 거 먹으러 가자.geu-rae-do mas-it-neun geo meok-eu-reo ga-ja.Still, let's go eat something delicious.
