생일이 언제예요?
saeng-ir-i eonjeyeyo?
The English phrase "when is your birthday?" is translated into Korean as 생일이 언제예요? (saeng-ir-i eonjeyeyo?)
This phrase is used to ask someone for the date of their birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The word for birthday, 생일, is a compound of 생 (birth) and 일 (day).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To ask a friend or someone younger than you, you can use the informal version 너 생일 언제야? If you are speaking in a more formal context, use 생일이 언제이신가요? When asking an older person or someone of higher social status, you should replace the noun 생일 with the honorific noun 생신 to say 생신이 언제예요?
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 생일이 언제예요?, the particle 이 is the subject marker attached to 생일 because the word ends in a consonant.
How do you pronounce it?
saeng-ir-i eonjeyeyo?
Did you know?
- Traditionally, Koreans considered a child to be one year old at birth, meaning your 생일 officially marks your second year of life.
- In Korea, birthdays are often celebrated with seaweed soup, called 미역국, because it is the traditional food a mother eats after giving birth.
- On a person's first birthday, a major ceremony called 돌 is held, where a child picks an object to predict their future success.
Examples in context
- 생일이 언제예요?saeng-iri eonje-ye-yo?When is your birthday?
- 그 사람 생일이 언제예요?geu saram saeng-iri eonje-ye-yo?When is that person's birthday?
Example conversation
Dohyun and Minji are getting to know each other.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지 씨, 생일이 언제예요?Minji ssi, saeng-iri eonjeyeyo?Minji, when is your birthday?
- 민지 Min-ji제 생일은 5월 10일이에요.Je saeng-ireun o-wol sip-ir-ieyo.My birthday is May 10th.
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말요? 곧 다가오네요!Jeongmallyo? Got daga-oneyo!Really? It's coming up soon!
- 민지 Min-ji네, 맞아요.Ne, majayo.Yes, that's right.
