生年月日
seinengappi
The Japanese phrase for "your birthdate" is 生年月日 (seinengappi).
生年月日 is used primarily in formal contexts, such as when filling out official documents, medical forms or bank applications.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of the characters 生 (birth), 年 (year), 月 (month) and 日 (day).
Which one should you use?
While 生年月日 refers to the specific calendar date of birth required for documentation, the related term 誕生日 is the more common way to refer to someone's birthday in social conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
seinengappi
Did you know?
- While 生年月日 is the standard for paperwork, a person's age is often calculated using the 'kazoedoshi' system, where you are considered one year old at birth. This can make the date on your 生年月日 feel like it carries an extra year of experience.
- In formal contexts involving 生年月日, Japanese people often use 'era names' instead of Western years. For example, a birthdate might be listed as 'Heisei' or 'Showa' followed by the year of that emperor's reign.
- When filling out forms using 生年月日, you must write the date in the order of year, month, and then day. This is the reverse of the order used in many Western languages.
Examples in context
- 書類に生年月日を記入してください。Shorui ni seinyuugappi o kinyuu shite kudasai.Please enter your birthdate on the document.
Example conversation
Misaki is helping Ren fill out a registration form.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くん、ここに生年月日を書いてね。Ren-kun, koko ni seinyuugappi o kaite ne.Ren, write your birthdate here.
- 蓮 Renあ、忘れてた。今書くよ。A, wasurete ta. Ima kaku yo.Oh, I forgot. I'll write it now.
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ。次は住所をお願い。Ii yo. Tsugi wa juusho o onegai.That's fine. Next, the address please.
- 蓮 Renわかった。すぐに書くね。Wakatta. Sugu ni kaku ne.Got it. I'll write it right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 生年月日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
