Happy Birthday in Japanese
Part of: Happy Birthday in Every Language
Happy birthday in Japanese is お誕生日おめでとう, pronounced oh-tan-JOH-bee oh-meh-deh-toh. Add ございます to the end for anyone older or senior to you. It literally means congratulations on your birthday rather than happy birthday, which is why omedetou appears at weddings and graduations too.
Tap Copy on any wish, then paste it into your message. Or turn one into an animated fireworks card you can send as a link.
Every phrase below has a Copy button. Japanese cannot be typed from memory on a normal keyboard, so copying is the only practical way to send it.
The phrase you need
| Japanese | Pronounced | Use it with |
|---|---|---|
| お誕生日おめでとう | oh-tan-JOH-bee oh-meh-deh-toh | Friends, family, anyone younger |
| お誕生日おめでとうございます | ...oh-meh-deh-toh go-zai-mas | Boss, teacher, elders, customers |
| 誕生日おめでとう | tan-JOH-bee oh-meh-deh-toh | Casual, drops the polite お |
| ハッピーバースデー | HAP-pee BAA-su-dee | The English phrase in katakana, playful |
The single most important choice is whether to add ございます. Without it, the phrase is friendly. With it, it is respectful. Saying the short form to your boss is the mistake to avoid; the long form to a close friend just sounds a little stiff.
Copy these
お誕生日おめでとう！
お誕生日おめでとうございます！
誕生日おめでとう！
お誕生日おめでとう！素敵な一年になりますように。
お誕生日おめでとうございます。良い一年をお過ごしください。
素敵な誕生日を過ごしてね。
お誕生日おめでとう！これからも元気でね。
幸せな一年になりますように。
お誕生日おめでとう！いつもありがとう。
今年もよろしくね。お誕生日おめでとう！
For someone you love
お誕生日おめでとう、大好きだよ。
生まれてきてくれてありがとう。
一緒にいられて本当に幸せです。お誕生日おめでとう。
これからもずっと一緒にいようね。
お誕生日おめでとう。世界で一番大切な人へ。
For family
お母さん、お誕生日おめでとう。いつもありがとう。
お父さん、お誕生日おめでとう。
おばあちゃん、お誕生日おめでとう。長生きしてね。
お誕生日おめでとう、お姉ちゃん。
息子へ、お誕生日おめでとう。
For work
お誕生日おめでとうございます。
お誕生日おめでとうございます。素晴らしい一年になりますように。
心よりお祝い申し上げます。
チーム一同より、お誕生日おめでとうございます。
The birthday song in Japan
Japan sings the English tune, usually in English. When Japanese words are used they are simply the phrase set to the melody:
ハッピーバースデートゥーユー
There is no widely sung traditional Japanese birthday song equivalent to Las Mananitas or Wie schon dass du geboren bist. The imported version took over completely.
What is different about a Japanese birthday
Until 1950 almost everyone in Japan counted age from New Year rather than from their own birth date. Everyone effectively turned a year older on the same day. Individual birthdays are now normal, but the older system explains why birthday culture developed later there than in the West.
Certain ages carry weight. The sixtieth birthday, kanreki, marks the completion of a full zodiac cycle and is traditionally celebrated with red clothing.
Party words worth knowing
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 誕生日 | tanjoubi | birthday |
| ケーキ | keeki | cake |
| ろうそく | rousoku | candles |
| プレゼント | purezento | present |
| お祝い | oiwai | celebration |
| 願い事 | negaigoto | a wish |
Send a card in Japanese script
Most card makers cannot render Japanese at all — the characters come out as empty boxes. That is the main practical problem with sending a Japanese greeting.
The free fireworks card maker renders Japanese properly. Paste お誕生日おめでとう into it and each character launches into a night sky and explodes with real firework sound. Send it as a link and it plays the moment they open it, in the correct script.
Common questions
How do you say happy birthday in Japanese? お誕生日おめでとう, pronounced oh-tan-JOH-bee oh-meh-deh-toh. Add ございます for politeness.
What does omedetou actually mean? Congratulations. It is used for birthdays, weddings, graduations and New Year, which is why the birthday phrase literally reads as congratulations on your birthday.
When should I add gozaimasu? With anyone older than you, senior to you at work, or whom you address formally. Between close friends it is unnecessary.
Can I just write it in romaji? You can, and it will be understood, but it reads like a foreigner guessing. Copying the Japanese script above takes one tap and lands far better.
How do you say happy belated birthday in Japanese? 遅くなりましたが、お誕生日おめでとうございます — apologising for the lateness first is the normal pattern.