How to Say “Happy Birthday” in 26 Different Languages

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A birthday message is a small phrase with a lot of mileage. Learn the version your friend would actually use, say it aloud once or twice, and you have an easy way to make their day.

Here are 26 ways to say “Happy Birthday”, with the original script where relevant and a practical pronunciation guide. Romanisations are approximations, so listen to a native recording before you rely on them for pronunciation.

Here’s a short birthday video I made for my sister Carrie, ending with the song in four languages:

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Happy Birthday in Spanish: ¡Feliz cumpleaños!

¡Feliz cumpleaños! is the standard greeting across the Spanish-speaking world. Cumpleaños is both singular and plural in form. In Mexico, you may also hear the birthday song Las Mañanitas.

Happy Birthday in French: Joyeux anniversaire !

Joyeux anniversaire ! is the usual all-purpose greeting. Bon anniversaire ! is also correct. In Quebec, Bonne fête ! is especially common; here fête means the birthday celebration, not simply “party” in every context.

Happy Birthday in Italian: Buon compleanno!

Buon compleanno! is the standard birthday wish. You can add a name directly afterwards: Buon compleanno, Luca!

Happy Birthday in German: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

This means “All the best for your birthday” and works in both friendly and polite situations. In Germany, wishing someone happy birthday before the date is often considered unlucky, so wait until the day itself.

Happy Birthday in Japanese: 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 (otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu) is polite: “Congratulations on your birthday.” With a close friend, 誕生日おめでとう (tanjōbi omedetō) is the natural casual version.

Happy Birthday in Korean: 생일 축하합니다

생일 축하합니다 (saengil chukhahamnida) is the formal polite phrase used in the birthday song. With a close friend of the same age or someone younger, 생일 축하해 (saengil chukahae) is casual. Use the polite form unless you know casual speech fits the relationship.

Happy Birthday in Mandarin Chinese: 生日快乐

生日快乐 (shēngrì kuàilè) is the standard Mandarin greeting: literally, “birthday happy”. For an older person, you can add a respectful wish for health or longevity, but the short phrase works on its own.

Happy Birthday in Cantonese: 生日快樂

生日快樂 is saang1 jat6 faai3 lok6 in Jyutping. The characters look like the Mandarin phrase in traditional script, but the pronunciation is Cantonese.

Happy Birthday in Russian: С днём рождения!

С днём рождения! (S dnyom rozhdeniya) literally means “With the day of birth” and is the normal greeting. The letter ё marks the stressed “yo” sound in днём, although Russian text sometimes prints it as е.

Happy Birthday in Portuguese: Feliz aniversário!

Feliz aniversário! is direct and widely understood. Parabéns! (“Congratulations!”) is extremely common in both Portugal and Brazil and often sounds more natural as the short greeting.

Happy Birthday in Dutch: Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!

This means “Congratulations on your birthday.” In everyday messages, Dutch speakers often shorten it to Gefeliciteerd!

Happy Birthday in Afrikaans: Veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag!

This is a standard Afrikaans birthday wish, roughly “Many congratulations on your birthday.” Jou is the informal “your”.

Happy Birthday in Polish: Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin!

This means “All the best on the occasion of your birthday.” A shorter Wszystkiego najlepszego! is common too. At a celebration, you will probably hear Sto lat (“A hundred years”), the opening of the Polish birthday song.

Happy Birthday in Swedish: Grattis på födelsedagen!

This means “Congratulations on your birthday.” Grattis! is the handy short form. The traditional song begins Ja, må du leva (“Yes, may you live”).

Happy Birthday in Danish: Tillykke med fødselsdagen!

This is the standard Danish birthday greeting. Tillykke! is a shorter “Congratulations!” that also works in a message or face to face.

Happy Birthday in Norwegian: Gratulerer med dagen!

Literally “Congratulations on the day”, this is the normal Norwegian birthday greeting. Because it can mark other special days too, the situation supplies the meaning.

Happy Birthday in Finnish: Hyvää syntymäpäivää!

Hyvää syntymäpäivää! is the direct standard greeting. Paljon onnea! (“Lots of happiness/congratulations!”) is another common birthday wish.

Happy Birthday in Tagalog: Maligayang kaarawan!

Maligayang kaarawan! is the Tagalog greeting. In the Philippines, the English “Happy birthday” is also very common, so either may sound natural depending on the speaker and setting.

Happy Birthday in Swahili: Heri ya siku ya kuzaliwa!

This means “Best wishes on the day of birth.” Heri carries the sense of good wishes or blessings.

Happy Birthday in Hindi: जन्मदिन मुबारक हो!

जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janmadin mubārak ho) is a common birthday greeting. जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएँ (janmadin kī śubhkāmnāẽ) is a slightly more formal “Best wishes for your birthday”.

Happy Birthday in Bengali: শুভ জন্মদিন!

শুভ জন্মদিন (śubho jonmodin) is the standard Bengali greeting. Śubho means auspicious or good, and jonmodin means birthday.

Happy Birthday in Tamil: பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள்!

பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள் (piṟantanāḷ vāḻttukaḷ) means “Birthday wishes”. You may see slightly different English romanisations because Tamil sounds do not map neatly onto English spelling.

Happy Birthday in Telugu: పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు!

పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు (puṭṭinarōju śubhākāṅkṣalu) means “Best wishes for your birthday”. Keep the doubled ṭṭ in careful romanisation.

Happy Birthday in Malayalam: ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ!

ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ (janmadināśaṁsakaḷ) means “Birthday wishes”. The Malayalam anusvara in ആശംസ is represented by ṁ in this romanisation.

Happy Birthday in Arabic: عيد ميلاد سعيد!

عيد ميلاد سعيد (ʿīd mīlād saʿīd) is the widely understood Modern Standard Arabic phrase. Everyday spoken greetings vary across Arabic dialects; in Egyptian Arabic, you may hear kull sana w-inta ṭayyib to a man or kull sana w-inti ṭayyiba to a woman.

Happy Birthday in Esperanto: Feliĉan naskiĝtagon!

This is the standard Esperanto birthday wish. The ending -n marks the phrase as the object of an implied “I wish you”. Keep the circumflex in feliĉan.

Make the Birthday Wish Personal

Choose one phrase, check the pronunciation with a speaker or recording, then add the person’s name and a short message you genuinely mean. That turns a memorised line into a real connection and gives you a tiny, useful piece of speaking practice.

For more practical first phrases, try our guide to saying hello in different languages or learn how to build a balanced speaking practice routine.