How Do I Say Happy Birthday in Chinese

Birth­days are uni­ver­sal, yet the way they are cel­e­brat­ed varies across cul­tures. If you have Chi­nese-speak­ing friends, fam­i­ly, or col­leagues, learn­ing how to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Chi­nese is a thought­ful and mean­ing­ful way to join in their cel­e­bra­tion. Man­darin Chi­nese not only offers a tra­di­tion­al phrase for wish­ing some­one a hap­py birth­day but also includes sev­er­al vari­a­tions to suit dif­fer­ent con­texts and rela­tion­ships. Plus, Chi­nese birth­day tra­di­tions add unique cul­tur­al charm to the fes­tiv­i­ties.

By the end of this blog, you’ll know how to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Man­darin, explore alter­na­tive phras­es, and even learn a bit about tra­di­tion­al Chi­nese birth­day cus­toms.

The Traditional Way to Say Happy Birthday in Chinese

The most com­mon way to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Man­darin is 生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè). This phrase is wide­ly used in Chi­nese-speak­ing regions and is suit­able for near­ly any con­text.

Here’s a break­down of the phrase:

• 生日 (shēng rì) means “birth­day.”
  • 生 (shēng) trans­lates to “birth” or “to give birth.”
  • 日 (rì) means “day.”
• 快乐 (kuài lè) means “hap­py.”
  • 快 (kuài) trans­lates to “fast” or “quick,” but in this con­text, it sig­ni­fies “hap­pi­ness.”
  • 乐 (lè) trans­lates to “joy” or “plea­sure.”

Put togeth­er, 生日快乐 lit­er­al­ly means “birth­day hap­pi­ness” or sim­ply “Hap­py Birth­day.”

When to Use “生日快乐”

You can use 生日快乐 with almost every­one, includ­ing friends, fam­i­ly, col­leagues, and even acquain­tances. The phrase is neu­tral and uni­ver­sal­ly under­stood, mak­ing it per­fect for any casu­al or for­mal sit­u­a­tion.

Alternative Ways to Wish Happy Birthday in Chinese

Depend­ing on the con­text, rela­tion­ship, or lev­el of for­mal­i­ty, there are oth­er ways to express birth­day wish­es in Chi­nese. Here are some exam­ples:

For Elders or Seniors

When wish­ing an old­er per­son a hap­py birth­day, you may want to show more respect or invoke bless­ings for longevi­ty. Here are two com­mon phras­es:

• 祝您生日快乐 (zhù nín shēng rì kuài lè): This is a polite and respect­ful way to say “Hap­py Birth­day to you.” The word 您 (nín) is a for­mal way to say “you” in Chi­nese, appro­pri­ate for elders or author­i­ty fig­ures.
• 祝您福如东海，寿比南山 (zhù nín fú rú dōng hǎi, shòu bǐ nán shān): This trans­lates to “May your hap­pi­ness be as vast as the East Sea, and may your longevi­ty match the South Moun­tain.” This poet­ic phrase is used to wish elders a long and pros­per­ous life.

To Wish Someone Luck or Success

For good for­tune and career suc­cess, you can say:

• 祝你前程似锦 (zhù nǐ qián chéng sì jǐn): “Wish­ing you a bright future.”
• 祝你好运连连 (zhù nǐ hǎo yùn lián lián): “Wish­ing you con­tin­u­ous good luck.”

For Close Friends or Loved Ones

If you’re wish­ing a close friend or sig­nif­i­cant oth­er, you might add a play­ful or heart­felt touch:

• 亲爱的，生日快乐! (qīn ài de, shēng rì kuài lè): “Dear, Hap­py Birth­day!”
• 生日快乐，永远开心 (shēng rì kuài lè, yǒng yuǎn kāi xīn): “Hap­py Birth­day, always stay hap­py.”

Regional Variations in Saying Happy Birthday

While 生日快乐 is the stan­dard phrase in Man­darin, there may be slight vari­a­tions in pro­nun­ci­a­tion or expres­sion depend­ing on the region:

• Can­tonese: The equiv­a­lent way to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Can­tonese is 生日快樂 (sāang yaht faai lohk). This is wide­ly used in Hong Kong and parts of Guang­dong province.
• Tai­wan: Man­darin is the offi­cial lan­guage in Tai­wan, so you’ll hear 生日快乐, but some­times locals add phras­es like 祝你一切顺心 (zhù nǐ yī qiè shùn xīn), which means “Wish­ing you every­thing goes smooth­ly.”

Learn­ing the region­al ways to say “Hap­py Birth­day” can add a per­son­al touch when cel­e­brat­ing with peo­ple from dif­fer­ent Chi­nese-speak­ing areas.

Traditional Chinese Birthday Customs

Beyond the words, Chi­nese cul­ture places sig­nif­i­cant mean­ing on how birth­days are cel­e­brat­ed. Here are some unique tra­di­tions:

Eating Longevity Noodles

Noo­dles sym­bol­ize long life in Chi­nese cul­ture, mak­ing them a must-have at birth­day cel­e­bra­tions. Known as 长寿面 (cháng shòu miàn) or “longevi­ty noo­dles,” the longer the noo­dle, the bet­ter! Cut­ting these noo­dles is con­sid­ered bad luck, as it might “short­en” the per­son­’s life.

Red Eggs

Red is a lucky colour in Chi­nese cul­ture, sym­bol­iz­ing for­tune and hap­pi­ness. Red-dyed boiled eggs, called 红鸡蛋 (hóng jī dàn), are often served at a birth­day cel­e­bra­tion to bring good luck to the birth­day per­son.

The Significance of Numbers

Num­bers play an impor­tant role in Chi­nese birth­day rit­u­als. For exam­ple, the num­ber 8 is con­sid­ered very lucky due to its sim­i­lar­i­ty in sound to the word for “pros­per­i­ty” (发 / fā). On the oth­er hand, the num­ber 4 is gen­er­al­ly avoid­ed, as it sounds like the word for “death” (死 / sǐ).

Traditional Birthday Gifts

Gift­ing is also a con­sid­er­able part of Chi­nese birth­days. Com­mon gifts include fruit bas­kets, red envelopes with mon­ey (红包 / hóng bāo), wine, or health sup­ple­ments for elders.

Celebrate Birthdays the Chinese Way

Now that you’ve learned how to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Chi­nese, as well as the rich tra­di­tions and cul­tur­al nuances behind it, you’re ready to bring joy to your Chi­nese-speak­ing friends and fam­i­ly on their spe­cial day. Whether it’s sim­ply say­ing 生日快乐, toast­ing with a bowl of longevi­ty noo­dles, or gift­ing a red enve­lope, your effort will sure­ly be appre­ci­at­ed.

Want to explore more phras­es or deep­en your under­stand­ing of Man­darin? Keep learn­ing, prac­tis­ing, and con­nect­ing with oth­ers to cel­e­brate cul­tur­al diver­si­ty and make every “Hap­py Birth­day” extra spe­cial.

Frequently Asked Questions about Saying ‘Happy Birthday’ in Chinese

1. How do you say “Happy Birthday” in Chinese?

The phrase for “Hap­py Birth­day” in Chi­nese is 生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè). “生日” (shēng rì) means “birth­day,” and “快乐” (kuài lè) means “hap­py.”

2. How do you pronounce “生日快乐”?

It’s pro­nounced as shuh­ng ree kwai luh. Break­ing it down:

• Shēng (Shuang) – ris­ing tone
• Rì (ree) – falling tone
• Kuài (kwai) – falling-ris­ing tone
• Lè (duh) – falling-ris­ing tone

3. Are there alternative ways to say “Happy Birthday”?

Yes! Here are a few oth­er ways:

• 生日幸福 (shēng rì xìng fú): “Wish­ing you a hap­py and joy­ful birth­day.”
• 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè): A more for­mal way to say “Hap­py Birth­day to you.”
• 祝你生日快乐并健康 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè bìng jiàn kāng): “Wish­ing you a hap­py birth­day and good health.”

4. Are there specific birthday traditions in Chinese culture?

Yes, there are sev­er­al tra­di­tions:

• Eat­ing longevi­ty noo­dles (长寿面, cháng shòu miàn): These sym­bol­ize a long and pros­per­ous life. The longer the noo­dle, the bet­ter!
• Birth­day buns (寿桃包, shòu táo bāo): These are peach-shaped steamed buns often gift­ed to elders.
• Red envelopes (红包, hóng bāo): Giv­ing red envelopes with mon­ey as a birth­day gift is com­mon, espe­cial­ly for chil­dren and elders.

5. Is it okay to sing the “Happy Birthday” song in Chinese?

Def­i­nite­ly! The song’s melody stays the same, and the lyrics in Man­darin are:

“祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐，祝你永远快乐！”  

(Pro­nounced as Zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè, zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè, zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè, zhù nǐ yǒng yuǎn kuài lè!)

6. When is it inappropriate to celebrate birthdays in Chinese culture?

Some tra­di­tions sug­gest avoid­ing large cel­e­bra­tions for:

• Mile­stone birth­days, like turn­ing 30 for women or 40 for men, due to asso­ci­at­ed super­sti­tions.
• Birth­days dur­ing mourn­ing peri­ods after a fam­i­ly mem­ber’s death.

7. What are familiar phrases to include in birthday well wishes?

Here are some pop­u­lar phras­es:

• 祝你身体健康 (zhù nǐ shēn tǐ jiàn kāng): Wish­ing you good health.
• 万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì): May all your dreams come true.
• 长命百岁 (cháng mìng bǎi suì): May you live a long life.

8. Can you write “Happy Birthday” in pinyin?

Sure! The pinyin for “Hap­py Birth­day” is shēng rì kuài lè.

9. What are typical birthday gifts in Chinese culture?

Gift-giv­ing is a vital birth­day tra­di­tion. Some pop­u­lar options include:

• Fresh fruits like apples or oranges for bless­ings of safe­ty and for­tune.
• Tea, gin­seng, or longevi­ty noo­dles for elders to sig­ni­fy health and longevi­ty.

10. Is age counting the same in Chinese culture?

Not exactly. Traditionally, Chinese people consider a newborn one-year-old at birth. Additionally, everyone’s age was historically increased during Chinese New Year, regardless of their actual birthdate. However, this has shifted with the adoption of the Western system in modern times.

Here are two exter­nal links relat­ed to say­ing “Hap­py Birth­day” in Chi­nese and Chi­nese birth­day tra­di­tions:

1. Hap­py Birth­day in Chi­nese 🎉 Learn What & What Not To Say — This arti­cle explains how to say “Hap­py Birth­day” in Chi­nese and pro­vides addi­tion­al insights into relat­ed phras­es.
2. Chi­nese Birth­days: Tra­di­tions and Taboos — This resource dives into Chi­nese birth­day tra­di­tions, taboos, and cul­tur­al nuances.

Read Also:

How to Say “Thank You in Chi­nese” — A Com­plete Guide