Happy Birthday in Chinese: 生日快乐 and the Birthday Song
沉浸 TeamAugust 6, 20264 min readHappy birthday in Chinese is 生日快乐 (shēngrì kuàilè). Say it on its own, write it in a card, or text it with a cake emoji. It works in every situation, for any age.
Word for word it means "birthday happy," because Chinese puts the occasion first and the wish second. It's one of the friendliest phrases to learn early, and it's part of our essential Chinese phrases guide.
What 生日快乐 means, word by word
The phrase splits into two simple words:
- 生日 (shēngrì): birthday. Literally "birth day."
- 快乐 (kuàilè): happy. A general word for joy and happiness.
Here's the useful part: "X + 快乐" is a pattern, not a one-off. Swap in any holiday and you have a new greeting. 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè) is "happy New Year," and the same trick works for almost any festival.
祝你生日快乐: the full wish (and the birthday song)
To make it a little warmer, add 祝你 (zhù nǐ), "wishing you," to the front:
- 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè): wishing you a happy birthday. A touch more formal and heartfelt than the short version.
This line is also the Chinese birthday song. It's sung to the same tune as "Happy Birthday to You" in English, and the lyric is just 祝你生日快乐 repeated four times. If you can hum the English song, you can already sing the Chinese one.
Other birthday wishes people say
After 生日快乐, friends and family often stack on one or two extra wishes. These are the easy, common ones:
- 祝你健康快乐 (zhù nǐ jiànkāng kuàilè): wishing you health and happiness. A safe choice for anyone, especially older relatives.
- 心想事成 (xīn xiǎng shì chéng): may all your wishes come true. A four-character blessing you'll also hear at New Year.
- 越来越漂亮 (yuè lái yuè piàoliang): "more and more beautiful," a playful wish for women and girls.
- 越来越帅 (yuè lái yuè shuài): "more and more handsome," the version for men and boys.
You don't need all of them. 生日快乐 plus one extra wish already sounds thoughtful.
Chinese birthday traditions worth knowing
A few customs give these phrases some context:
- Longevity noodles, 长寿面 (chángshòu miàn): a bowl of extra-long noodles eaten on birthdays. The long strands stand for a long life, so try not to cut them while eating.
- Red envelopes, 红包 (hóngbāo): cash gifts in red envelopes, often given by parents and grandparents on birthdays as well as at New Year.
- Lunar birthdays: many families, especially older generations, celebrate the birthday date from the lunar calendar. That date shifts each year on the regular calendar, so some people have two birthdays to choose from.
Birthday cake and candles are common in cities too, so a modern celebration often mixes both: cake for the party, noodles for tradition.
How to ask someone's birthday in Chinese
Want to be the one saying 生日快乐 on the right day? Ask like this:
- 你的生日是几月几号? (Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?): What month and day is your birthday?
- 我的生日是五月三号 (Wǒ de shēngrì shì wǔ yuè sān hào): My birthday is May 3rd.
几 (jǐ) means "how many," so the question literally asks "your birthday is which month, which number?" Just swap in the right month and day to answer.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say happy birthday in Mandarin?
Say 生日快乐 (shēngrì kuàilè). For a fuller wish, say 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè), "wishing you a happy birthday." Both are polite and work for anyone.
How do you sing the birthday song in Chinese?
Use the same tune as the English "Happy Birthday to You" and sing 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè) four times. That's the whole song.
What do you write in a Chinese birthday card?
Start with 祝你生日快乐, then add a wish or two, like 心想事成 (xīn xiǎng shì chéng, may your wishes come true) or 祝你健康快乐 (zhù nǐ jiànkāng kuàilè, wishing you health and happiness).
Want to hear 生日快乐 spoken by a native voice and check your own tones? Create a free Chenjin account to look up any word with audio, practice pronunciation with Tone Coach, and save new phrases as flashcards.
