Everybody loves birthdays, and China is no exception. If you live in China for an extended period of time, you will likely wish at least one colleague, friend or classmate “happy birthday!” So how do you say “happy birthday” in Chinese and how are birthdays celebrated in China, anyway? Read on to find out!
• How Do You Say “Happy Birthday” in Chinese?
• Other Ways to Express Birthday Wishes in Chinese
• For Older People
• For Young Women
• For Men (any age)
• For Friends Around Your Own Age (any gender)
• For Children (any gender)
• How Do You Sing the “Happy Birthday” Song in Chinese?
• Calculating Chinese Birth Dates: A Complex Endeavor
• A Different Way of Determining Age
• So Many Birthdays, So Little Time
• The Importance of the Chinese Zodiac
• Chinese Birthday Traditions
• Noodles, Not Cake!
• Lucky Red Underwear
• Gifts
• Here’s to Many Happy Birthdays to Come!
How Do You Say “Happy Birthday” in Chinese?
The easiest way to say “happy birthday” in Chinese is 生日快乐, or “shēngrì kuàilè” in pinyin. The first part of this expression is 生日 (shēngrì) which means “birthday,” and the second is 快乐 (kuàilè) which means “happy.”
Thus, the expression 生日快乐 can be translated literally as “birthday happy.” Flip it around and you get “happy birthday!” You can’t go wrong by saying “生日快乐” to someone on their birthday.
At times, you might also hear Chinese people wishing each other a happy birthday by saying “祝你生日快乐” (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè). This slightly more complex expression, which makes use of the characters 祝 (zhù) and 你 (nǐ), meaning “wish” and “you,” is just another way to say “happy birthday.” Translated literally, it says, “Wish you birthday happy.”
Other Ways to Express Birthday Wishes in Chinese
If you are hoping to say something a bit fancier than just “happy birthday,” you have a variety of expressions to choose from. Often, which expression you use depends on the age and gender of the person you’re addressing. Some of the more common ones are listed below:
For Older People
祝您生日快乐，长命百岁！(zhù nín shēngrì kuàilè, chángmìngbǎisuì!)
Translation: “Happy birthday! May you live to be a hundred years old!”
Explanation: The first part of this greeting is the polite version of 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, meaning “happy birthday”) with the informal 你 (nǐ or “you”) changed to the more respectful 您 (nín or “you”). The second part, 长命百岁 (chángmìngbǎisuì), is an idiomatic expression which, according to Pleco, means “may you live to be a hundred years old.” This definition makes sense if you consider the fact that 长 (cháng) means “long,” 命 (mìng) means “life” and 百岁 (bǎi suì) means “100 years old.”
For Young Women
祝你生日快乐，青春永驻！(zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, qīngchūnyǒngzhù!)
Translation: “Happy Birthday! May you stay young forever!”
Explanation: The first part of this greeting is the informal version of 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè), meaning “happy birthday”. The second part, 青春永驻 (qīngchūnyǒngzhù), is an idiomatic expression meaning “to stay young forever.” It’s possible to guess the meaning of this expression if you know that 青春 (qīngchūn) means “youth” and 永驻 (yǒngzhù) means “eternal.”
For Men (any age)
祝你生日快乐，事业有成！(zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, shìyèyǒuchéng!)
Translation: “Happy birthday! Wishing you professional success!”
Explanation: The first part of this greeting also exclaims “happy birthday!” The second part, 事业有成 (shìyèyǒuchéng) is a wish for achievement of professional success. This is evident when we consider that 事业 (shìyè) means “career” and 有成 (yǒuchéng) means “to achieve success.”
For Friends Around Your Own Age (any gender)
祝你生日快乐，天天开心，幸福美满！(zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, tiāntiān kāixīn, xìngfúměimǎn!)
Translation: “Happy birthday! Hope you will be happy every day! May you achieve perfect happiness!”
Explanation: The first part of this greeting also says “happy birthday!” The second part, 天天开心 (tiāntiān kāixīn), is a relatively informal-sounding greeting which means, “may you be happy every day!” The third part, 幸福美满 (xìngfúměimǎn), sounds a bit more formal and means “may you achieve perfect happiness.” This becomes clear when we consider that 幸福 (xìngfú) means “happiness” and 美满 (měimǎn) means either “happy” or “perfectly satisfactory.”
For Children (any gender)
祝你生日快乐，学业有成！(zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, xuéyèyǒuchéng!)
Translation: “Happy birthday! May you achieve success in your studies!”
Explanation: The first part of this expression also exclaims “happy birthday!” The second part, 学业有成 (xuéyèyǒuchéng), is an idiomatic expression which means “to be successful in one’s studies.” We can infer this meaning since 学业 (xuéyè) means “studies” and 有成 (yǒuchéng) means “to achieve success.”
How Do You Sing the “Happy Birthday” Song in Chinese?
After learning to say “happy birthday” in Chinese, you might be wondering whether it’s common to sing the happy birthday song in China and if so, how to sing it.
Although there was no tradition of singing the happy birthday song in the past, both the tradition and the melody of this familiar song have been borrowed from the West and singing it at birthday parties is now quite popular.
If you’ve mastered the phrase, “祝你生日快乐” (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè), you already know everything you’ll need to sing the happy birthday song!
All you need to do is sing “zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè” four times to the tune of the familiar English-language birthday song.
Calculating Chinese Birth Dates: A Complex Endeavor
While some of the traditions surrounding Chinese birthdays are changing, many aspects are still deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture. Due to the continuing popularity of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, calculating Chinese people’s ages and birth dates is often quite complex.
A Different Way of Determining Age
The traditional Chinese way of calculating age is different from the Western method. According to traditional Chinese age calculation methods, children are already one year old at birth. This tradition explains why in China someone who is 21 if you calculate their age from the year that they were born will sometimes insist that they are actually 22.
In addition, people are traditionally believed to turn one year older on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Thus, even if someone’s 21st birthday is not until June, their older relatives may start saying they are 22 on the first day of the Chinese New Year even if that day falls in January.
Interestingly, these traditional methods can result in your Chinese friends being one and sometimes even two years younger than the age they tell you they are, so watch out! Your Chinese friend who says she is 23 may actually be 22 or even 21 if you calculate her age from the year of her birth using the familiar Western method.
So Many Birthdays, So Little Time
The use of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, or 农历 (nónglì), is still quite popular in China, although the familiar Gregorian calendar, or 阳历 (yánglì), is now widely used for official purposes.
Every Gregorian calendar date has a different corresponding Chinese lunar calendar date that changes every year. You can use an online calendar conversion tool to convert dates from one calendar to another.
The lunar birth date is very important in China and many Chinese people still celebrate their birthdays according to this method of tracking time. However, the official birthdate used on Chinese identity cards (身份证 or shēnfènzhèng) is always calculated using the Gregorian calendar.
Since the Gregorian calendar was not widely used in the countryside until recently, when officials issued official ID cards for those living in the countryside, they sometimes misrecorded people’s birthdays, which resulted in one person having two and sometimes three different dates of birth.
Let’s consider a real-life example. 小王 (Xiǎo Wáng) grew up in a village only knowing his lunar Chinese birth date, which is November 1, 1988 (农历11月初1, or nónglì shíyīyuè chūyī).
When officials came to the village to create Xiao Wang’s ID card, they didn’t bother to ask if the date he gave them corresponded to the lunar or Gregorian calendar. Instead, they simply recorded his official birthdate as November 1, 1988 on the Gregorian calendar.
Unfortunately, however, the correct corresponding Gregorian calendar date for the lunar calendar’s November 1, 1988 is actually December 9, 1988. Thus, he now has three different birthdays: November 1 and December 9 on the Gregorian calendar, plus November 1, 1988 on the lunar calendar, which he considers his “real” birthday.
The Importance of the Chinese Zodiac
If you find the above explanations confusing, you might find comfort in the fact that there is a relatively easy way to tell a Chinese person’s approximate age using the Chinese zodiac, which is a traditional 12-year astrological calendar based on lunar phases.
Each Chinese zodiac year is associated with one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Since the cycle of 12 animals repeats every 12 years and the order never changes, if Xiao Wang tells you he was born in the Year of the Dragon, knowing the order of the zodiac animals and which animal’s year you are currently in would allow you to quickly calculate that he was likely born in 1988 (or 2000 or 1976, depending on how young/old he looks!).
Chinese Birthday Traditions
Now that you’re familiar with how to say “happy birthday” in Chinese and understand the concept of Chinese lunar birth dates, what happens if you get invited to a birthday party? How much do you know about how Chinese birthdays are actually celebrated? Read on to learn what to expect.
Noodles, Not Cake!
Although eating Western-style birthday cake is becoming more common, many people still eat traditional foods along with or instead of cake on this special day.
One of the most common Chinese birthday traditions is to eat a big bowl of “longevity noodles.” In Chinese, these “longevity noodles” are referred to as either 长寿面 (chángshòumiàn) or just 寿面 (shòumiàn) and are thought to represent long life.
Lucky Red Underwear
Another interesting Chinese birthday custom is the tradition of wearing red underwear during one’s zodiac year, or 本命年 (běnmìngnián), which is the year corresponding to the year of the Chinese zodiac in which one was born.
Let’s return to the example of Xiǎo Wáng to see how this works. He was born in 1988, the Year of the Dragon. Thus, he should wear red underwear in each subsequent dragon year (2000, 2022, 2024, and so on).
Since red is considered a lucky color, it is believed that wearing it will help ward off bad luck.
Gifts
Giving birthday gifts, or 礼物 (lǐwù), is common in China. However, there are some things you should remember when it comes to gift-giving in China. For example, it is a good idea to wrap gifts in red paper. Other bright, festive colors are fine, too, but avoid using black or white as they are associated with death and mourning.
If someone in China gives you a gift, keep in mind that it’s considered rude to open it in front of the giver. Also remember that it’s not a good idea to give a Chinese person a clock. This is because the phrase for “give a clock” in Chinese, 送钟 (sòng zhōng), sounds the same as another phrase, 送终 (sòng zhōng), which means to pay one’s last respects to someone who is dead or dying.
Another gift to avoid giving is a green hat. This is because the phrase “to wear a green hat,” or 戴绿帽子 (dài lǜ màozi), means that someone’s wife is cheating on them.
Here’s to Many Happy Birthdays to Come!
Chinese birthdays are fascinating events that are steeped in tradition. If you have a chance to attend one, we hope you now feel more confident that you can wish the birthday boy or girl happy birthday in Chinese and avoid confusion if you happen to witness him or her eating longevity noodles instead of cake!
Now that you know how to wish someone “happy birthday,” why not learn to accept your next birthday invitation in style by exploring our article on some common ways to say “yes” and “no” in Chinese? And once that invitation is in hand, you'll want to learn to greet all the other birthday guests with the help of our list of 12 ways to say “hi” in Chinese. Last but not least, consider preparing for your next Chinese birthday dinner by checking out our list of tips on Chinese table manners. Enjoy!
Hànzì
Pīnyīn
Definition
生日快乐
shēngrì kuàilè
happy birthday
祝你生日快乐
Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè!
Wishing you a happy birthday!
长命百岁
chángmìng-bǎisuì
may you live to be a hundred
青春永驻
qīngchūnyǒngzhù
to stay young forever
事业有成
shìyèyǒuchéng
achieve professional success
天天开心
tiāntiān kāixīn
happy everyday
幸福美满
xìngfú měimǎn
perfect happiness
学业有成
xuéyèyǒuchéng
to be successful in one’s studies
农历
nónglì
the Chinese lunar calendar
阳历
yánglì
the Gregorian calendar
长寿面
chángshòumiàn
longevity noodles
本命年
běnmìngnián
traditional birth year according to the Chinese zodiac
礼物
lǐwù
gift
过生日
guò shēngrì
celebrate one's birthday
Whenever you go to see your seniors, they always come to you with a big smile. They hug you and make you feel welcome and accepted in their homes. It is always an amazing experience to share in their birthdays. It is important to make them feel as special as they are to you on the day of their birthday.
Messages to an elderly can make all the difference in the world, if you are around and even if you are a bit far away from them. Here are some examples of birthday messages one can send them:
Birthday Wishes Messages for Elderly
• It isn't just an honor to be known as one of your children, it is a special honor and I appreciate it so much. Happy Birthday dad. Love you so much.
• Anyone who has the privilege of living with you will know all it needs to grow old. I'm glad that I know the secret to old age. Happy Birthday grandpa.
• I really feel honored to have given you some home support when I was on holiday. It's really nice to live with elderly people. Happy Birthday grandma.
• May your days keep being elongated, even as you're so aged. Happy Birthday best grandma. The love I have for you is so strong. Enjoy your special day.
• Having people like you around us gives us confidence to approach life, because your advice are always spot on. Happy Birthday Granny.
• At this very age, you still find life very pleasant and you feel the need to live it to the fullest, I wonder what your secret is. Happy Birthday, Grand-pa.
• After living all these long years in the land of the living, I want you to have a break, don’t think about anything other than how to enjoy every bit of the rest of your life. Happy Birthday to my great old-man.
• God shall bless your old age and make all that you have labored for come out in a bright and shinning color. Have a wonderful birthday.
• Like they say, wine gets finer and better when they stay longer in their bottle, your worth and value keeps increasing year in year out, that we want to have you around for another hundreds of years. Happy Birthday granny.
• You never cease to have a story to tell any day, any time and they are stories to learn from. I appreciate every bit of time I have spent with you, hoping to have more. Happy Birthday granny.
• The abundance of your loving kindness is something really hard to come-by. Happy Birthday grand pa.
• Having you around makes me feel like one day I’m gonna be as old as this and without teeth, how am I gonna cope because I love meats! Your strength and the number of your age is admirable. Happy Birthday!
• Age is just a number, not a restriction to be lively. Some will come to discourage you that you shouldn’t do some things again. But I want you to live a well pleasing life, keep being strong. Happy Birthday!
• Happy Birthday sir, you are not an old man, you are just 18 with several decades of experience in life, and we will go party on Friday. Don’t be scared sir. Stay young forever.
• You have had so much of influence on people, you have left an indelible mark on our lives, and you will be forever cherished. Stay forever young, old man. Happy Birthday!
• Life always reminds us for what we have done unto others, you have done much more than people could talk enough about. I wish you more years ahead and in good strength. Happy Birthday!
• It is rare to find an old man of your age with such a sharp memory as you anywhere in the world. You seem to remember every little thing that happened to you, listening to you speak is a great pleasure. Happy Birthday!
• May you have more peace and a joyful heart to witness many more years on earth. Happy Birthday rare and wise old man.
• The beauty of every old person is in their openness and warm character. It is surprising that you possess a lot more than that. Keep enjoying life. Happy Birthday!
• You deserve every good thing that you are enjoying right now, because you have diligently worked at your youthful age. Happy Birthday grand-pa.
• My heart melts to know that you are still strong, excited and very happy about many things at this age. May God grant you many more years in good health! Happy Birthday.
• Your life well lived has added a lot of value to this world and we are all in your debt. I hope you live the rest of your days in happiness and with a sound mind. Happy Birthday!
• Happy Birthday my blessed elder, you are the most amazing and gifted senior that I have ever met. I am glad I have some time to spend with you. Have a blast.
• It’s your birthday my dear advanced friend and I cannot be any happier sharing it with you. I hope you have the most spectacular time on this day.
• Dear past middle age elder, you make me happy every time I see that smile. I hope you have the most amazing birthday in the world. Have a good time old timer.
• My wise elder, it’s your day, your day to enjoy yourself and everything that surrounds you. I hope you have the most spectacular birthday. I love you.
• It’s your day, as you get along in years, brings out those amazing stories, and advises, not to forget all the instruction you have taught me, the ever good ways. I love to listen to. May this day be filled with joy my aged one. Happy Birthday!
• May you have many more my senior, I love you so much. Thank you for being in my life, you mean too much to me. Have a wonderful birthday.
• I wish you an amazing birthday my elder, may jazz make you happier, may you grow healthier and may your days be filled with love.
• Happy Birthday dear advanced one, you are the sweetest person in my life, I hope you enjoy this day my senior. I love you a lot.
• This is a spectacular day for my favorite person, I love you so much my rock. Have a great birthday elder one!
• Happy Birthday as you get along with years, you are the most interesting past middle-aged person in my world to me. Have a great birthday dear aged one.
• Elder, I hope this day turns out as you planned. I hope it brings you joy to see all your family together all raising a glass in your honor. I hope you have fun, have a blast senior one.
• Aged one, you mean so much to me; I love you to the moon and back. I always want to see that pretty smile as much as I can. I hope you have the best birthday ever. You deserve all the best for being such an amazing motivator.
• Happy Birthday my senior, you are the wisest elder I know of; I hope this day brings you joy and cheer. Have a good time senior one.
• Happy Birthday my inspiring elder, you are my mentor I look up to the strong elder you are. I am glad I got a chance to share this day with you. Have a beautiful birthday.
• Elder, you are the sweetest aged senior I know of. I hope this day brings you joy and cheer, I love you so much!! Happy Birthday.
• Happy Birthday old one, you are an elder I can surely look up to. I hope someday I can be as brave, strong and as wise as you are.
• This is your day my senior, enjoy yourself. You deserve all the joy and happiness the world has to offer. I love you. Happy Birthday!
• Happy Birthday my elder one, I just want to thank you for being actively in my life, thank you for all the wisdom, cheer and joy you bring into my life. I love you so much, have fun.
• I hope this birthday celebration will bring you so much of joy that will match the joy you have put in the faces of many people. You won’t be able to contain that joy because you have gladdened the heart of many.
• Happy Birthday for the loveliest lady, I know you have crossed your golden jubilee but for us, you are still like a happy-go-lucky woman with full of kindness, joviality, and cheerfulness. May you live a long happy life.
• Getting older is not a big deal but with age to keep your heart young and lively is the biggest deal. Happy Birthday to the most active man of our family.
• You are still more productive what the younger people would have; having a powerful stamina, thoughtfulness, cherished mind and excellent sense of rationality. Happy Birthday to the most senior employee in our organization.
• You are popular in our family for having stereotypical laws and institutive mind, but we still love you. Happy Birthday dearest aunty.
• You are getting naughty after crossing your forty. Happy Birthday to you my sweet elder cousin.
• People having higher studies getting psychotic, it is bit considering at some places. But you have a drastic change in your personality, thoughts, and humor. Happy Birthday my elder sister. Love you so much.
• You are the most cheerful lady I have ever met, may God bestow you more patience, wisdom, power, and a healthy prosper life ahead. Happy Birthday, sweetie.
• Your personality, way of talking, sensibility, rational decisions and family spirit demonstrate the true meanings of life. Happy Birthday to my dearest grandfather.
• The age in which you are integrated sensed an older age, but please don’t worry science has introduced a new prosthetic makeup which can take you go 25 years back to your life. Happy Birthday dear aunt.
• There is no regret over spilt milk, whatever the days we have spent in our past, are so teasing but we should move on. Happy Birthday dearest elder brother, let’s forget everything and enjoy the fullest.
• You just proved to me that age is not a barrier to living a well fulfilled and satisfactory life. May God bless your new age and give you many more time to put smile on our face. Happy Birthday!
• Despite our age difference, You are closer to me than my colleagues and friends. I always benefit from your advice. Have the best birthday ever.
• The best way to celebrate people of old age like you is to have you sit down on a nice sit and have you tell of your best and worst moments in life. It will be enlightening. Happy Birthday, we celebrate you.
Best Birthday Wishes for Elderly Person
• Seeing life inside out can make a person wanna give up with living it, but the reverse is the case with you, you have seen a lot and yet wanna achieve more. Happy Birthday granny.
• Though we have a big difference in our ages, but for me, you are my best friend, a mentor, a good teacher and a brother. Happy Birthday to my greatest old friend
• One more beautiful year of your life has passed away. I wish to God you are not bounded with age and you always remain with us with your full liveliness and cheerfulness. Happy Birthday!
• As you grow older than you already are, I wish you an everlasting time as you celebrate your birthday, you mean so much to me and I love you so much.
• Have a beautiful birthday granny, you have the best heart, the youngest soul and the most wisdom. I love you and wish you a longer life, my world is definitely better with you around.
• Have a great birthday granddad, you are the most important person in my life and I never want to lose you. Have fun as you celebrate another year of growing even older.
• The more we grow up, the nearer we are to death. But no one can deny the reality of death. The time you have left, enjoy to its fullest. Happy Birthday!
• Life is the anthem of love, and everyone has to sing it. So let’s enjoy life with every celebration. Happy Birthday my sweet elder sister.
• It is a boon for us to be able to plan a birthday party of our dear father. A ninetieth birthday is even more exceptional as it is a landmark that most of the people don't attain in their lives. Happy Birthday, dear papa, wish you a peaceful life ahead.
• Some elderly people become weary and lethargic, but I found you as vigorously energetic and full of fun-loving person. Happy Birthday and always cheer up!
• Your aged depressed eyes, wilt, and wrinkled face narrate the grievances and vexation of your life. But don’t get upset, pleasing moments will embrace you. Happy Birthday!