How to Say Happy Birthday in Chinese
生日快乐 – shēngrì kuàilè : Happy Birthday (lit. Birth – Day – Happy)
祝你生日快乐 – zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè : Wish you a Happy Birthday (lit. Wish – You – Birth – Day – Happy)
However, there are many other was to say happy birthday in Chinese that you can impress your friends with even more.
(if you’re looking for the standard phrases, those are the ones to go for! And also the ones to feature in the chinese happy birthday song – see below!)
Happy Birthday in Chinese for Children
• 生日快乐 – shēngrì kuàilè
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday in Chinese for Young/Middle-Aged Females
• 祝你生日快乐，年年十八zhù nǐ shēnɡ rì kuài lè, nián nián shí bā
Wish you a happy birthday, may you live as young as years old every year.
Happy Birthday in Chinese for the Elderly
• 祝你福如东海，寿比南山Zhù nǐ fú rú dōng hǎi, shòu bǐ nán shān
May your fortune be as boundless as the East Sea and your life is as long as the Nan Shan.
• 祝你年年有今日，岁岁有今朝Zhù nǐ nián nián yǒu jīn rì, suì suì yǒu jīn zhāo.
You have this day (can celebrate your birthday) every year in the future.
Happy Birthday in Chinese to Friends
If you want to say happy birthday in Chinese to friends with more emphasis (or you really want to show off that much), you can add in a couple of chengyu;
• 心想事成, xīn xiǎng shì chéng
May all your wishes come true.
• 天天快乐, tiān tiān kuài lè
I hope you’re happy every day.
Talking about a Birthday in Chinese
你几岁了？nǐ jǐ suì le？
How old are you now?
你属什么的？nǐ shǔ shén me de?
你的生日是什么时候？Nǐ de shēngrì shì shénme shíhòu?
When is your birthday?
你平时怎么过生日？Nǐ píngshí zěnmeguò shēngrì?
What do you usually do to celebrate your birthday?
我打算跟朋友一起去酒吧喝酒/去餐厅吃饭。Wǒ dǎsuàn gēn péngyǒu yīqǐ qù jiǔbā hējiǔ/qù cāntīng chīfàn.
I plan to go to a bar/restaurant with my friends.
你的生日愿望是什么?， nǐ de shēng rì yuàn wàng shì shén me
What is your birthday wish？
我__岁了, wǒ __ suì le
I am __ years old.
你要吃蛋糕吗? nǐ yào dàn gāo ma？
Do you want cake?
谢谢你的礼物， xiè xiè nǐ de lǐ wù
Thank you for the present.
Happy Birthday in Chinese Song
• 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè)
• Happy Birthday to You
• 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè)
• Happy Birthday to You
• 祝你幸福， 祝你健康 (zhù nǐ xìng fú, zhù nǐ jiàn kāng)
• Here’s to your happiness, Here’s to your good health
• 祝你前途光明 (zhù nǐ qián tú guāng míng)
• May your future be bright
• 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè)
• Happy Birthday to You
• 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè)
• Happy Birthday to You
• 祝你幸福， 祝你健康 (zhù nǐ xìng fú, zhù nǐ jiàn kāng)
• Here’s to your happiness, Here’s to your good health
• 有个温暖家庭 (yǒu gè wēn nuǎn jiā tíng)
Chinese Birthday Traditions
Chinese people may not celebrate their birthday’s as much as in some western countries, but saying happy birthday in Chinese is something you’re bound to come across a lot.
Chinese people usually celebrate their birthdays much quieter than other countries, getting a few friends or family together, and often only really celebrating big important birthdays.
Traditionally, Chinese people would eat longevity noodles.
This is common in a few Asian countries and comes from the fact that the noodles are long and therefore represent long life. These noodles are called 寿面 (shòu miàn).
Nowadays, younger people look towards the west and celebrate in a similar way.
Birthday cake is becoming the norm and people are celebrating with much larger parties – and every year, instead of traditionally just big birthdays for significant years.
Despite this, celebrating a birthday in China is still kept as an important family event, especially so for newborns and the elderly.
Chinese Birthday Gifts
Once you’ve learnt how to say happy birthday in Chinese to your good Chinese friend, you’ll want to pay attention to some important gift-giving rules in China. (Look back up for the word for birthday present in Chinese).
China, a country still shrouded by traditions and suspicions, has some pretty strict rules for what not to give for a birthday present.
Good gifts for Chinese people basically involve all of the normal stuff. For example, chocolates, cosmetics, clothing, etc.
Bad Chinese Birthday Gifts
• Clocks
Clocks represent time, so giving a clock could suggest that time is running out. The Chinese words meaning to ‘give a clock’ 送鐘 (sòng zhōng) sounds like (or exactly the same actually) 送終 (sòng zhōng) which means to pay one’s last respects.
• Towels
Towels are often given out at funerals, so these are best avoided to avoid association.
• White/yellow chrysanthemums
These are usually given at funerals.
Another interesting example… don't get a mirror! Why?
A mirror is a bad gift in China because they are seen to attract ghosts, so avoid giving these as gifts!
Who knew!
Birthday in Chinese – FAQ's
How do you say Happy Birthday in Chinese?Happy Birthday in Chinese is 生日快乐 – shēngrì kuàilè
How do you say gift in Chinese?Gift in Chinese is 礼物 Lǐwù
How do you say “When is your birthday” in Chinese? What is a bad birthday gift in Chinese?Clocks and shoes because they have bad homophones
Also towels and white/yellow chrysanthemums
Is it true Chinese like to eat noodles on their birthday?It is! Traditionally, Chinese people would eat longevity noodles on their birthday.
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Written by
Our LTL Team's are based in Beijing (HQ), Shanghai, Taiwan, Beihai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Singapore and Chengde! A mix of Chinese and foreign staff, we now boast over 50 staff members!
You will get a reply from us
• So weird about the bad gifts, not sure who buys clocks as gifts anyway
• Another great anecdote about Chinese culture! Such a deep history with so much to discover Harry.
• What about Merry Christmas?
• Merry Christmas in Mandarin 圣诞节快乐 (Shèngdàn jié kuàilè).
• Do you have a Christmas blog also?
• THanks for the flashcards! really useful
Cheeky Kid is a cybernaut who spends a lot of time browsing the web, grasping infinite information, and reveling in entertainment and fun.
Why wish someone something a little more creative than "happy birthday" this year?
Rebecca Wiggins, CC0, via Unsplash
We all know people are tired of hearing age-related jokes on their birthday, but I think it’s equally tiring to hear the old adage “happy birthday” every single year. While there’s nothing wrong with this classic phrase, we can always do better.
The intention of this list is to help you get creative with your wishes! There are countless ways to deliver birthday greetings. All we have to do is tap into the stream of ingenuity. We can be inventive, funny, witty, or clever about it. What’s important is that the message remains intact.
So, help yourself to this collection of alternative ways to say “happy birthday!” Break the norm and add some spark to the celebration.
New and Different Ways to Say “Happy Birthday”
• A million magic wishes to you!
• A remarkable year to come!
• All the best to you and the years to come.
• Blow the candle and make a wish.
• Haberday!
• Happy anni-birth-sary!
• Happy anniversary with life.
• Happy Beerday!
• Happy birthday you. Did you know that you’re one of the few people in the world that I can actually tolerate?
• Happy day of birth to you!
• Happy level-up day!
• Happy oldieth birthday.
• Have a blast!
• Have a smashing birthday.
• Have a spectacular time.
• Have an awesome day.
• HBD!
• Here’s a bouquet of happiness for you.
• How old are you again? 63?!
• I wish you never stop enjoying all the happy, little moments in your life.
• I’m happy that you were born on this day.
• It’s another year, and it’s still the same old you.
• It's time to celebrate!
• Let’s party!
• Let’s raise a toast to you and your life.
• Many more days, months, and years to come for you.
• May this day be as special as you are.
• The more candles you blow, the merrier. Blow them all away and wish for the best!
• May your day be filled with sweet things and cake.
• Sending laughter and joy on your way.
• To your good health.
• To your happiness.
• Wishing you a day that is overflowing with beer and happiness.
A million magic wishes to you!
Delaney Dawson, CC0, via Unsplash
How to Say “Happy Birthday” in Different Languages
• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag – German.
• Bon Anniversaire – French.
• Buon Compleanno – Italian.
• Charoúmena Genéthlia – Greek.
• Eyd Mawlid Saeid – Arabic.
• Feliz Aniversario – Portugese.
• Feliz Cumpleaños – Spanish.
• Furaha ya Kuzaliwa – Swahili.
• Gefeliciteerd Met Je Verjaardag – Dutch.
• Gratulerer Med Dagen – Norwegian.
• Hauʻoli lā hānau – Hawaiian.
• La Multi Ani – Romanian.
• Maligayang Kaarawan – Filipino.
• Otanjoubi Omedetou – Japanese.
• Saeng-il Chugha – Korean.
• Selamat Hari Lahir – Malaysian.
• Selamat Ulang Tahun – Indonesian.
• Sheng Ri Kuai Le – Chinese.
• Veels Geluk Met Jou Verjaarsdag – Afrikaans.
Funny Birthday Messages and Wishes
• Another step to the grave.
• Call me if you need help disposing of a body. Since it’s your birthday, the first one is free of charge.
• Cheers, you just went from b*tch to old b*tch!
• Congratulations, you’re another year closer to death.
• Don’t mind the past for you can’t change it. Stop thinking about the future for you can’t anticipate it. Pay no heed about the present for I didn’t get you one.
• Enjoy the dash between the two dates on your tombstone.
• Here’s to aging and wrinkles.
• Hmmm...didn’t we celebrate this just a year ago?
• Hooray, you just survived another year.
• I know it’s your special day but please take it slow. Too many birthdays can kill you.
• I know you’re old but I still got you a toy, so enjoy!
• I salute you for not being dead till this day.
• I see you’re still alive. Congratulations!
• I’m greeting you first so that I can feel superior to the rest of your well-wishers. Hence, happy birthday!
• Isn’t it weird that we’re celebrating at regular intervals as your life runs out? Anyway, cheers to you!
• It’s your day. Take it as a chance to do something stupid.
• May this special day of yours be absolutely terrific, and your hangover be compassionately negligible.
• May you be as fabulous as me on this special day of yours.
• Merry Christmas! Don’t ask.
• Now, now, don’t get all weird about getting older, you hear me.
• Oh, come on! Quit being younger than me!
• Okay, happy birthday. Now get back to work!
• Remember that I will always be there to pick you up when you fall. But only after I stop laughing. Happy birthday, my friend!
• This is the perfect day to thank me for remembering your birthday.
• Today’s a great excuse for you to make some bad decisions. Let’s party!
• Well, at least you’re not as old as you will be next year.
• Woah, you made it to another year without dying. Congratulations!
• Wow, you made another 365-day revolution around the sun! I hope you always enjoy your trips.
• Let’s eat cake, drink booze, and party all day and night. After all, it’s your birthday!
• You should feel like a newborn baby.
• You’re adopted.
• You’re a year closer to getting that senior citizen’s discount. Keep at it!
Here's to aging and wrinkles!
Jorge Ibanez, CC0, via Unsplash
Creative and Witty Ways to Say "Happy Birthday"
• Be happy because you will never be as young as you are today.
• Birthday hugs and kisses incoming!
• Congratulations on the new wrinkle on your face.
• Happy level-up day! I see you’ve gained a lot of XP in your life already.
• Happy independence day from the womb.
• Happy womb eviction day!
• How’s the cruel world treating you? I hope you’re all good.
• Just because it’s your birthday today doesn’t mean you’re special. You see, you are always special no matter what day it is.
• I can’t help but imagine how you would look like with a cake stuffed on your face. Happy birthday!
• I commend you and your ability to evade death. Your survival skills are the real deal!
• I don’t have the power to manipulate the wind direction. However, I wish to change the direction of happiness and point it all towards you.
• I know many people, but you’re one of the few whose birthday is today.
• I’m looking forward to more of your shenanigans in the future. More mischief to come!
• I’m just here for the cake.
• If you were Jesus, today would be Christmas.
• Please enjoy your nth trip around the sun!
• Savor this happy day for you will be dead soon.
• Smile while you still have teeth.
• The older you get, the finer you become—just like wine.
• What else could you wish for? I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
• Wow, you survived another trip around the sun.
• Youth may be fleeting, but you can stay immature forever.
• You are way close to becoming a classic!
• Yours is one of the few birthdays I approve of.
May your day be as sweet as your birthday cake.
Joyce Adams, CC0, via Unsplash
Other Ways to Say "Happy Birthday"
• Do you know what I got for you? It’s the most precious gift I can ever give to you—the gift of friendship!
• Don’t count your candles. Just enjoy the glow.
• Don’t think about anything else today. Yours meals are on me!
• Happy Birthday! Be good, but not too good.
• I know it’s against the rules, but I wish you to have many more wishes granted on your special day.
• I see you’ve got a lot of experience in life.
• I wish you a happier birthday than anyone else has wished you.
• I’m sending you smiles and laughs to make your special day brighter.
• Know that I will forever keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
• Let’s celebrate this epic day with an extravagant celebration.
• Make all of your years count!
• May everything you wish for be granted to you.
• May each candle you blow today grant you a wish.
• May your day be as sweet as your birthday cake.
• No matter how old you get, you seem to be forever young.
• No one holds a candle to you. Nope, not even the candles on your birthday cake.
• The best things in life are yet to come for you.
• The best way to count your life is not by the number of years you lived, but by the number of friends you have.
• The key to living a happy life is to always live it like you’re a child.
• You always make me happy, so I plan to make you even more happy on today’s occasion.
• You can’t escape growing old. You can, however, always grow up in meaningful ways.
• You yourself are a gift to Earth.
• You’re older now, but you never seem to get old.
Tqu on August 24, 2022:
Haha just love it full of creative enjoy to read this blog
antoinette on August 22, 2022:
Funny and creative
Idongesit Sunday on August 07, 2022:
I love dis webpage
ANDREW SAYAN on July 29, 2022:
Happy birthday wish
bernice on July 13, 2022:
good jobs
David B Katague on November 09, 2022:
Enjoy reading this blog! It reminded me on my article on how to send congratulatory messages and compliments with more personality and warmth, instead of just the one word-CONGRATULATIONS !
40 Happy Birthday Quotes For Friend
Find a Happy Birthday quote for a friend to wish them a happy day on this special occasion.The birthday of a friend is a reason to celebrate. Make them feel special and appreciated by recognizing the day they were born. Share one of these quotes with them and bring a smile to their face.
Inspiring and encouraging quotes to share with your pal!
• May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks.
May your heart be as light as a song.
May each day bring you bright happy hours,
that stay with you all year long.
Irish Quotes and Saying
New Day
• May your dreams come true in the coming year.
May each day be filled with nothing but cheer.
Happiness is wished for you dear gal,
Happy Birthday to My Pal!
Dream
• Life is better with someone like you in it. Wishing you happiness and sunshine in the coming year.
Meaningful Quotes
• Times have changed my Friend, but the one thing that has not changed is that we keep aging together each year.
Funny Quotes
• Warmest wishes go your way for all that makes you smile on this special day!
• Forget the failures of the past year and stay focused on the success that you'll have in the coming year. Yesterday is gone, your birthday it is, so be happy my friend, you have reached another year!
Failure
• The passing years are like teachers. They show us the right way to do things. So, my friend, with all your experience next year should be a good one. Happy Birth'd.
Teacher
• You are my sister, you are my friend. We will be pals to the very end. Happy Birthday to my Sis-Friend.
Sister
• A birthday is just another day where you go to work and people give you love. Age is just a state of mind, and you are as old as you think you are. You have to count your blessings and be happy. Abhishek Bachchan
Birthday
Friendship Poems
• What age is happiest?
Had you asked me,
I would have made this plea:
the Now is best.
Wilhelmina Stitch, The Happiest Age
Birthday Poems
• Enthusiasm and happiness you bring to others, my friend. May the people surrounding you on this your birthday bring you more. Kate Summers
Enthusiasm
• Happy Birthday to you, my friend. You deserve a great day.
• We have gone through the valleys and seen the mountain tops during our friendship. This birthday I wish you only mountain tops for the coming year.
Mountain
• May God give you many blessings on this day and for the coming year.
• When we are together I feel like I can just be myself. No matter what I say or do you never judge. You truly are a great friend. Happy Birthday, thanks for being you. Kate Summers
Thank You
• My friend, just a number is all that is age. Life is like a book, so keep turning the page.
• You are a great pal
I think you are swell
Born you were today
May you be happy in every way!
Happy
• On this special day, I want to thank you for always being there. A true friend you are. Wishing you a Happy Birthday and many more!
Happy Birthday Wishes
• You listen, you understand, you are fun to be with. So on this birthday may you have lots of fun, hugs, and love from all of us who love you, my dear friend. Kate Summers
Love and Friendship
• (Birthday Advice) Don't ever rob a bank. Enjoy life. Have fun. Choose to be happy now; don't wait until you're 'successful'... Peter Farrelly
Graduation
• When I am feeling down, you act like a clown.
You make me smile too when I feel blue.
I am never depressed when I'm with you
Birthday wishes to you for happiness in all you do.
Catherine Pulsifer
Depression
• You are amazing and wonderful and that is what I hope your birthday will be like - amazing and wonderful. Theodore W. Higginsworth
Amazing
• Your determination and persistence are an inspiration to me. Your perseverance is admirable. But, your friendship is precious. Have a Happy Birthday.
Inspirational
• Date of birth is a funny thing
When you were younger you use to sing
My companion, my friend, be happy still
Living this long is really a thrill!
Funny Birthday Quotes
• The world keeps changing but you my friend remain true. Happy Birthday
• A birthday could be considered a new beginning. My friend may the coming year see all your dreams come true.
New Beginning
• Birthdays come and go, but friends like you make the years happier. Theodore W. Higginsworth
• An extra dose of happiness is sent to you this day. Because friends like you make this world brighter I must say!
Happiness
• Oh, my friend, we have seen the years fly by, and as we age may our friendship continue to grow with each year passing.
Friendship
• My friend, I appreciate you. And on this birthday may only good things come your way.
• On this birthday, I send you Oprah Winfrey's quote, "Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance." May every day be one that you do this.
Dance
• I can't imagine life without you, my friend. Happy Birthday.
• May sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home... May good fortune be with you and may your guiding light be strong. Rod Stewart, Forever Young
Sunshine
• My dear friend, we have been through lots, but you always find a smile. So on this day as you age, I sure hope you are smiling! Byron Pulsifer
Smile Poem
• You have always been an ally
May the day never come we say goodbye
As friends like you are rare to find
Remember you're only as old as in your mind!
Goodbye
• It doesn't take a birthday for me to be thinking of you, but still, birthdays bring special thoughts and best wishes to you.
Thinking
• Memories of birthdays past, laughing and happiness we always share.
So on this your birthday my friends I just want you to know how much I care!
Memory
• Heres' hoping your day is filled with sunshine and sparkles. You deserve the best of birthdays. Happy Birthday to a cool friend!
Cool
Friendship Quotes
Happy Friendship Day Quotes, Wishes, Messages
Birthday Poems
We hope you have found a suitable quote for your friend! Growing older is always better with good friends surrounding you. May your friendships be as old as your age!
More Quotes to inspire and encourage