Happy Birthday in French

This free audio lesson will teach you the two common ways to say "Happy Birthday in French" Joyeux anniversaire ! and Bon anniversaire ! as well as how to sing Happy Birthday in French! And discover a few other words and expressions that are used in the context of a French birthday party.

You can test your pronunciation with our free voice recognition tool! Listen to the audio and follow the French pronunciation. It's a good idea to practice each French expression aloud, and before long you'll be comfortable with pronouncing these French words and phrases!

Key Takeaways

Joyeux anniversaire ! and Bon anniversaire ! are the primary ways to wish someone a happy birthday.
The French birthday song uses the same melody as the English version.
Common party vocabulary includes le gâteau "cake", le cadeau "present", and la bougie "candle".
When using Bon anniversaire, the word bon is pronounced like the feminine bonne because it precedes a vowel.

Ready to Start Learning French?

See how Rocket French helps you learn French online, from pronunciation practice to learning on the go. Watch the official Rocket French Course Tour below!

How to sing Happy Birthday in French!

The Happy birthday song in French

How do you say "Happy Birthday" in French?

The French language offers two main expressions for birthday wishes. While joyeux translates to “happy” and bon means “good,” both serve the same purpose in this context.

Important! Perfect Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Our voice recognition tool, Rocket Record, is used extensively throughout Rocket French to get you speaking the right way. Listen to the tutor audio then record yourself saying the phrase. Use a headset mic in a quiet environment for best results. Problems? Click here!

Joyeux anniversaire !

Happy birthday!

Bon anniversaire !

Happy birthday!

un anniversaire

a birthday

Important! Remember What You Learn

You'll put a lot of time into learning French, so we make sure you can remember it all by including fun and engaging activities at the bottom of every lesson.

Joyeux is "happy," whereas bon translates simply to "good."

Since bon is followed with a vowel, it is pronounced like bonne, the feminine form of the adjective. This pronunciation can be a little confusing, and children or inattentive people will sometimes mistakenly write bonne anniversaire.

French people will of course offer presents, and eat a cake after the candles have been blown by the aging person. A lot of photos generally immortalize the event,and people sing Joyeux anniversaire ! to the tune of "Happy birthday to you!" Some champagne is often poured in flutes!

More about having a Happy birthday in French

Meilleurs vœux pour votre anniversaire !

Best wishes on your birthday

le cadeau

the present

la bougie

the candle

du champagne

some champagne

une coupe de champagne

a flute of champagne

le gâteau

the cake

le gâteau au chocolat

the chocolate cake

That’s it for today’s French lesson on saying Happy Birthday in French. I hope you enjoyed it, that you learned new expressions and improved your pronunciation!

From here why not do a lesson on describing your family in French?

Written by Marie-Claire Riviere, French Language Expert at Rocket Languages

Last updated: April 8, 2026

Make Your French Stick With The Rocket Activities

Reinforce your French learning with activities that test your recall, listening and speaking skills!

Happy Birthday in French