Resources for further reading:
- Top 10 hacks to help you learn Japanese efficiently - The easiest way to learn Japanese
Saying Happy Birthday in Japanese
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Rocket Record lets you perfect your Japanese pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
お誕生日おめでとう！
おたんじょうび おめでとう！
Otanjōbi omedetō!
Happy Birthday!
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The お (o) at the beginning of たんじょうび (tanjōbi) is an honorific particle to show politeness. Without the honorific お (o), the word for birthday is:
誕生日
たんじょうび
tanjōbi
birthday
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You can also use おめでとう (omedetō) as an informal way to congratulate someone in general. It's very useful! Let's practice it on its own:
おめでとう！
おめでとう！
Omedetō!
Congratulations!
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Asking Someone's Age
Here is a useful phrase when you want to ask your friend how old they are turning!
何歳ですか？
なん さい です か？
Nan sai desu ka?
How old are (you)?
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You might hear their reply in the following format:
私の誕生日は＿年＿月＿日です。
わたし の たんじょうび は ＿＿ ねん ＿＿ がつ ＿＿ にち です。
Watashi no tanjōbi wa ＿＿ nen ＿＿ gatsu ＿＿ nichi desu.
My birthday is on＿＿＿＿.
That's all for today! Be sure to use these phrases the next time you want to wish a friend "happy birthday" in Japanese. Here are a few recommended Japanese lessons to try next!
- Talking about your health in Japanese.
- Hiragana.
- Break the ice by talking about your hobbies in Japanese.
さようなら！ (Sayōnara!) "Goodbye!"
Sayaka Matsuura: Rocket Japanese
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