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Six Ways To Say "Happy Birthday" In Japanese
So you want to wish your Japanese-speaking friends "happy birthday" in Japanese.
Whether you're sending a birthday card, or just writing a message, here are six different ways to share the love.
First of all, let's say “Happy Birthday”:
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So you want to wish your Japanese-speaking friends "happy birthday" in Japanese.
Whether you're sending a birthday card, or just writing a message, here are six different ways to share the love.
First of all, let's say “Happy Birthday”:
1) お誕生日おめでとう！ o-tanjoubi omedetou
Simple and classic, this one means "happy birthday", or literally "congratulations on your birthday".
2) お誕生日おめでとうございます。 o-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu
Stick a "gozaimasu" on the end to make it more polite.
Good for people older than you, people you know less well, and definitely good for your boss.
3) ハッピーバースデー！happii baasudee!
This one is actually one of my favourites - a Japan-ified version of the English phrase “happy birthday”.
If you're writing a message, it's good to follow up after the birthday greeting by also wishing the person well:
1) 楽しんでください tanoshinde kudasai
"Have fun!"
e.g. お誕生日おめでとう！楽しんでください ^ ^
"Happy birthday! Have fun :)"
2) 素敵な一日を sutekina ichinichi o
"Have a great day."
e.g. お誕生日おめでとう！素敵な一日を〜
"Happy birthday! Have a great day."
3) 素晴らしい１年になりますように subarashii ichinen ni narimasu you ni
"I hope it's a wonderful year for you."
e.g. お誕生日おめでとうございます。素晴らしい１年になりますように。
"Happy birthday. I hope you have a wonderful year."
As you may have noticed, birthday messages wishing someone well for the year are kind of similar to a New Years' Greeting in Japanese.
それじゃ、素敵な一日を！ sutekina ichinichi o!
And with that, I hope you have a wonderful day!
Learn beginner Japanese:
Tuesdays, 12:00pm (UK time) | Online Group Course
Starts 15th Sept 2026 | 36 weeks
Who this course is for
This course is for true beginners or early beginners who already know a little Japanese (e.g. ~10-20 hiragana characters) and want to build a solid foundation.
If you are starting completely from zero, I recommend a few 1:1 lessons before joining.
You will already be able to:
Recognise a small number of hiragana characters (or are beginning to learn them)
Feel comfortable learning slowly and step-by-step
In this course you will learn to:
Introduce yourself and ask simple questions
Talk about family, friends, likes and dislikes
Order food and drinks in a restaurant
Ask and answer simple questions about places you are staying
Talk about where people and things are located
Build confidence reading hiragana and begin katakana
Start recognising a small number of common kanji
The focus is on practical, everyday Japanese for absolute communication basics.
Course details
Duration: 36 weeks (3 x 12-week terms)
Day/time: Tuesdays, 12pm (UK time), 55-minute lessons
Textbook: Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan - Starter (starting from Lesson 3, free online)
Not sure if this is right for you?
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Updated 10th August 2021
What to Write in Japanese New Year's Cards
Every year, Japanese households send and receive New Year’s postcards called nengajō (年賀状). The cards are sent to friends and family, as well as to people you have work connections with.
If you post your cards in Japan before the cut-off date in late December, the postal service guarantees to deliver them on January 1st.
Every year, Japanese households send and receive New Year’s postcards called nengajō (年賀状). The cards are sent to friends and family, as well as to people you have work connections with.
Image: yubin-nenga.jp
If you post your cards in Japan before the cut-off date in late December, the postal service guarantees to deliver them on January 1st.
Card designs often feature the Chinese zodiac animal of the new year. For example, 2016 was the year of the monkey, so lots of designs that year included monkeys!
Cards sold in shops or at the post office usually have a lottery number on the bottom, too:
Nengajō greetings are a good opportunity to practice your Japanese handwriting. You might want to practice on a piece of blank paper before writing on the card itself.
Every year, we use printed templates to write New Year messages in class. I love helping my students write nengajō to their family and friends.
Photo by Bob Prosser
But what should you write in nengajō?
There are two key phrases to remember for writing nengajō:
1. あけましておめでとうございます！
akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
Happy New Year!
2. 今年もよろしくお願いします。
kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
I hope for your favour again in the coming year.
You could also go for something like:
明るく楽しい一年でありますように
Akaruku tanoshii ichinen de arimasu you ni
I hope you have a wonderful year.
or:
旧年中は大変お世話になりました。
Kyuunenjuu wa taihen osewa ni narimashita.
Thank you for your kindness throughout the last year.
Photo by Bob Prosser
Photo by Bob Prosser
A very happy new year from me (Fran), and:
今年もよろしくお願いします！
Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
(I hope for your favour again in the coming year)
First published 31st December 2018
Updated 16th December 2019
Like many people in the UK, I studied French in school. I liked French. I thought it was really fun to speak another language, to talk with people, and to try and listen to what was going on in a new country. (Still do!)
When I was 14 we went on a school exchange to the city of Reims, in northeastern France. I was paired with a boy, which I’m sure some 14-year-olds would find very exciting but which I found unbearably awkward. He was very sweet and we completely ignored each other.
That was nearly 20 years ago, and I didn’t learn or use any more French until, at some point in lockdown, I decided on a whim to take some one-to-one lessons with online teachers. Here are some things I learned about French, about language learning, and about myself.