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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”:
Help launch something new! Join our pilot round and be among the first to master Hiragana with our course.
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?
Book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation or email me for advice.
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Updated 10th August 2021
ブライトンの日本語教室で手伝ってくれる素晴らしいボランティアの皆さん
ブライトン近郊に住んでいる日本人から「ステップアップジャパニーズでボランティアできますか？」というメールを時々いただきます。
こういうメールをいただいて、私は毎回とても嬉しく思います。近くに住んでいる日本人が私の日本語教室を見つけて、しかも手伝いに行きたいと思ってくださることは、とてもありがたいと思います。
今年度、日本人のボランティアは授業に手伝いに来てくださっただけではなく、イベントやワークショップも一緒に開くことができました。
イギリスのボランティア・ウィーク(Volunteers’ Week)をご存知ですか。
（英語版はこちら Click here to read this article in English）
ブライトン近郊に住んでいる日本人から「ステップアップジャパニーズでボランティアできますか？」というメールを時々いただきます。
こういうメールをいただいて、私は毎回とても嬉しく思います。近くに住んでいる日本人が私の日本語教室を見つけて、しかも手伝いに行きたいと思ってくださることは、とてもありがたいと思います。
今年度、日本人のボランティアは授業に手伝いに来てくださっただけではなく、イベントやワークショップも一緒に開くことができました。
イギリスのボランティア・ウィーク(Volunteers’ Week)をご存知ですか。毎年６月１日〜７日に行われる感謝のキャンペーンです。手伝ってくださるボランティアの皆さんに感謝を込めて「ありがとう」とお伝えする一週間です。
それでは、２０１９〜２０年のボランティアの皆さんへ大きな「ありがとう！」をお伝えしたいと思います。
サマープログラムに手伝いに来てくださったありあさんへ。
生徒たちと一緒にゲームをしながら、「ホットドッグ」の正しい発音を教えてくださってありがとうございます。
STEP 1（初級）とSTEP 2（初級２） の生徒さんと優しく話して、自信を持たせてくださった真里さんへ。
そして先月、素晴らしい折り紙のワークショップを一緒に開いてくださったさやさんへ。
皆さん、ありがとうございました！
Our Fantastic Volunteers
Sometimes, Japanese people write and ask if they can volunteer at Step Up Japanese.
I’m always very happy that Japanese people in Brighton and Hove have found my school and want to visit and help out.
This year, a number of Japanese volunteers have helped out in class and with events and workshops.
This Volunteers Week, I’d like to say a big thank you to my 2018-19 volunteers!
（Click here to read this article in Japanese 日本語版はこちら）
Sometimes, Japanese people contact me and ask if they can volunteer at Step Up Japanese.
I’m always very happy that Japanese people in Brighton and Hove have found my school and want to visit and help out.
This year, a number of Japanese volunteers have helped out in class and with events and workshops.
This Volunteers Week, I’d like to say a big thank you to my 2018-19 volunteers!
Aria-san, who came to help out with Summer Programmes in 2018. Thank you for playing games with my students and teaching them how to say ホットドッグ (hotto doggu; hot dog):
Mari-san, for chatting with STEP 1 and STEP 2 students and encouraging them to speak with confidence:
And Saya-san, for teaching us incredible origami!
