How to Say ‘When is your birthday?’ in Japanese
誕生日はいつですか。
tanjoubi wa itsu desu ka
[tan-joh-bee wah itsu dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: いつ (itsu) means "when", and it fits into the same は…ですか question pattern. 誕生日 is said (tanjōbi).
Phrase Breakdown
誕生日は
tanjoubi wa
your birthday (topic)
誕生日 (tanjoubi) means 'birthday', and は is read 'wa'. Say 'tan-joo-bi-wa' with a long 'joo'.
誕生日はケーキを食べます。
I eat cake on my birthday.
Words in this phrase
誕生日
tanjoubi
[tan-joh-bee]
birthday
The day someone was born; often used when mentioning celebrations.
母の誕生日なので、特別なお席をお願いしたいです。
Since it is my mother's birthday, I would like to request a special seat.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker; as for
A particle that marks the topic. Written は but pronounced わ.
今日は体のサイズを確認します。
As for today, I will check the body size.
いつですか。
itsu desu ka
when is it?
いつ (itsu) means 'when'. Say 'i-tsu des-ka' and let your voice rise at the end.
休みはいつですか。
When is the holiday?
Words in this phrase
いつ
itsu
[itsu]
when
Used to ask about time in a general sense, such as a starting date or schedule.
いつから勤務できますか。
From when can you work?
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
か is placed at the end of a sentence to mark it as a question in polite Japanese.
先生ですか。
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