How to Say ‘Birthday’ in Japanese
おたんじょうび
o tanjou bi
[oh tan-joh bee]
💬 Usage Tip: [お] makes the word more polite. [たんじょうび] means birthday, so [おたんじょうび] is the common polite way to say it.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, birthdays are often celebrated with cake, small gifts, and messages like [おたんじょうびおめでとう].
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
The polite prefix お makes the word sound more courteous and gentle.
おたんじょうびはたのしいです。
A birthday is fun.
たんじょう
tanjou
[tan-joh]
birth
たんじょう means birth or coming into the world, and it forms part of the word for birthday.
たんじょうのひをいわいます。
We celebrate the day of birth.
び
bi
[bee]
day
び means day in compounds and completes the word たんじょうび, birthday.
たんじょうびはうれしいひです。
A birthday is a happy day.
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