How to Say ‘When is your birthday?’ in Japanese
お誕生日はいつですか。
o tanjoubi wa itsu desu ka
[oh tan-joh-bee wah itsu dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: The は here is said (wa), not (ha). Swap in any topic before はいつですか to ask when something is: パーティーはいつですか "When is the party?"
Phrase Breakdown
お誕生日は
o tanjoubi wa
As for (your) birthday
お誕生日 (otanjoubi) is the polite word for 'birthday', and は (wa) marks the topic. Hold the long 'jou' sound for two beats.
お誕生日はおめでとうございます。
Happy birthday.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
A polite prefix added to some words to make them more respectful.
お名前をお願いします。
May I have your name, please?
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
Marks today as the topic. Pronounced わ.
きょうはあついですね。
It’s hot today, isn’t it?
いつですか。
itsu desu ka
When is it?
A polite question asking 'when'. Raise your voice slightly 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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