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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "happy birthday" in Japanese?
お誕生日おめでとう
o tanjoubi omedetou
In Japanese, "happy birthday" is お誕生日おめでとう (o tanjoubi omedetou).
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Pronunciation
Say oh tahn-joh-bee oh-meh-deh-toh, tanjoubi has a long o, hold it slightly longer for natural rhythm.
Writing and usage
お誕生日おめでとう is written using kanji. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
happy birthday
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How to remember お誕生日おめでとう
Tanjoubi sounds like 'tan, Joe, be', picture Joe getting a suntan on his birthday, told to just 'tan, Joe, be' happy today.
Related words
- congratulations おめでとうございます omedetougozaimasu
- how much does this cost いくらかかるの? ikurakakaruno?
- where is the nearest hospital 最寄りの病院はどこですか? moyori no byouin hadokodesuka?
- can you help me 助けてくれないか tasuke tekurenaika
- i am lost 私は迷っています watashi ha mayotsu teimasu
- what time is it 今何時だ ima nanji da
- i would like a table for two 二人用のテーブルをお願いします futariyou no teeburu woo negai shimasu
- the bill please お会計をお願いします o kaikei woo negai shimasu
- where is the bathroom トイレはどこだ toire hadokoda
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about お誕生日おめでとう
How do you pronounce お誕生日おめでとう?
Say oh tahn-joh-bee oh-meh-deh-toh, tanjoubi has a long o, hold it slightly longer for natural rhythm.
Is お誕生日おめでとう formal or casual?
お誕生日おめでとう is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.
How is お誕生日おめでとう written in Japanese?
お誕生日おめでとう is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as o tanjoubi omedetou.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Happy birthday" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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