How do you say "birthday" in Korean?

생일

saengil

Noun Hangul

In Korean, "birthday" is 생일 (saengil).

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Pronunciation

Aim for sae-ngi spoken quickly, with the vowels kept tight and clean, avoiding the long English-style vowel sounds.

Writing and usage

생일 is written using hangul. It's a noun, 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

그녀는 생일에 촛불을 불어 껐다.

geunyeoneun saengire chotbureul bureo kkeotda.

She blew out the candles on her birthday.

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How to remember 생일

Slow "saengil" down syllable by syllable and match each syllable to a beat in the action from 'She blew out the candles on her birthday.'.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 생일

How do you pronounce 생일?

Aim for sae-ngi spoken quickly, with the vowels kept tight and clean, avoiding the long English-style vowel sounds.

Is 생일 formal or casual?

생일 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 생일 written in Korean?

생일 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as saengil.

Where can I practice Korean words for free?

You can play free Korean minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Korean glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Birthday" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Korean 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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