How to say “Happy birthday!” in Chinese

Word by word

What each part of 生日快乐！ actually means.

• 生日shēngrìbirthday
• 快乐kuàilèhappy

When you use it

快乐 is the "happy" in every greeting: swap the front and you get 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) and 节日快乐 (Happy holidays).

Use 生日快乐！ in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.

Common questions

How do you say "Happy birthday!" in Chinese?

"Happy birthday!" in Chinese is 生日快乐！ — written in pinyin as Shēngrì kuàilè!. It is a everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 生日快乐！ mean in Chinese?

生日快乐！ (Shēngrì kuàilè!) means "Happy birthday!". Broken down word by word: 生日 (shēngrì) means "birthday"; 快乐 (kuàilè) means "happy".

When would you use "Happy birthday!" in Chinese?

快乐 is the "happy" in every greeting: swap the front and you get 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) and 节日快乐 (Happy holidays). You would say 生日快乐！ (Shēngrì kuàilè!) in everyday conversation.

More Everyday phrases

• 没关系。It's fine.
• 请等一下。Please wait a moment.
• 不用了，谢谢。No thanks.
• 认识你很高兴。Nice to meet you.