How to Say Happy Birthday in Japanese

The phrase most learners reach for first is お誕生日おめでとうございます (otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu) — “Happy birthday.” It is polite, clear, and appropriate for coworkers, teachers, and people you do not know well.

Among friends, shorten it to おめでとう (omedetou). You will hear this at parties, in text messages, and when someone passes an exam. The core word omedetou works in many congratulation contexts, not only birthdays.

Polite vs. casual

For a colleague, add the full birthday noun: たんじょうび (tanjoubi, birthday). Our entry for tanjoubi covers spelling and common compounds. A typical line at the office:

田中さん、お誕生日おめでとうございます。
Tanaka-san, otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu.

With close friends, drop the honorific length:

おめでとう！いい年になってね。
Omedetou! Ii toshi ni natte ne. — “Congrats! Have a great year.”

The particle you need for gifts

When you hand someone a present, Japanese often uses the particle ni: “to (someone).” The pattern プレゼントをあげる (purezento o ageru, to give a present) pairs naturally with a recipient marked by ni. See particle ni for when ni marks a person receiving an action.

Example:

友だちにプレゼントをあげた。
Tomodachi ni purezento o ageta. — “I gave a present to my friend.”

On the birthday itself, you might say:

これ、誕生日プレゼントです。
Kore, tanjoubi purezento desu. — “This is a birthday present.”

Singing “Happy Birthday”

Many groups sing the English melody with Japanese lyrics: ハッピーバースデー・トゥー・ユー. In casual settings, clapping on the beat is common. No one expects perfect pitch — showing up matters more than vocal skill.

What not to say

Avoid overly stiff textbook lines nobody uses aloud. お誕生日おめでとうございました (past tense) sounds like the day is already over unless you are deliberately referring to yesterday’s party. Stick with present congratulation forms unless the event clearly ended.

Quick reference

| Situation | Japanese | Romaji | | --- | --- | --- | | Polite | お誕生日おめでとうございます | otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu | | Casual | おめでとう | omedetou | | With gift | プレゼントです | purezento desu |

Practice the phrase aloud once, then use it the next time a Japanese friend posts a birthday photo. One real message beats ten silent reviews.