A birthday or 生日, pronounced as shēng rì, is more than simply a regular day. It marks the day you were born and began your lifetime connection with the world. As a result, birthdays have become a significant day for individuals worldwide, including Chinese people. If you have Chinese friends, now is the moment to amaze them by learning how to say happy birthday in Chinese.
While Chinese birthday culture is much more than you may think, from the different cuisine or dessert served at the celebration to the birthday song translated into their own language so, shall we learn more about Chinese birthday traditions before diving into the lesson on wishing someone a happy birthday in Chinese?
Chinese Birthday Traditions
Food That Represents A Long Life
People in Western culture celebrate their birthdays with a cake, and it’s also becoming popular among Chinese people. However, there’s one of the Asian traditional foods that represents long life. Can you guess what kind of Asian food a long and happy life symbolizes? Tik… tok… tik… tok… time’s up!
It should be the food with a lengthy form. Yes, it’s noodles! While the cake is common, there are birthday people in China who still celebrate in a traditional way by continuing to eat longevity noodles at their birthday party.
They Ask Your Chinese Zodiac Sign
Typically, if we want to know someone’s age, we would inquire about their date of birth or just go straight to the point of their age. Chinese people, on the other hand, are an exception. A Chinese zodiac sign is a good place to start when you doubt someone’s age. According to the Chinese zodiac (or horoscope), a person’s zodiac sign is determined by the order in which the 12 animals appear in their respective year. For those who don’t know about the Chinese zodiac, the 12 animals that belong each year are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. As a result, knowing a person’s zodiac sign allows one to estimate their age.
The Chinese zodiac is a fascinating concept, but it isn’t necessary to study everything about it. 你几岁了? pronounced as nǐ jǐ suì le means how old are you. That is all you need to ask and yes, it’s perfectly OK.
Chinese Birthday Gifts
Any present is generally entirely acceptable to offer your Chinese friends. However, there are several Chinese taboos to be aware of. For example, gifting someone a clock or watch is considered impolite since it implies that you are expecting them to die soon. Also, when deciding how many gifts to buy, you should avoid buying four because the number four is 四, pronounced as sì, which has the same pronunciation in Chinese Mandarin, 死, pronounced as sǐ, means death. On the other hand, gifts presented in pairs of eight are considered to be happier.
Saying Happy Birthday In Chinese
Full Version
- 祝你 生日 快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè) – Wish you a happy birthday!
Short Version
- 生日 快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè) – Happy birthday!
Chinese Happy Birthday Song
Chinese learners will have no trouble picking up this music because English and Chinese versions are the same tunes by simply repeating 祝你 生日 快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè). So the only thing you can do to prepare is to practice properly pronouncing the words. If you’re ready, don’t be shy to sing it at your friend’s birthday.
How To Make Chinese Birthday Wishes
After learning how to sing and celebrate birthdays in Chinese, you’ll also want to send birthday wishes in Chinese. Because of this, it’s best to send birthday greetings to your Chinese friends that are appropriate for their age and reflect their personality. No need to worry; we’ve gathered all the options for you. Then, let’s take a deeper look on how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese and best wishes.
The Birthday Person Is Your Friend
| English Translation | Chinese Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday to you! May you stay young forever. | 祝你生日快乐，青春永驻 | zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, qīngchūnyǒngzhù! |
| Happy birthday to you! Wish you more and more beautiful. | 祝你生日快乐，越来越靓 | zhù nǐ shēnɡ rì kuài lè, yuè lái yuè jìng |
| Happy birthday to you! I hope you will be happy every day! | 祝你生日快乐，天天开心！ | zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, tiāntiān kāixīn! |
| Happy birthday to you! May you achieve perfect happiness! | 祝你生日快乐，幸福美满！ | zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, xìngfúměimǎn! |
| Happy birthday to you! I hope that you are happy every day and that all your wishes come true. | 祝你生日快乐，天天快乐，心想事成 | zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè, tiān tiān kuài lè, xīn xiǎng shì chéng |
The Birthday Person Is Your Co-worker
| English Translation | Chinese Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday to you! wishing you professional success! | 祝你生日快乐，事业有成！ | zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, shìyèyǒuchéng! |
The Birthday Person Is Elderly Person
| English Translation | Chinese Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday to you! May you live to be a hundred years old. | 祝您生日快乐，长命百岁！ | zhù nín shēngrì kuàilè, chángmìngbǎisuì! |
The Birthday Person Is A Student Or Child
| English Translation | Chinese Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday to you! May you achieve success in your studies! | 祝你生日快乐，学业有成！ | zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, xuéyèyǒuchéng! |
Greet Your Chinese Friends Happy Birthday
So, if you have Chinese friends, you may sing them a happy birthday song and even greet them well on their birthdays in their own language. While the majority of the world prefers to sing a happy birthday song in English, this is not the case in all cultures. You should learn how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese right now!
On the other hand, Chinese people have their own dialect, which can confuse those learning the language for the first time. Learning how to pronounce Chinese words correctly may take some time, but it will help you become a better Chinese speaker in the long run. Also, Chinese birthday celebrations are much different from those in other nations. In place of a traditional Western dessert like cakes, they serve well-known Asian dishes like noodles, which has a wonderful metaphor for life according to their distinct traditions.
You can’t deny that knowing about Chinese culture will help you become more proficient in Chinese, can you?
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