How to say happy birthday in Chinese: 生日快乐 (sheng ri kuai le)
"Happy birthday" in Chinese is 生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè, "sheng ri kuai le"): 生日 means "birthday" and 快乐 "happy". To sing it, the words go to the same tune as in English. Hear 生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
生日快乐
shēng rì kuài lè
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Characters & meanings
to be born; life
day; sun
quick; happy (in 快乐)
joy, happy
Common mistake
生日 (shēngrì): a high, level shēng with a retroflex sh, then rì, a falling tone on a buzzing r with no "ee" vowel. 快乐 (kuàilè): two full falls from high; the second is as strong as the first.
Example sentence
祝你生日快乐！
Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè!
Happy birthday to you!
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