Make a happy birthday card they’ll remember

“Happy birthday” in Spanish is “feliz cumpleaños,” pronounced roughly feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs. To add a warm wish, write “¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que pases un día increíble” (“Happy birthday! Have an amazing day”). Keep the ñ when you write it, because “años” means years and the word changes without it.

Say “joyeux anniversaire,” pronounced roughly zhwah-YUH zah-nee-vehr-SAIR. “Bon anniversaire” is just as common and a little more casual. On a card, add their name: “Joyeux anniversaire, Claire !” French puts a space before the exclamation mark.

The usual phrase is “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag,” pronounced roughly AH-less GOO-teh tsoom geh-BOORTS-tahk, which means “all the best for your birthday.” “Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag” is a little more formal. Many Germans consider it bad luck to wish someone happy birthday before the day.

Say “buon compleanno,” pronounced roughly bwon kohm-pleh-AHN-noh. Italians also often say “tanti auguri,” meaning “lots of good wishes,” which works for any celebration. On a card, “Tanti auguri di buon compleanno” combines both.

Say “yom huledet sameach” (יום הולדת שמח), pronounced roughly yohm hoo-LEH-det sah-MEH-akh. The phrase is the same whoever you are speaking to. A traditional birthday wish to add is “ad me’ah ve’esrim,” meaning “may you live to 120.”

Say “otanjōbi omedetō” (お誕生日おめでとう), pronounced roughly oh-tahn-joh-bee oh-meh-deh-toh. For a teacher, a boss or someone older, add “gozaimasu” (ございます) to make it polite: “otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu.”

With friends and family, say “saengil chukha hae” (생일 축하해), pronounced roughly seng-il choo-kah-heh. For someone older or a colleague, use the polite “saengil chukha deuryeoyo” (생일 축하드려요) or the formal “saengil chukha hamnida” (생일 축하합니다).

“Happy birthday” works for anyone, in person or in writing. Other ways to say it include “Have a wonderful birthday,” “Wishing you a very happy birthday” and “Many happy returns,” which is a little old-fashioned. For two people, write “Happy birthday to you both.” If you are late, “Happy belated birthday” is the usual phrase.

Wish them on the day if you can, use their name, and add one personal line: a shared memory, something you admire or a wish for the year ahead. A short, specific message feels more personal than a long, generic one, and a card gives them something to keep. If you missed the day, a “happy belated birthday” is fine.

“Happy belated birthday” means “happy birthday, and sorry this is late.” “Belated” means delayed, so use it for a wish sent after the birthday has passed. “Belated happy birthday” is also correct. A warm, specific message matters more than the timing, so a short apology is enough.

It is spelled H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y: two words, with “birthday” written as one word, never “birth day.” The plural is “birthdays,” and “birthday’s” is short for “birthday is,” as in “my birthday’s on Friday.”

In the middle of a sentence, no: “I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” As a greeting that starts a sentence, capitalize only the first word: “Happy birthday, Sam!” On a card front, banner or heading, “Happy Birthday” in title case is common and correct. Capitalize Mom or Dad when you use them as a name.

The tune comes from “Good Morning to All,” a children’s song by the sisters Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill, published in 1893. The birthday words appeared in print in the early 1900s, and who wrote them is not known. In 2015 a US federal court ruled that the copyright claimed on the song was invalid, and it is now treated as public domain in the United States.