How to Say “Happy birthday” in Korean: 생일 축하해요

생일 축하해요

saengil chukahaeyo

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

Happy birthday.

Polite yet friendly. For elders, use 생신 축하드립니다 instead.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [생일 추카해요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
생일
생	ㅅ+ㅐ+ㅇ	saeng
일	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ	il
축하해요
축	ㅊ+ㅜ+ㄱ	[추] chu
하	ㅎ+ㅏ	[카] ka
해	ㅎ+ㅐ	hae
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
생일	noun	birthday	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “생일 축하해요” mean?

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Answer: Happy birthday

Question 2 How do you say “Happy birthday” in Korean?

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Answer: 생일 축하해요 saengil chukahaeyo

Question 3 How is “생일 축하해요” pronounced?

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Answer: [생일 추카해요]

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