How to Say Happy Birthday in 14 Indian Languages

Happy birthday in Hindi is जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janamdin mubaarak ho). In written messages and formal greetings you'll often see जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ (janmadin ki haardik shubhkaamnaayen), "heartfelt birthday wishes". Plenty of Indians simply say "Happy birthday" in English. Still, if your friend, colleague or partner grew up speaking Tamil, Bengali or Punjabi, a wish in their own language shows you made the effort. The table covers 14 Indian languages, with the native script, a pronunciation guide and a note on usage.

How do you say happy birthday in Indian languages?

There is no single "Indian" way to say happy birthday, because India has no single language. The Constitution lists 22 scheduled languages, and the table below covers 14 of them. Each wish in it is a set phrase with no verb or pronoun, so it doesn't change for gender and you can say it to anyone, elders included. Formality comes in with the longer lines further down.

Language	Happy birthday	Pronunciation	Note
Hindi	जन्मदिन मुबारक हो	janamdin mubaarak ho	Everyday wish. More formal, in writing: जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ
Tamil	பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள்	pirandhanaal vaazhthugal	Also spelled வாழ்த்துக்கள். Add இனிய (iniya) in front for a warmer wish
Telugu	పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు	puttinaroju shubhaakaankshalu	Also జన్మదిన శుభాకాంక్షలు (janmadina shubhaakaankshalu), with the Sanskrit-based word for birthday
Bengali	শুভ জন্মদিন	shubho jonmodin	Same in India and Bangladesh
Marathi	वाढदिवसाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा	vaadhdivasaachya haardik shubhechchha	Literally "heartfelt growth-day wishes"
Punjabi	ਜਨਮ ਦਿਨ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ	janam din mubaarak	In Shahmukhi script: جنم دن مبارک
Gujarati	જન્મદિવસની શુભેચ્છા	janmadivasni shubhechchha	Add હાર્દિક (haardik) for "heartfelt"
Kannada	ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು	huttuhabbada shubhaashayagalu	ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬ literally means "birth festival"
Malayalam	ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ	janmadinaashamsakal	Also പിറന്നാൾ ആശംസകൾ (pirannaal aashamsakal)
Urdu	سالگرہ مبارک	saalgirah mubaarak	Saalgirah can also mean an anniversary
Odia	ଜନ୍ମଦିନର ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା	janmadinara subhechha	Add ହାର୍ଦ୍ଦିକ (harddika) for "heartfelt"
Assamese	জন্মদিনৰ শুভেচ্ছা	zonmodinor xubhessa	The x sounds like the ch in Scottish "loch"
Nepali	जन्मदिनको शुभकामना	janmadinko shubhakaamanaa	Used in Nepal, Sikkim and Darjeeling
Sanskrit	शुभं जन्मदिनम्	shubham janmadinam	Also जन्मदिनशुभेच्छाः (janmadinashubhechchhaah)

We left out Bodo, Dogri, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri, Santali and Sindhi for now. We couldn't confirm a birthday wish for them in two independent published sources, and we'd rather leave a gap than print a wish a native speaker would find strange.

Happy birthday in each language

How do you say happy birthday in Hindi?

Say जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janamdin mubaarak ho). It works with friends, family and colleagues alike. जन्मदिन (janmadin) means birthday, from जन्म (janm, birth) and दिन (din, day). मुबारक (mubaarak) came into Hindi from Arabic by way of Persian and means "blessed" or "happy" in greetings, and हो (ho) turns the phrase into a wish.

You'll also hear and read these:

• जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ (janmadin ki haardik shubhkaamnaayen): "heartfelt birthday wishes". The more formal choice, common in written messages and in public greetings from politicians.
• जन्मदिन की बधाई (janmadin ki badhaai): "birthday congratulations".

Hindi has more than 600 million speakers, and these phrases are understood across North India. For more everyday expressions, see our Hindi phrases page or 50 common Hindi phrases for beginners.

How do you say happy birthday in Tamil?

Say பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள் (pirandhanaal vaazhthugal). பிறந்தநாள் (pirandhanaal) means birthday, literally "born day", and வாழ்த்துகள் (vaazhthugal) means wishes. To make it warmer, put இனிய (iniya, "sweet" or "pleasant") in front: இனிய பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள். In casual speech you may hear பொறந்தநாள் (porandhanaal) for birthday.

You'll also see வாழ்த்துக்கள், with an extra க். Both spellings are in wide use. A Dinamalar column on the question notes that Tamil scholars have written it both ways and prefers வாழ்த்துகள், the form Dinamani uses in its news reports. Either spelling will be understood. The "zh" in vaazhthugal is the Tamil letter ழ, a sound made with the tongue curled back, somewhere between an r and an l. See our Tamil phrases and why learn Tamil for more.

How do you say happy birthday in Telugu?

Say పుట్టినరోజు శుభాకాంక్షలు (puttinaroju shubhaakaankshalu). పుట్టినరోజు (puttinaroju) is built from పుట్టిన (puttina, born) and రోజు (roju, day), and శుభాకాంక్షలు (shubhaakaankshalu) means good wishes. In news reports and formal messages you'll also see జన్మదిన శుభాకాంక్షలు (janmadina shubhaakaankshalu), which uses the Sanskrit-based word for birthday. Both are correct. More on the Telugu phrases page.

How do you say happy birthday in Bengali?

Say শুভ জন্মদিন (shubho jonmodin). It's the standard wish in both West Bengal and Bangladesh. শুভ (shubho) means auspicious and জন্মদিন (jonmodin) means birthday. Both words come from Sanskrit, so Hindi speakers will recognize them as शुभ (shubh) and जन्मदिन (janmadin). For a longer wish, try জন্মদিনের অনেক শুভেচ্ছা (jonmodiner onek shubhechchha), "many birthday wishes". See also our Bengali phrases.

How do you say happy birthday in Marathi?

Say वाढदिवसाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा (vaadhdivasaachya haardik shubhechchha), "heartfelt wishes on your birthday". The Marathi word for birthday is वाढदिवस (vaadhdivas), from वाढ (vaadh, growth) and दिवस (divas, day), so a birthday is a "growth day". The same word covers anniversaries: लग्नाचा वाढदिवस (lagnaacha vaadhdivas) is a wedding anniversary. More on our Marathi phrases page.

How do you say happy birthday in Punjabi?

Say ਜਨਮ ਦਿਨ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ (janam din mubaarak), written here in the Gurmukhi script used in Indian Punjab. If you know the Hindi wish, this one will sound familiar, since it uses the same word mubaarak. You'll also see ਜਨਮਦਿਨ written as one word, and the longer ਜਨਮਦਿਨ ਦੀਆਂ ਮੁਬਾਰਕਾਂ (janamdin diyaan mubaarakaan), "birthday congratulations". Punjabi has more than 150 million speakers, and many live in Pakistan, where Punjabi is written in the Shahmukhi script. In Shahmukhi the same words are written جنم دن مبارک. See our Punjabi phrases for more.

How do you say happy birthday in Gujarati?

Say જન્મદિવસની શુભેચ્છા (janmadivasni shubhechchha), "birthday wishes". For a warmer wish, add હાર્દિક (haardik, heartfelt): જન્મદિવસની હાર્દિક શુભેચ્છા. You'll also see the plural શુભેચ્છાઓ (shubhechchhaao). More on the Gujarati phrases page.

How do you say happy birthday in Kannada?

Say ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು (huttuhabbada shubhaashayagalu). ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬ (huttuhabba) joins ಹುಟ್ಟು (huttu, to be born) and ಹಬ್ಬ (habba, festival), so in Kannada a birthday is a "birth festival". ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು (shubhaashayagalu) is the plural of ಶುಭಾಶಯ (shubhaashaya, good wish). As a stand-alone greeting the plural is what you'll usually see, though news headlines often use the singular inside a longer sentence. You can also use the Sanskrit-based word ಜನ್ಮದಿನ (janmadina): ಜನ್ಮದಿನದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು (janmadinada shubhaashayagalu). Add ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ (haardika, heartfelt) to either, as in ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು.

How do you say happy birthday in Malayalam?

Say ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ (janmadinaashamsakal) or പിറന്നാൾ ആശംസകൾ (pirannaal aashamsakal). Both mean "birthday wishes" and both are common. ജന്മദിനം (janmadinam) is the Sanskrit-based word for birthday, while പിറന്നാൾ (pirannaal) is related to the Tamil பிறந்தநாள். See our Malayalam phrases for more.

How do you say happy birthday in Urdu?

Say سالگرہ مبارک (saalgirah mubaarak). سالگرہ (saalgirah) comes from Persian and literally means "year knot". Urdu speakers in Pakistan and India use it for birthdays. It can also mean any yearly anniversary, and in Hindi सालगिरह is often heard in शादी की सालगिरह (shaadi ki saalgirah), a wedding anniversary. Spoken Hindi and Urdu are very close, so the Hindi wish janamdin mubaarak ho also works with Urdu speakers.

How do you say happy birthday in Odia?

Say ଜନ୍ମଦିନର ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା (janmadinara subhechha), "birthday wishes". For "heartfelt birthday wishes", add ହାର୍ଦ୍ଦିକ (harddika): ଜନ୍ମଦିନର ହାର୍ଦ୍ଦିକ ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା. Odia usually pronounces ଶ as a plain s, which is why the romanization says subhechha rather than shubhechha.

How do you say happy birthday in Assamese?

Say জন্মদিনৰ শুভেচ্ছা (zonmodinor xubhessa). Assamese shares its script with Bengali, but the sounds differ: জ is closer to a z, and শ is the "x" sound, like the ch in Scottish "loch". The letter ৰ (ra) at the end of জন্মদিনৰ is one of the letters Assamese has and Bengali doesn't. You may also see জন্মদিনৰ শুভকামনা (zonmodinor xubhokamona).

How do you say happy birthday in Nepali?

Say जन्मदिनको शुभकामना (janmadinko shubhakaamanaa). Nepali is the official language of Nepal and one of India's scheduled languages, spoken in Sikkim, the Darjeeling hills and parts of the Northeast. It's written in Devanagari like Hindi, but the grammar differs. In this phrase को (ko) means "of", where Hindi would use की (ki).

How do you say happy birthday in Sanskrit?

Say शुभं जन्मदिनम् (shubham janmadinam), literally "a good birthday". Another form is जन्मदिनशुभेच्छाः (janmadinashubhechchhaah), "birthday good wishes". Many of the wishes above borrow their words from Sanskrit: जन्म (janma, birth), दिन (dina, day) and शुभ (shubha, auspicious) turn up in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Nepali and more.

What else can you say on someone's birthday?

After the basic wish, a common next line in Indian languages is a wish for a long and healthy life. Here are a few in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu.

Birthday wishes in Hindi

Hindi	Pronunciation	Meaning
जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ	janmadin ki haardik shubhkaamnaayen	Heartfelt birthday wishes
आपको जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ	aapko janmadin ki haardik shubhkaamnaayen	Heartfelt birthday wishes to you (respectful, for elders or your boss)
जन्मदिन की बहुत-बहुत बधाई	janmadin ki bahut-bahut badhaai	Many, many congratulations on your birthday
ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि आप स्वस्थ, प्रसन्न और दीर्घायु रहें	ishvar se praarthnaa hai ki aap svasth, prasann aur deerghaayu rahen	I pray to God that you stay healthy, happy and live long
जुग जुग जियो	jug jug jiyo	May you live for ages (a blessing from an older person)

Birthday wishes in Tamil

Tamil	Pronunciation	Meaning
இனிய பிறந்தநாள் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்	iniya pirandhanaal nalvaazhthugal	Best wishes for a happy birthday
மனமார்ந்த பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள்	manamaarndha pirandhanaal vaazhthugal	Heartfelt birthday wishes
நீடூழி வாழ்க	needoozhi vaazhga	May you live long (a traditional blessing)

Birthday wishes in Bengali

Bengali	Pronunciation	Meaning
জন্মদিনের অনেক শুভেচ্ছা	jonmodiner onek shubhechchha	Many birthday wishes
দীর্ঘায়ু হোন	dirghayu hon	May you live long (respectful)

Birthday wishes in Telugu

Telugu	Pronunciation	Meaning
హృదయపూర్వక జన్మదిన శుభాకాంక్షలు	hrudayapoorvaka janmadina shubhaakaankshalu	Heartfelt birthday wishes
మీరు దీర్ఘాయుష్షుతో జీవించాలని ప్రార్థిస్తున్నాను	meeru deerghaayushshutho jeevinchaalani praarthistunnaanu	I pray that you live a long life (respectful)

How are birthdays celebrated in India?

In Indian cities a birthday party often looks much like one anywhere else, with a cake, candles and "Happy Birthday to You" sung in English. A few local touches are good to know about.

• A Hindi film birthday song. Hindi cinema has a birthday song of its own, "Baar Baar Din Ye Aaye, Happy Birthday to You" ("may this day come again and again"), sung by Mohammed Rafi for the 1967 film Farz.
• Blessings from elders. Older relatives may bless the birthday person with जुग जुग जियो (jug jug jiyo, "may you live for ages") or the Sanskrit आयुष्मान भव (aayushmaan bhava, "may you live long"). Both are traditional blessings for a long life.
• The 60th birthday. In Hindu tradition, turning 60 can be marked with a ceremony called shashthipurti. Its rituals can include a ceremonial wedding that reaffirms the couple's marriage.

If you're invited to a birthday at an Indian friend's home, the wish in their language is a good start. When you leave, you can thank them in their language too. Our guide to thank you in Indian languages has the words.

Want to say more than happy birthday?

A single phrase is easy to learn from a table. Holding a conversation at the party is harder. Indilingo teaches all 22 scheduled Indian languages, and you can learn any of them through a language you already know, such as Spanish or Arabic, with the explanations in that language. Voice conversations with an AI tutor in the Speak tab are included on every plan, with free minutes on the free plan, and each script is taught letter by letter with audio. The app is on Android and iOS.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say happy birthday in Hindi?

Say जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janamdin mubaarak ho). For something more formal, especially in writing, use जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ (janmadin ki haardik shubhkaamnaayen), "heartfelt birthday wishes".

Is it janamdin or janmadin?

They're the same word, जन्मदिन (birthday). Spelled out letter by letter it's janmadin, but in speech you'll hear janamdin or janmdin. Either English spelling is fine.

How do you reply to happy birthday in Hindi?

Say धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) or the more casual शुक्रिया (shukriya), both meaning thank you. Our guide to thank you in Indian languages covers the reply in other languages too.

How do you say happy birthday in Indian?

"Indian" isn't a language. India has 22 scheduled languages and many more besides. Hindi is the most widely spoken, so जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janamdin mubaarak ho) is the safest single choice, but if you know the person's language, use the wish from the table above.

What does saalgirah mubaarak mean?

It's Urdu for "happy birthday". Saalgirah (سالگرہ) marks the yearly return of a date, so it can also mean an anniversary. Urdu speakers use it for birthdays, while Hindi speakers often use it for wedding anniversaries, so with a Hindi speaker janamdin mubaarak ho is clearer.

Is it rude to say happy birthday in English?

No. English birthday wishes are common in India, especially in cities and at work. A wish in the person's own language is a friendly extra.