Looking to add a personal touch to your German skills? One of the easiest and most heart-warming phrases to start with is Happy Birthday in German. It’s more than just a greeting—it helps you connect, start conversations, and understand the culture better. In our blog below, you will learn how to say Happy Birthday in German, along with common German greetings and birthday songs!
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Whenever we learn a new language, it is important to know the basic birthday greetings, as they not only work as a conversation starter but can also promote further interaction with native speakers.
But before you learn how to say happy birthday in German, there are a few cultural differences you should know about. In Germany, it is considered bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday. Similarly, if you are sending someone a gift, then you need to make sure they open it on their birthday and not before.
Finally, there are multiple ways to say happy birthday, but the most common way to wish someone a happy birthday in German is by saying "Herzlichen Glückwunsch." Here, the word "herzlich" means "heartful" or "from the heart" and the word "Glückwunsch" means "congratulations" in English.
This is one of the most common happy birthday wishes in German and a great way to begin to learn German. However, there are quite a few different ways to wish someone a happy birthday, which you will find below.
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To help you better formulate your birthday greetings, we have mentioned a list of common German birthday vocabulary below. This will help you understand all the German Greetings well and get a better understanding of the language:
| German | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Geburtstag | Birthday | der Gə-BOOR-ts-tahk |
| Der Geburtstagskind | The birthday boy or girl | guh-BOOR-ts-taahs-kint |
| Kerzen | Candles | dee ker-tsen |
| Gäste | Guests | dee GEST-uh |
| Geschenke | Gifts | dee geshen-kuh |
| Party | Party | /diː/ /pɑːrti/ or /pɑːrt̬i |
Looking for more than just the usual birthday wishes in German? Here are 6 unique and thoughtful options, along with their translation in English, to help you celebrate and wish in style. Check them out.
One of the most common German Birthday Greetings that you can say to your mom, partner, friend, and even your boss is "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag". This translates to "all the best on your birthday!" in English and is pronounced as "ahl-ehs goo-teh tsum geh-boort-staag."
If you want to wish someone special a happy birthday in German, you can say, "Alles Liebe zu Deinem Geburtstag”. This means "Much love on your birthday." It can be said to your parents, spouse, children, and best friend and is pronounced as "Ah-less LEE-beh tsuhm Ge-BOORT-stag."
Also read: Merry Christmas in German
If you want to make your birthday wish more personalized, then you can say "Ich wünsche Ihnen ein gesundes und erfolgreiches neues Lebensjahr!" which means "I wish you a healthy and prosperous new year of life!"
This is another one of the most common ways to say happy birthday in German, which means "heartfelt congratulations on your birthday" in English. Additionally, you can wish this to almost everyone, be it strangers or your parents.
Next on our list of how to say happy birthday in German is "Von Herzen alles Gute zum Geburtstag!" which translates to "All the best on your birthday from the heart!" You can wish this to your family and friends as the word heart is involved and is pronounced as "Fawn HEHRT-tsahn AHL-ehs GOO-teh tsum Geh-BURTZ-tahg."
This is one of the most sensible birthday wishes in German that you can say to everyone and is also a part of German etiquette. This is pronounced as "Hab-en-aɪn-ʃø:nən gəˈbʊʁt͡sˌtaːk" which means "Have a nice birthday!"
Want to go beyond just saying happy birthday in German? Writing a heartfelt birthday card adds a personal touch that truly stands out! Below are some tips and ways on how you can write a happy birthday card in German:
The first step in writing a birthday card is to say “Lieber” (male) or “Liebe” (female) and follow it up with the person’s name. Note that if you have a formal relationship with that person, then you can use “Lieber Herr / Liebe Frau” with their last name.
You can then choose one of the happy birthday wishes in German from above to write in your card. One of the most common happy birthday phrases in German is "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!" The translation of this is “All the best on your birthday!" You can add this phrase in sentences like:
Also Read: You're Welcome in German
Once you are done with the greeting, you can write a few sentences about the person and why you like them or appreciate them. You can take some inspiration from this:
“Heute ist dein Tag, und ich hoffe, dass er voller Freude, Lachen und schöner Überraschungen sein wird. Möge dein neues Lebensjahr dir Gesundheit, Glück und viele unvergessliche Momente bringen.
Genieße deinen besonderen Tag in vollen Zügen – du hast es verdient!”
English Translation:
Today is your day, and I hope it will be filled with joy, laughter, and wonderful surprises. May your new year bring you health, happiness, and many unforgettable moments.
Enjoy your special day to the fullest—you deserve it!”
Lastly, end the happy birthday card with a note or last sentence, followed by your name.
For example:
You can take a reference from this example:
Liebe [Name],
Ich wünsche dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Möge dein Tag voller Freude, Lachen und wundervoller Überraschungen sein.
Du bist eine wundervolle Person, und ich schätze dich sehr. Dein neues Lebensjahr soll dir Glück, Gesundheit und viele unvergessliche Momente bringen. Genieße diesen besonderen Tag in vollen Zügen – du hast es verdient!
Viele Grüße, [Dein Name]
English Translation:
Dear [Name],
I wish you all the best on your birthday! May your day be filled with joy, laughter, and wonderful surprises.
You are an amazing person, and I truly appreciate you. May your new year of life bring you happiness, health, and many unforgettable moments. Enjoy this special day to the fullest – you deserve it!
Best wishes, [Your Name]
Germany doesn’t only have different birthday greetings, but there are also different happy birthday songs in German. They usually sing “Zum Geburtstag viel Glück” instead of “Happy Birthday to you.” Below are the Song lyrics:
Zum Geburstag viel Glück,
zum Geburtstag viel Glück,
zum Geburtstag liebe / lieber …
zum Geburtstag viel Glück.
English Translation:
Best of luck on your birthday,
Best of luck on your birthday,
For your birthday dear (name),
Best of luck on your birthday.
There is another happy birthday song in German that you can sing:
Hört mal alle her
Ich hab gehört, jemand hat Geburtstag
Zum Geburtstag sagt Foulaa System “Alles Gute”
Wir wünschen dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Guck mal, was ich gehört habe (Was hast du gehört?)
Ich hab gehört, jemand hat heute Geburtstag
Jemand ist ein Jahr älter geworden (oder ein Jahr jünger?)
Hauptsache: Im Herzen immer jung bleiben
Wir wünschen dir Gesundheit, Glück, Freude, immer gutes Wetter!
English translation:
Everybody listen up
I heard it’s someone’s birthday
For your birthday, Foulaa System says “Happy Birthday”
We wish you all the good things for your birthday.
Look what I heard (what did you hear?)
I heard that it’s someone’s birthday today
Someone turned one year older (Or one year younger?)
All that matters is: Staying young at heart
We wish you health, happiness, joy and endlessly good weather
In conclusion, there are multiple ways to wish a happy birthday in German. This can help you understand the basic vocabulary and pronunciation, and it can spark your interest in further exploring German.
Additionally, if you are learning German and want tailored help, you can get German online coaching at Gradding.com. Our experts will help you learn German at your own pace and even provide access to comprehensive course materials that can help you cover various language skills.
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The most common way to wish a Happy Birthday in German is by saying, "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!" This means "Heartfelt congratulations on your birthday!" in English. Additionally, another common way is "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!" which means "All the best for your birthday!"
In German, the common Happy Birthday saying "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!" is pronounced as "Ahl-les Goo-teh tsoom Ge-boor-ts-tahg!"
Germans usually sing "Zum Geburtstag viel Glück," which means "Happy birthday, lots of happiness!" However, another common song is "Wie schön, dass du geboren bist," which means "It's great that you were born!"
The most common way to say "Happy Birthday" in German is "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!", which translates to "All the best for your birthday!" Another widely used phrase is "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!" meaning "Heartfelt congratulations on your birthday!"
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