Tanjoubi is the Japanese word for ‘birthday’, explained

What does “tanjoubi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “tanjoubi” to mean ‘birthday’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its related phrase which native speakers often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “tanjoubi” more clearly. Then, let’s gets started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “tanjoubi”
• Tanjoubi in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “birthday” in Japanese
• Tanjoubi omedetou: a Japanese phrase for ‘happy birthday’
  • Example #2: how to say “happy birthday” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “tanjoubi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “tanjoubi”.

• tanjoubi – 誕生日 (たんじょうび) : a noun meaning ‘birthday’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to birthdays in Japanese. So, its usage is very simple.

The definition and meaning are also simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail.

Tanjoubi in kanji

The kanji expression of “tanjoubi” consists of the following two parts:

• tanjou – 誕生 (たんじょう) : a noun meaning ‘birth’, ‘origin’, or ‘creation’ in Japanese.
• bi – 日 (び) : a noun meaning ‘day’ in Japanese. Normally, this works as a suffix to add the meaning of ‘day’ to its preceding word.

From these two parts, we can understand that the formed noun literally means ‘birth day’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tanjoubi” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tanjoubi” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “birthday” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “ashita” to make the subject in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “tanjoubi” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “tanjoubi”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no tanjoubi”, which means ‘my birthday’ in Japanese. When we want to say “birthday” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Tanjoubi omedetou: a Japanese phrase for ‘happy birthday’

Next, let me explain how to say “happy birthday” in Japanese.

• tanjoubi omedetou – 誕生日おめでとう (たんじょうびおめでとう) : a Japanese phrase for ‘happy birthday’.

Native speakers use this phrase to say “happy birthday” in Japanese. “Omedetou” added here is often used to say “congratulations” in Japanese. So, the phrase literally means ‘congratulations on the birthday’. Considering the fact that Japanese sentences often lack words specifically referring to the speaker or listeners, the meaning of this phrase can be interpreted as ‘congratulations on your birthday’.

Then, let me explain how to use this phrase through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “happy birthday” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kanojo” said.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “boku” to indicate the object to which the action described by “it ta” is directed.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “tanjoubi omedetou”. When we want to say “happy birthday” in Japanese especially in casual situations, this phrase is the best option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tanjoubi” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its related phrase which native speakers often use. Let me summarize them as follows.

• tanjoubi – 誕生日 (たんじょうび) : a noun meaning ‘birthday’ in Japanese. These three kanji characters literally mean ‘birth day’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning. When we want to say “birthday” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
• tanjoubi omedetou – 誕生日おめでとう (たんじょうびおめでとう) : a Japanese phrase for ‘happy birthday’. This phrase literally means ‘congratulations on the birthday’, but can be translated into English as ‘happy birthday’ or ‘happy birthday to you’. When we want to say “happy birthday” in Japanese especially in casual situations, this phrase is the best option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.