Hanzi Sheets
How to write 生日快乐 — "Happy Birthday" in Chinese
生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè) is how you say "happy birthday" in Chinese. The birthday song line every Chinese learner meets first. Below is each character with its pinyin and meaning, plus a free tracing worksheet you can print in seconds.
生日快乐 character by character
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning in this phrase |
|---|---|---|
| 生 | shēng | birth; life |
| 日 | rì | day; sun |
| 快 | kuài | fast; happy |
| 乐 | lè | happy; joy |
| 生日快乐 | shēng rì kuài lè | happy birthday |
Using 生日快乐
生日 is “birthday” — 生 (birth) plus 日 (day) — and 快乐 is “happy”, so 生日快乐 is a word-for-word “birthday happy”. It is sung to the same tune as the English birthday song, one syllable per note: 祝你生日快乐, repeated four times, ending with the birthday child's name.
The phrase covers every age and relationship: say it to a five-year-old, write it in a colleague's card, pipe it on a cake. In Traditional Chinese it is 生日快樂 — only 乐 changes, to 樂. A full sentence for cards: 今天是你的生日，祝你生日快乐 — “Today is your birthday — happy birthday to you.”
Pre-filled with 生日快乐 in a tian grid with stroke-order strips. Add more words, pick a size, print.
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FAQ
How do you sing Happy Birthday in Chinese?
To the same tune as in English: 祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè), repeated line by line, then finish with 祝你生日快乐 plus the person's name.
How do you write Happy Birthday in Traditional Chinese?
生日快樂. Only 乐 has a Traditional form — 樂. 生, 日 and 快 are written the same in both scripts.
What do you reply when someone says 生日快乐 to you?
谢谢 (xiè xie, “thank you”) is all you need. To return the wish on the same day — for twins or classmates sharing a birthday — say 也祝你生日快乐, “happy birthday to you too”.