How to Say "Happy Birthday" in Russian

"Happy birthday" in Russian is с днём рождения! (s dnyom rozhdéniya) - literally "(congratulations) on the day of birth". Put поздравляю in front to say it in full.

In Russian

с днём рождения

s dnyom rozhdéniya - happy birthday

Variants & registers

поздравляю с днём рождения!pozdravlyáyu s dnyom rozhdéniya
happy birthday! - the full "I congratulate you"
warm
с днюхой!s dnyúkhoy
happy b-day - very casual slang
slang
желаю счастья и здоровьяzheláyu schástya i zdoróvya
I wish you happiness and health
heartfelt
с праздником!s prázdnikom
happy holiday - the same с + instrumental pattern
neutral

Breakdown & pronunciation

Word by word

сs
with / on (congratulations on)
днёмdnyom
day (instrumental of день)
рожденияrozhdéniya
of birth (genitive of рождение)

Pronunciation

Say z-DNYOM razh-DYE-ni-ya. The с is pronounced "z" before the voiced д. днём is one syllable; рождения is stressed on the ДЕ: razh-DYE-ni-ya.

Example sentences

С днём рождения! Желаю счастья.
S dnyom rozhdéniya! Zheláyu schástya.
Happy birthday! I wish you happiness.
Поздравляю с днём рождения!
Pozdravlyáyu s dnyom rozhdéniya!
Happy birthday (I congratulate you)!
С днём рождения, дорогая!
S dnyom rozhdéniya, dorogáya!
Happy birthday, dear!
Желаю здоровья и успехов!
Zheláyu zdoróvya i uspékhov!
I wish you health and success!

Usage & etiquette

Russian builds congratulations with с + the instrumental case: с днём рождения ("on your birthday"), с Новым годом ("happy New Year"), с праздником ("happy holiday"). The pattern is the same every time.

For a fuller, warmer greeting, open with поздравляю ("I congratulate you") and follow with a wish such as желаю счастья и здоровья ("I wish you happiness and health").

Practice

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FAQ

How do you say "happy birthday" in Russian?

"Happy birthday" is с днём рождения! (s dnyom rozhdéniya). For the full version say поздравляю с днём рождения! ("I congratulate you on your birthday").

Why does с днём рождения use the instrumental case?

Russian congratulations use the formula с + instrumental ("on ..."). днём is the instrumental of день ("day"), and рождения is the genitive of рождение ("birth").

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