---
title: "How to Say \"Happy Birthday\" in Russian: С днём рождения"
description: "How to say \"happy birthday\" in Russian: с днём рождения! (s dnyom rozhdéniya). The full congratulation, pronunciation, examples and audio."
canonical: "https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/how-to-say/happy-birthday"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-06-13T18:41:48.000Z"
modified: "2026-10-27T07:33:03.000Z"
author: "Daily Cyrillic"
---

# How to Say "Happy Birthday" in Russian

By [Daily Cyrillic](/about) · Updated 27 Oct 2026

“Happy Birthday” in Russian is с днём рождения (s dnyom rozhdéniya). Use this expression as your starting point, then check the examples for tone, formality and context. Listen to the pronunciation, notice the stressed syllable and compare the common variants before choosing the wording that fits your conversation.

Reading time: about 2 min.

Russian

с днём рождения

Transliteration

s dnyom rozhdéniya

Meaning

happy birthday

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

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

### Practice deck

1 / 5

## 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").

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

[All Russian phrases](/learn/russian-phrases)

## More phrases to say

-   [
    
    How to Say "Cheers"
    
    за здоровье (za zdoróvye)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/cheers)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Where Is"
    
    где...? (gde...?)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/where-is)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Thank You"
    
    спасибо (spasíbo)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/thank-you)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Hello"
    
    здравствуйте (zdrávstvuyte)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/hello)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Yes"
    
    да (da)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/yes)
-   [
    
    How to Say "No"
    
    нет (net)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/no)
-   [
    
    Common Russian Phrases
    
    The phrases hub: greetings, courtesy, questions and more.
    
    ](/learn/russian-phrases)
-   [
    
    Russian Greetings
    
    Hello, times of day, goodbye and how are you - with audio.
    
    ](/learn/russian-greetings)

Source: https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/how-to-say/happy-birthday