Birthday song in Japanese

Looking for the birthday song in Japanese? Perhaps the version of “Happy Birthday to you!” or “Happy Birthday to you!” You can find all these and other versions of birthday songs in this article.

Remember that we already have two related articles on our site:

• Omedetou – How to say Congratulations in Japanese?
• How to say “Happy Birthday” in Japanese?

Otanjoubi no Uta [お誕生日のうた]

“The first song we will see is ‘Tanjoubi no Uta’ [お誕生日のうた], which means ‘Birthday Song’. This song is one of the most traditional in Japan to celebrate birthdays, sung to wish happiness to the birthday person.

The simple and cheerful lyrics reflect the joy and enthusiasm of the moment, becoming an essential part of Japanese birthday parties. The rhythm is exactly the same as the traditional international birthday song.

We have a video of the song on our channel, but unfortunately, I can’t put it on the site due to YouTube restrictions, so to watch the video click here.

Lyrics in Japanese:

うれしいな 今日は
楽しいな 今日は
誕生日 おめでとう
お歌を 歌いましょう

うれしいな 今日は
楽しいな 今日は
誕生日 おめでとう
お歌を 歌いましょう

Romanized Lyrics:

Tanoshii na Kyou wa
Tanjoobi Omedetou
O Uta o Utaimashoo

Ureshii na Kyou wa
Tanoshii na Kyou wa
Tanjobi Omedetou
O Uta o Utaimashoo

Translation of the song:

1. Today I am happy
2. Today I am cheerful
3. Happy birthday to you
4. Let’s sing a song
5. Today I am happy
6. Today I am cheerful
7. Happy birthday to you
8. Let’s sing a song

Tanjoubi Omedetou [誕生日おめでとう]

This second song is simpler; it uses the person’s name and also their age in the lyrics. It also uses the same rhythm as traditional birthday songs.

Lyrics in Japanese:

誕生日おめでとう、誕生日おめでとう!
[名前]さん何歳ですか？
[00]歳です
ありがとう!

Romanized Lyrics:

Tanjoubi omedetou, Tanjoubi omedetou! 
[Name] san Nan-sai desu ka? 
[Age] sai desu! Arigatou!

Translation in Portuguese:

• Happy birthday to you!
• Happy birthday to you!
• [Name]-san How old are you?
• I am [00] years old! Thank you!

How do the Japanese sing?

To finish, it is worth remembering that the Japanese also have the habit of singing the English version of the happy birthday song, pronounced with a Japanese accent “ハッピーバースデー” (Happī bāsudē).