

In Japan, you’re considered an adult when you turn 20. As you get older though, different people of importance in your life will start to take charge.įor example: in high school, if a young 少年(しょうねん)- “male” has a girlfriend, he’d be the one to take her out for her birthday.Īnd if you’re single, your friends are more likely to take you out or throw a birthday bash to honor you. Birthdays Change as You Get OlderĪs a child, your parents will throw a party for you. Just like how you gave the gift with both hands and a bow, eventually, your Japanese colleague or friend will also receive the give with both hands a slight bow. This is just a way of being humble and polite.

Don’t be surprised if the person rejects the gift once or twice, either. In Japanese culture, you should always hand someone a gift with both hands and a slight bow. In this case, if you have a gift to offer the person, you should hand it to them properly. Instead, you see them at work, school or another setting.

Here’s a word of advice: don’t touch or open someone else’s gift like I almost did for my boss.īut let’s say you aren’t attending a party or social gathering in honor of the special birthday person. So before we dive into the simple phrases you want to add to your “cool things to say in Japanese” box, let’s first take a look at how birthdays are celebrated in Japan. Just like in English, it can be a bit too straightforward to ask for someone’s age on their birthday.īut you can definitely ask about their birthday wishes!īecause of customs like this, it’s extremely important you understand basic cultural etiquette before attending a Japanese birthday party. (Download) How Birthdays Are Celebrated in Japan
#Happy birthday song in japanese pdf
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. If you’re worried about giving birthday wishes politely, this post has got you covered! Needless to say, we used many celebratory phrases and words. When I interned at a Japanese company in Tokyo, my boss received many, many gifts from other companies for his birthday. There are different ways to express your joy for someone turning a year older. That means you can’t just take the easy way out and solely rely on loan words to fill in your knowledge gaps. Japanese is a language that places emphasis on relationships and politeness. …But wait a minute, are you sure you know how to? Put on your party hat and go wish someone a happy birthday-in Japanese! Home » Japanese Vocab and Grammar » “Happy Birthday” in Japanese: Your Guide to Celebrating Like a Nativeīy erroldejesus and brookebagley Last updated:įebru“Happy Birthday” in Japanese: Your Guide to Celebrating Like a Native
