Unlike most people in the world, who count their age at birth as 0, the Chinese or Cantonese count their age a little differently. Cantonese is a language dialect of Sino-Tibetan languages, spoken by the Southeast people of China. Cantonese is a co-official language of Macau together with Portuguese and is the de facto official language of Hong Kong along with English. It serves as the primary language of government, business, and the media in both. Read the article which is about how to say happy birthday in Cantonese and how to wish a Chinese person a happy birthday.
1. What is a Chinese Birthday?
An infant in the West celebrates turning one on the first anniversary of their birth. However, in Chinese culture, newborn infants are already regarded as one year old. When a youngster in China turns two, they celebrate their first birthday. Unlike most people in the world, who count their age at birth as 0, the Chinese count their age at birth as one. A Chinese person’s age is also increased by one year on their first Lunar New Year’s Day.
While they accept most ages, they don’t think most birthdays are a reason for celebration. Western-style birthday parties are more widespread in China because of globalization, but traditional Chinese birthday celebrations adhere to specific traditions and certain taboos. (See What are Cultural Traits?)
2. How can you Say Happy Birthday Wishes?
The best way to say happy birthday wishes is to send the ideal birthday wish to someone you love. Finding a special method to wish someone a happy birthday is difficult no matter who you are. There is always a reason to celebrate a birthday! It’s customary to gather with loved ones and it’s a time for celebration, including sharing birthday cake, delectable fare, and a group video gift.
Having learned several greetings for birthdays, it is now time to make a birthday video gift that will be cherished for years to come. With sincere birthday greetings from friends and family in a group video present, the finest way is to say Happy Birthday adding a meaningful message to it. (See Why Make a Wish Bouquet?)
3. Is it Correct to Say Happiest Birthday?
It is inappropriate to say Happiest Birthday. The superlative adjective happiest denotes the best or greatest birthday. Even though you would want to wish them the nicest birthday yet, you should avoid implying that they will never have a better birthday. The term happiest is a superlative version of the word happiest; the order goes from happiest to happier, or happier than any other instance of happiness(the happiest). (See How Do You Say 12:30 In Spanish?)
4. How can you Wish a Chinese Person Happy Birthday?
As the name suggests, a person’s birthday refers to both the day of their birth and the anniversary of that date. On your birthday, it is nice to get blessings and presents from family and friends. You will say Happy birthday in English when your family, friends, co-workers, or others celebrate their birthdays. To wish a Chinese person happy birthday, we will either say 生日快乐 shēng rì kuài lè, or, 祝你生日快乐 zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè in Chinese.
However, you can say (生日快乐 zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè if the birthday person is older, a superior, or someone you respect. When you are unable to wish someone a happy birthday in person, you can send them a greeting on social media instead. (See How to Respond to Eid Mubarak?)
5. How can you Wish Happy Birthday in Cantonese?
How to wish happy birthday in Cantonese or how say best wishes in Cantonese? The best way to celebrate a happy birthday in Cantonese is instead of birthday cakes, Singaporean Chinese would customarily toss and eat yusheng for good luck to commemorate birthday together. This dish, which is served on a big circular plate and includes raw fish, shredded carrot, green and white radish, deep-fried flour chips, and sweet sauces, is thought to represent abundance. In fact, your prospects for the upcoming year will be greater the higher you toss the yusang! The following is how Cantonese speakers in Singapore would wish a person a happy birthday:
祝你生日快樂. (See How do you say Happy New Year in Spanish?)
6. How can you Say Best Wishes in Cantonese?
Those who speak Cantonese in Singapore would say happy birthday in Cantonese as:
- 祝你生日快樂 (saang1 jat6 faai3 lok6, Learndialect noted) birthday greetings in Cantonese,
- 笑口常開 Siw you Seung hoi, which means to always grin and to frequently laugh,
- 心想事成 Sam seurng see sing, which translates to everything your heart desires is successful. Like may all your dreams come true!
7. How can you Say Dad in Cantonese?
Now you know how to wish happy birthday in Cantonese. About 85 million people in southern China, primarily in the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, and Hunan, as well as in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hong Kong, and Macau, speak Cantonese, a Sinitic language. Around 80 million Cantonese speakers lived in China in 2019, with 6.6 million of them in Hong Kong and 507,000 in Macau.
The most typical dad variation heard in Cantonese-speaking regions is:
Ba in the downward and upward tones resembles the Mandarin ba ba in reverse. Must read What is the Latin for Sunshine?
8. How can you Say Love in Cantonese?
Since you are aware of using the correct phrase for happy birthday in Cantonese, let’s learn some other words. Talking of love, sometimes, expressing your sentiments to the person you loved with words is insufficient. Use the Cantonese phrase Mou5 baan6 faat3 jung6 jin4 jyu5 lei4 jing4 jung4 ngo5 deoi3 nei5 ge3 oi3 to express that. (See What is Kung Hei Fat Choi in English?)
9. What is Sang Yat Fai Lok?
Sang Yat Fai Lok is a psychedelic reimagining of a long-buried personal history.
The television shows Calvin’s Corner, Children’s Corner, and Happy Birthday, all produced by Rediffusion (Lai Dik Foo Sing), were used as inspiration for Sang Yat Fai Lok, which was reconstructed using newspaper records, production stills, and personal photos. There are no recordings of these shows, despite the fact that they are incredibly well-liked and beloved by many generations of kids in the Pearl River Delta area. (See What Language did They Speak in Rome?)
10. How can you Say Happy Birthday in Hokkien?
Hokkien is a Southern Min language that is native to the Minnan area and is extensively spoken in the southeast of the Fujian province in southeast China. It is one of the official languages in Taiwan and is also widely spoken by the Chinese diaspora throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries in that region, as well as by other expatriate Chinese living elsewhere in the world. In Singapore, Hokkiens might say happy birthday to someone as 生日快乐 pronounced as Si lit kuai lok. (See 20 Best Restaurant Chains for Birthdays)
11. What is Shēngrì Kuàilè?
Happy birthday in Chinese is shengrikuaile / shngrkuàilè, which has an English version. The Chinese character for shengrikuaile is shngrkuàilè. (See How to Write the Date in Korean?)
12. What Should you Write in a Happy Birthday Card?
Add individual messages to the cards you present rather than just writing your name under generic birthday greetings and calling it a day. You can write:
- I’m so glad you were born because every day you make my life better.
- Happy birthday, little one. I appreciate that you are both mine and who you are.
- I can’t wait to spend your day with you. I wish you the happiest birthday ever.
A card feels more personal when the happy birthday message is personalized for the receiver. (Also read What are Language Branches and Groups?)
