Happy birthday in Korean

한국어 생일 축하 카드 · Free · no sign-up

Their name — in English or Korean

Three ways to say it

생일 축하해! (saengil chukhahae) — to a friend or someone younger. Add the name with 아 / 야: 지민아, 에밀리야.
생일 축하드려요! — polite, to a coworker or someone you don’t know well.
생신 축하드려요! — to parents, grandparents or a teacher. 생신 is the honorific word for birthday.

Koreans traditionally eat 미역국 (seaweed soup) on their birthday, and sing 「생일 축하합니다」 to the same tune as “Happy Birthday to You”.

친구에게는 「생일 축하해!」, 잘 모르는 사람에게는 「생일 축하드려요!」, 부모님 · 선생님께는 「생신 축하드려요!」라고 해요. 생일에는 미역국을 먹어요.

Knowing when to use 해 and 해요 is one of the first big steps. The beginner path covers it early.