Want to know how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Italian? You’re in the right place.
It’s always nice to wish someone a happy birthday on their special day but why not do it in a language that means something to them.
As well as wishing your loved one a happy birthday in Italian, why not also sing the Italian version of the happy birthday song!
Read on to learn more about this.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘Happy Birthday’ In Italian
To wish someone a happy birthday in Italian, you can say one of the phrases in the table below.
Click on the Italian word to hear the pronunciation.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Happy birthday | Buon compleanno |
| Happy birthday (lit. many wishes) | Tanti auguri |
| Happy birthday (lit. best wishes) | Auguri |
‘Buon Compleanno’
‘Buon compleanno’ is just used on birthdays.
‘Buon‘ translates to ‘good’ and ‘compleanno‘ translates to ‘birthday’.
‘Auguri’ & ‘Tanti Auguri’
The second phrase ‘tanti auguri’ literally means ‘many wishes’ but is commonly used on birthdays. It even features in the popular happy birthday song.
The third phrase ‘auguri’ is just a shortened version of ‘tanti auguri’ and is also commonly used on birthdays. It literally translates to ‘best wishes’ or ‘wishes’.
You can use ‘auguri’ and ‘tanti auguri’ on other occasions such as wishing someone the best when they are starting a new job, having a baby or for an anniversary.
Italian Birthday Wishes & Phrases
Alternatively, you can also use some of these birthday phrases:
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Happy belated birthday | Tanti auguri in ritardo |
| Many dear wishes | Tanti cari auguri |
| All the best | Ti auguro il meglio |
| Congratulations | Complimenti |
| Many wishes for your birthday | Tanti auguri di buon compleanno |
| I hope all your wishes come true | Spero che tutti i tuoi desideri si avverino |
| Happy birthday wishes from the bottom of my heart | Auguri di buon compleanno dal profondo del cuore |
| I wish you a year full of happiness and joy | Ti auguro un anno pieno di felicità e gioia |
| Have a great day | Vi auguro una buona giornata |
| One hundred of these days | Cento di questi giorni |
The phrase ‘cento di questi giorni’ or ‘one hundred of these days’ is a fun, Italian expression often used on birthdays to wish someone 100 years of life.
If you’re speaking to someone special then you’ll want to know how to say I love you in Italian.
Birthday Vocabulary In Italian
I’ve listed some handy Italian birthday vocabulary below. These should come in handy if you’re celebrating a birthday!
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Birthday | Compleanno |
| Party | Festa |
| Cake | Torta |
| Candles | Candeline |
| Present/gift | Regalo |
| Birthday card | Biglietto d’auguri |
| Birthday boy | Festeggiato |
| Birthday girl | Festeggiata |
| Invitation | Invito |
| Surprise | Sorpresa |
| To celebrate a birthday | Festeggia un compleanno |
| Blow the candles out | Spegni le candeline |
| Make a wish | Esprimi un desiderio |
| Family | Famiglia |
| Friends | Amici |
How To Sing Happy Birthday In Italian
If you want to go the extra mile for your loved one or friend, try singing the happy birthday song in Italian. You’ll be happy to know it’s the same tune as the English version, they just sing it in Italian.
Check out the video below to hear the Italian birthday song. I’ve listed the lyrics below so you can sing along.
Here’s the lyrics so you can sing along:
“Tanti auguri a te!
Tanti auguri a te!
Tanti auguri a *name*
Tanti auguri a te!”
This translates to:
“Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to *name*
Happy birthday to you!”
Italian Birthday Traditions
Birthday traditions can be very important to many people on their birthdays. To make your loved one feel extra special you can also try some of these Italian birthday traditions.
Birthday Cake
The birthday boy/girl is expected to buy (or bake) their own birthday cake.
Similar to many other countries, people will sing the ‘happy birthday’ song whilst the birthday girl/boy blows out the candles on the cake and makes a wish!
Don’t tell anyone your wish or it won’t come true.
Birthday Presents
If you’re invited to a birthday party, it is customary to bring a gift.
In Italy, it’s traditional to open all of your presents in front of everyone at your party so don’t buy something too personal.
Don’t Wish ‘Happy Birthday’ In Advance
It’s seen as bad luck to wish someone a ‘happy birthday’ before their actual birthday so don’t do this in advance.
It’s fine to do it after so you can always wish someone a ‘happy belated birthday’ afterwards if you missed it.
The Birthday Girl/Boy Pays
In many countries on someone’s birthday, their friends and family will pay for everything to treat the person on their birthday.
In Italy, however, the birthday girl/boy is expected to pay for everything so if you invite your friends to go out for a birthday dinner or drinks on your birthday, you will pay for all of your friends and family.
As this can be expensive, many people opt to have a birthday party at home rather than at a restaurant or bar. The birthday girl/boy will then cook for their friends and family.
18th Birthday
A person’s 18th birthday is a big one and usually comes with an extra big celebration.
Thanks for reading this post on how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Italian.
It’s a great idea to make the effort to learn how to say this in someone’s native language or a language that means something to them.
Your loved one or friend will be so impressed!
Related posts: