Want to know how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Russian? 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 Russian, why not also sing the Russian version of the happy birthday song!
Read on to learn more about this.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘Happy Birthday’ In Russian
To wish someone a happy birthday in Russian, you can say:
| English | Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday | С днём рождения | S dnem rozhdeniya |
To hear the pronunciation of this phrase, check out the video below:
С днем варенья (S dnem varen-ya) is a different, fun and informal way to wish a happy birthday to either a child or a close friend.
This phrase literally means ‘Happy Jam Day’ and comes from a popular Russian cartoon called Малыш и Карлсон (Smidge and Karlsson).
Russian Birthday Wishes & Phrases
Alternatively, you can also use some of these phrases and birthday wishes:
| English | Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Happy belated birthday | С прошедшим | S proshedshim |
| Congratulations | Поздравляю | Pazdravlyaiu |
| I congratulate you on your birthday (formal) | Поздравляю с днём рождения | Pozdravlyayu s dnom rozhdeniya |
| I wish you all the best | Желаю всего самого лучшего | Zhelayu vsego samogo lucshego |
| Wishing you health and happiness | Желаю счастья и здоровья | Zhelayu schast-ya i zdorov-ya |
| Wishing you success and joy | Желаю успеха и радости | Zhelayu uspekha i radosti |
| I wish you health, happiness and love | Желаю тебе здоровья, счастья и любви | Zhelayu zdarov-ya, schast-ja, lyubvi |
| I wish that all your dreams come true | Желаю чтобы все твои мечты сбылись | Zhelayu schtobi vsye tvoyi mechti sbilyis |
Birthday Vocabulary In Russian
I’ve listed some handy Russian birthday vocabulary below. These should come in handy if you’re celebrating a birthday!
| English | Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday | День рождения | Den rozhdeniya |
| Party | Вечеринка | Vecherinka |
| Cake | Торт | Tort |
| Candles | Свечи | Svechi |
| Present/gift | Подарок | Podarok |
| Card | Открытка | Otkrytka |
| Birthday boy | Именинник | Imeninnik |
| Birthday girl | Именинница | Imeninnitsa |
| Wishes | Пожелания | Pozhelaniya |
| Invitation | Приглашение | Priglashenie |
| To celebrate a birthday | Отмечать день рождения | Atmichat den razhdenia |
| Blow the candles out | Задувать свечи | Zaduvat svechi |
| Make a wish | Загадывать желаниe | Zagadyvat zhelanie |
If you’re speaking to someone special then you’ll want to know how to say I love you in Russian.
How To Sing Happy Birthday In Russian
If you want to go the extra mile for your loved one or friend, try singing the happy birthday song in Russian.
There are translations of the English birthday song in Russian but this is rarely sung in Russia.
Russians prefer to sing a birthday song from the popular Soviet cartoon ‘Крокодил Гена и Чебурашка’ which translates to ‘Gena the Crocodile and Cheburashka’.
This song is called Песенка крокодила Гены (Crocodile Gena’s Song).
Check out the video below to hear the Russian birthday song. I’ve listed the lyrics below so you can sing along.
Here’s the lyrics so you can sing along:
“Пусть бегут неуклюже
Пешеходы по лужам,
А вода по асфальту рекой.
И неясно прохожим
В этот день непогожий,
Почему я веселый такой.
А я играю на гармошке
У прохожих на виду.
К сожаленью, день рожденья
Только раз в году.
Прилетит вдруг волшебник
В голубом вертолете
И бесплатно покажет кино.
С днем рожденья поздравит
И, наверно, оставит
Мне в подарок пятьсот эскимо.
А я играю на гармошке
У прохожих на виду.
К сожаленью, день рожденья
Только раз в году.”
The transliteration for these lyrics are:
“Pust’ begut neuklyuzhe
Peshekhody po luzham,
A voda po asfal’tu rekoy.
I neyasno prokhozhim
V etot den’ nepogozhiy,
Pochemu ya veselyy takoy.
A ya igrayu na garmoshke
U prokhozhikh na vidu.
K sozhalen’yu, den’ rozhden’ya
Tol’ko raz v godu.
Priletit vdrug volshebnik
V golubom vertolete
I besplatno pokazhet kino.
S dnem rozhden’ya pozdravit
I, naverno, ostavit
Mne v podarok pyat’sot eskimo.
A ya igrayu na garmoshke
U prokhozhikh na vidu.
K sozhalen’yu, den’ rozhden’ya
Tol’ko raz v godu”
This translates to:
“Let the pedestrians run clumsily through the puddles
and the water run on the pavement like a river.
It is unclear to the passers-by
on this wet and dull day
why I’m so happy.
And I’m playing the accordion
for everyone to see.
It is unfortunate, but birthdays
only come once a year.
And suddenly a wizard
would fly in, in a sky blue helicopter,
and show a movie for free.
He would wish me a happy birthday
And probably leave as a present for me
500 chocolate ice-cream lollipops.
And I’m playing the accordion
for everyone to see.
It is unfortunate, but birthdays
only come once a year.”
Russian 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 Russian birthday traditions.
40th Birthday is bad luck
Hopefully it’s not your 40th birthday, but if it is then I have some bad news for you. Many people in Russia actually choose not to celebrate or even acknowledge their 40th birthday because the 40th birthday is considered bad luck.
The reason for this is because the number 40 is actually associated with death and so to celebrate this birthday would be a bad omen.
Don’t celebrate early
It’s also considered bad luck to celebrate a birthday early so don’t say ‘happy birthday’ to a Russian person before their actual birthday! Wait till the actual day to say this. You should also hold off on giving them their birthday present before their birthday.
Russians believe that if you celebrate your birthday early then this will put you in danger so they always celebrate on the actual day or afterwards.
Pull the birthday person’s ears
This one might sound strange but one fun Russian tradition is to pull on the birthday person’s ears! You should pull the birthday girl/boy’s ears once for each year of life plus one extra e.g. if someone is turning 13, you should pull their ears 14 times.
Whilst the ear pulling is being performed, people will often chant the below:
Расти большой и не будь лапшой! Rasti bol-shoy i ne bud lapshoy!
This translates to ‘grow big and don’t be a noodle’ which generally means ‘grow up and be strong’.
Traditional Food
Russian birthday parties often feature traditional Russian food such as:
- Борщ (borscht) – beetroot soup.
- Салат Оливье (Olivier salad) – potato and vegetable salad.
- Пирожки (pirozhki) – boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings.
Toasts
It’s common to give a toast at a Russian birthday party. You can use some of the phrases above if you have to give a toast. Toasts are often given with vodka (водка) or another alcoholic drink in Russia.
At most parties, a spokesperson will be chosen to make the toast and with every round of new drinks, a toast will be given. The spokesperson will usually be someone who knows the birthday person the best or for the longest time.
Toasts often include stories such as how they first met, their achievements and their friendship.
Give an odd number of flowers
If you’re planning on giving someone a bouquet of flowers for their birthday then make sure you give an odd number of flowers.
Giving an even number of flowers is what people do at funerals so it would be bad luck to give someone an even number of flowers on their birthday.
On this note, you should also not give someone yellow flowers on their birthday as yellow symbolizes separation.
Same first name – make a wish!
If you find yourself sitting between two people with the same first name at a birthday party then make a wish. According to the Russians, this wish will definitely come true.
Birthday Cards
In many countries it is pretty common to just write a short ‘happy birthday’ message in a card. However, it’s more common in Russia to write a long, meaningful message on a birthday card. It may be considered rude if you write a short message.
You can use some of the above phrases and wishes for this. You may wish someone a long, prosperous life filled with joy and happiness.
Thanks for reading this post on how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Russian.
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!
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