Happy birthday in Spanish, with English translations
Happy birthday in Spanish is ¡Feliz cumpleaños! (feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs). Among friends it’s often just ¡Feliz cumple!
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Happy birthday in Spanish is ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Friends shorten it to ¡Feliz cumple!, and you’ll also hear ¡Felicidades! (congratulations), especially in Spain. Add ¡Que cumplas muchos más! (here’s to many more) and you have a whole birthday card.
Below are 63 birthday wishes in Spanish, each with its English translation underneath: short ones for a text, wishes for mom and dad, grandparents, your partner, friends and kids, funny ones, belated ones and a few formal ones for work. There’s also how to say the main phrases, the birthday songs and a few traditions. Tap a wish and the Spanish goes on a card with their face in it; the English stays here.
How to say happy birthday in Spanish
Cumpleaños comes from cumplir años, to complete years, which is why Spanish speakers ask ¿Cuántos años cumples? (How old are you turning?). The word ends in -s even for one birthday: un cumpleaños, dos cumpleaños. In most of Spain the z in feliz sounds like the th in thanks; in Latin America it sounds like an s.
Written Spanish opens an exclamation with an upside-down mark: ¡Feliz cumpleaños! On most phone keyboards, press and hold ! for ¡ and n for ñ.
| Spanish | Say it like | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs | Happy birthday! | Anywhere, to anyone |
| ¡Feliz cumple! | feh-LEES KOOM-pleh | Happy bday! | Friends and family |
| ¡Felicidades! | feh-lee-see-DAH-dehs | Congratulations! | Birthdays too, especially in Spain |
| ¡Que cumplas muchos más! | keh KOOM-plahs MOO-chohs MAHS | Here’s to many more! | After feliz cumpleaños, in a card or a toast |
| ¡Feliz cumpleaños atrasado! | feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs ah-trah-SAH-doh | Happy belated birthday! | When you’re late |
63 wishes in Spanish to put on the card
Tap one and it goes on your card. You can change every word.
Short ones for a text
For Mom and Dad
For grandparents
For your partner
For friends
For kids
Funny ones
Belated ones
Formal ones for work
Cards made from your photos
The birthday songs
In Spain and many other Spanish-speaking countries, people sing Cumpleaños feliz to the same tune as Happy Birthday to You. One common version goes: “Cumpleaños feliz, cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos todos, cumpleaños feliz” (happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, we all wish you a happy birthday).
In Mexico the birthday song is Las mañanitas, sung first thing in the morning, sometimes by mariachis hired for the occasion. In Argentina people sing “Que los cumplas feliz” to the Happy Birthday tune. Want to know who wrote the tune? We looked into who wrote Happy Birthday.
Three birthday traditions worth knowing
- Mexico: after the song, everyone chants “¡Mordida!” (bite!) and the birthday person takes a bite of the cake, often with a little push from behind.
- Spain and parts of Latin America: friends give a gentle tug on the ears, one for every year (los tirones de orejas).
- A girl’s 15th birthday, the quinceañera, is a big celebration in Mexico and much of Latin America, often with a party, a waltz and a special dress.
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How do you say happy birthday in Spanish?
¡Feliz cumpleaños! (feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs). Among friends it’s often shortened to ¡Feliz cumple!, and ¡Felicidades! works too, especially in Spain.
How do you say happy birthday, my love, in Spanish?
¡Feliz cumpleaños, mi amor! For a partner you can also say mi vida (my life), cariño (darling) or corazón (sweetheart). To a friend who’s a woman, it’s ¡Feliz cumpleaños, amiga!, and to a man, amigo.
What does que cumplas muchos más mean?
“May you have many more (birthdays).” It’s the Spanish version of many happy returns, and it goes right after feliz cumpleaños in a card or a toast.
How do you write happy belated birthday in Spanish?
¡Feliz cumpleaños atrasado! or ¡Felicidades atrasadas! Add más vale tarde que nunca (better late than never) and you’re forgiven. There are more in the belated list above, and in English on our happy belated birthday post.
Can I make a birthday card in Spanish?
Yes. Tap any wish above and the Spanish goes on your card, or type your own. Add one clear photo of them and HiWith puts them in a birthday scene, like popping out of a giant cake or playing a sold-out show, with four pictures and a short video in a link that opens on any phone.
By HiWith (Winding AI, Inc.) · support@winding.ai · Updated