In most languages you sing "Happy Birthday" to the same tune, with the local words for "happy birthday" on the first, second and fourth lines and the person's name on the third. In French that's "Joyeux anniversaire", in German "Zum Geburtstag viel Glück", in Italian "Tanti auguri a te", in Korean "생일 축하합니다" (saeng-il chuk-ha-ham-ni-da), and in Japan most people simply sing it in English. Below are the words that fit the tune in each language, how to say them, and the countries that sing a different song. If you'd like to hear yourself sing it in a language you don't speak, Tera Studio can sing a recording in your own voice, with your first 2 songs free: try it with your voice.
Key takeaways
- The tune is the same almost everywhere, and the English song has been in the public domain in the US since 2016 and in the EU since 2017.
- Most versions repeat one phrase three times, with "dear [name]" on the third line.
- Brazil, Portugal and Mexico usually sing their own birthday songs; India sings the English one, plus a favourite Hindi film song.
- When a line has more syllables than the tune has notes, split a note in two rather than rushing.
The words, language by language
| Language | Lines 1, 2 and 4 | Line 3 | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Joyeux anniversaire | Joyeux anniversaire, [name] | zhwa-YUH zah-nee-vair-SAIR |
| German | Zum Geburtstag viel Glück | Zum Geburtstag, liebe [name] (to a woman) or lieber [name] (to a man) | tsoom guh-BOORTS-tahk feel GLUEK; ü is "ee" said with rounded lips |
| Italian | Tanti auguri a te | Tanti auguri a [name] | TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree ah TEH |
| Korean | 생일 축하합니다 | 사랑하는 [name] ("dear [name]") | saeng-il chuk-ha-ham-ni-da; sa-rang-ha-neun |
| Mandarin | 祝你生日快乐 | 祝你生日快乐 again, or 祝 [name] 生日快乐 | joo nee shung-rr kwai-luh (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè) |
| Japanese | Happy birthday to you, in English | Happy birthday, dear [name] | happī bāsudē tsū yū |
Spanish
"Feliz cumpleaños" (feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyohs) means happy birthday, and many families sing "Cumpleaños feliz" to the same tune. After that the words change from country to country, and from family to family, so ask what the birthday person grew up with. In Spain the z in feliz sounds like the "th" in think. In Mexico, birthdays usually start with a different, traditional song: "Las Mañanitas".
Countries that sing a different song
- Brazil and Portugal sing "Parabéns a Você" to the same tune, with its own Portuguese words written in 1942 by the Brazilian poet Berta Celeste Homem de Mello. Those words are still under copyright, so we don't print them.
- Mexico has "Las Mañanitas", a traditional song sung in the morning or before the cake.
- India mostly sings the English song. The Hindi film song "Baar Baar Din Ye Aaye" (from Farz, 1967) is the other birthday favourite.
How to sing it well in a language you don't speak
- Say the words slowly first, without the tune, until they come out in one breath per line.
- Fit the syllables to the notes. The first line of the tune has six notes. "Zum Ge-burts-tag viel Glück" fits exactly; if your line has one more syllable, split a note in two rather than squeezing the words.
- Pick a key the whole room can sing. Start low: the third line jumps up an octave just before the name, and that's where most people strain. Our free key changer moves a recording up or down by up to 6 semitones, keeping the speed the same, and the file never leaves your phone.
- Learn it slower. The free tempo changer slows a recording down without changing its key; start at 0.8×.
Hear yourself sing it in another language
Tera Studio sings a song in your own voice from about a minute of your singing (2 minutes sounds more like you), and the words and pronunciation come from the song, so you can hear yourself sing a birthday song in Korean or German even if you don't speak a word. Use a recording you have permission to transform, with one clear lead singer. More in make your voice sing in another language and a birthday song in your own voice.
Record your minute somewhere quiet. In October 2026, of 22 rated Tera Studio songs whose voice was recorded over steady background noise (a fan, air conditioning or traffic), 21 were rated Needs work.
Current price and limits
Every new account can make and hear 2 whole songs free, once per account, each up to 4 minutes, with no card. Downloads need a paid plan. Starter is $8.99 a month for 30 finished minutes (about 7 songs) and Creator is $19.99 a month for 90 minutes, or $89.99 and $189.99 paid yearly. Both include WAV and song-card video downloads, one guided correction per song and free re-downloads. Minutes refresh monthly without rollover, and they come back if a song fails on our side. Prices show in your currency where available; pricing and Stripe checkout confirm the total before you pay. See the refund policy.
Frequently asked questions
How do you sing Happy Birthday in Spanish? Many families sing "Cumpleaños feliz" (koom-pleh-AH-nyohs feh-LEES) to the usual tune, but the rest of the words change by country and family, so ask what the birthday person knows. In Mexico, birthdays often start with "Las Mañanitas" instead.
How do you sing Happy Birthday in Korean? Sing "생일 축하합니다" (saeng-il chuk-ha-ham-ni-da) on the first, second and fourth lines, and "사랑하는 [name]" (sa-rang-ha-neun, "dear") on the third.
How do you sing Happy Birthday in German? "Zum Geburtstag viel Glück" on the first, second and fourth lines, and "Zum Geburtstag, liebe [name]" (or "lieber" for a man) on the third.
How do you sing Happy Birthday in French? "Joyeux anniversaire" (zhwa-YUH zah-nee-vair-SAIR) on every line, with the name added on the third.
Is the Happy Birthday song copyrighted? Not any more. A US court ruled in 2015 that the claimed copyright on the words wasn't valid, and a 2016 settlement put the song in the public domain there; in the EU it became free in 2017. Versions with their own new words, like Brazil's "Parabéns a Você", can still be under copyright.