Something very common in everyday life is to wish happiness to someone, so if it is their birthday you will have to know the ways to congratulate in Japanese or to say congratulations in Japanese, and how to properly use Omedetō or omedetou.
In this post I want to teach you a very useful expression to congratulate in Japanese in different situations, both formally and informally.
Congratulations in Japanese | How to say congratulations in Japanese
When we say congratulations in Japanese we tell others the typical phrase, using the expression “omedetō” (おめでとう omedetou), which is the equivalent of saying “congratulations” in our language.
However, if you want to be a more polite person and not someone so friendly, it’s best to use omedetō gozaimasu (おめでとうございます omedetou gozaimasu), which is exactly the same, but adding the word “gozaimasu” to the Japanese congratulations gives it a more formal nuance than usual, so it’s the best option.
How to say Happy Birthday in Japanese | Congratulations in Japanese
- お誕生日おめでとうございます (O tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu) This is how you say happy birthday in Japanese, which is the same as in our language “Happy Birthday”..
How to say happy new year in Japanese | Japanese congratulations
- 明けましておめでとうございます (Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) This is how you say happy new year in Japanese, which is the same as in our language “Happy New Year”.
The expression omedetō gozaimasu as we see is also used to greet on festive dates such as the Japanese New Year.
Congratulations in Japanese | How to say congratulations in Japanese
Other ways to say congratulations in Japanese, depending on the moment.
How to say congratulations on passing in Japanese | Congratulations in Japanese
This is a good way to say congratulations in Japanese if someone passed an exam or an important event, so you should know how to say congratulations for passing in Japanese.
- 合格おめでとうございます (Gōkaku omedetō gozaimasu) This is how you say congratulations on passing in Japanese, which is the same as in our language “Congratulations on passing”..
How to say congratulations on your pregnancy in Japanese | Congratulations in Japanese
When some woman is pregnant and you want to say congratulations in Japanese, you should use the appropriate phrase as in your language, you should say congratulations for pregnancy in Japanese.
- 妊娠おめでとうございます (Ninshin omedetō gozaimasu) This is how you say felicidades por el embarazo, which is the same as in our language “Congratulations on the pregnancy”..
When the baby is already born you should say congratulations for the baby in Japanese that would be:
- ご出産おめでとうございます(Go shussan omedetō gozaimasu)
Congratulations on the wedding in Japanese or Happy Wedding in Japanese | Congratulations in Japanese
- ご結婚おめでとうございます (Go kekkon omedetō gozaimasu) This is how you say congratulations on the wedding in Japanese or happy wedding in Japanese, which is the same as in our language “Happy Wedding”..
How to say congratulations in casual or informal Japanese
All the phrases we have written are formal, adding as we said omedetō gozaimasu, since it is better to say congratulations in Japanese in a formal and respectful way, than to say it in an informal or casual way.
Of course, if you have a lot of confidence, for example, close friends, close relatives, or people you trust a lot, it is much easier to say congratulations in Japanese in an informal way.
For example, we said that to say congratulations in Japanese in the word “Happy Birthday” we say “お誕生日おめでとうございます” (O tanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu). To say congratulations in Japanese in this case to congratulate the birthday in Japanese you can make this phrase more casual by simply removing the “gozaimasu” leaving the phrase as happy birthday in Japanese:
- お誕生日おめでとう (O tanjōbi omedetō). The meaning is the same, only this way it sounds more informal to say it with people you trust.
The same goes for the other phrases “Happy New Year in Japanese!” or happy wedding.
- 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu). In a family or friends’ environment the Japanese would say 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetō).
- ご結婚おめでとうございます(go kekkon omedetō gozaimasu) En a family or friend’s environment, the Japanese would say ご結婚おめでとう(go kekkon omedetō).
We hope you liked how to say congratulations in Japanese, as well as how to say happy birthday in Japanese and the other phrases, if you need a personalized greeting, you can leave a comment below and we will be happy to answer you and teach you how to say congratulations in Japanese as well as give you examples that can help you in your congratulations.
