Birthday! I believe this is a good topic for everyone. If you learn Bahasa Indonesia, you should know how to say happy birthday in Indonesian. This is important!
Friend, colleague, partner, or everyone around you must have their own birthday. As the person that connects to them, I believe you need to say something to them in that special day. Usually, we will congrats him/her. In Indonesian language, there is special expression used to say happy birthday. For more general congratulation, you can read on how to say congratulation in Bahasa Indonesia.
In Indonesian language, “Happy Birthday” = “Selamat Ulang Tahun”
Informal Phrases
But, in an informal conversation, you do not need to say it all. Sometimes, people in Indonesian say it in a shorter way, such as:
- “Met Ulang Tahun!”
Met comes from “Selamet” = “Selamat”.
- “Met Ultah!”
Ultah is shorter form of Ulang Tahun.
I hope you realize that these two sentences have same exact meaning with “Selamat Ulang Tahun”.
More Example and Phrases to Say Happy Birthday in Indonesian
This is some example on how to say happy birthday in Indonesian.
- “Selamat ulang tahun, kawan” (Happy Birthday, mate!) You can say it to your close friend.
- “Hei, Met Ultah!” (Hei, Happy Birthday!) “Hei” is just an additional greeting word. It is same with “Hi” or “Hai”. You can use this kind of phrases as your first sentence when you meet the birthday person.
- “Met Ulang Tahun ya”
- “Met Ultah, Hana (menambahkan namanya)” This is to add personal nuance. You also can put his/her name in front of the sentences. It will become, “Hana, met ultah”.
- “Selamat ulang tahun yang ke-25”. If you know his/her age, then you can add it to the sentences. As the example, you need to add it in the end of the sentences. If you want to know more detail on numbers, you can read how to say Indonesian numbers.
Or, you can use phrases below to say happy birthday. It has same meaning. You want to congrats him/her on this special day.
- “Selamat tambah umur!” By this phrase, you want to congrats the specific person for the additional age (birthday). In indonesian, “umur” = “usia” (“age”). It means you can say “Selamat tambah usia!”
- “Dirgahayu!” This is for formal event. Usually people say it to an institution or country.
You also can read:
- 50 Useful Common Phrases Indonesian
- 100 Useful Indonesian Conversation Phrases
- 5 Ways on How to Talk with Indonesian Like a Pro
Since this is a happy moment, you should show it with your gesture. Do not forget your big smile! If you say it on the phone, your tone should show how happy you are. If you say it in social media, you can use unique picture and put “Selamat Ulang Tahun” on the picture. You can write it in a birthday card. I believe there are a lot of creative ways to say happy birthday.
Here is Indonesian Happy Birthday Song that Mostly sang by Children
Well, I hope this article helps. Get prepare! Maybe today, tomorrow, or next week is your friend or colleague birthday. You already know how to say happy birthday in Indonesian. It’s time for practice.