迟来的生日快乐
chí lái de shēng rì kuài lè
Happy belated birthday · trad. 遲來的生日快樂
迟来的生日快乐 is the most common and natural way to say "happy belated birthday" in Mandarin Chinese. It literally means "belated happy birthday" and is used when you're wishing someone a happy birthday after their actual birthday has passed.
When to use it
Neutral and friendly. It's polite to acknowledge the lateness, often by adding an apology like 对不起 (duìbuqǐ, sorry) or 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi, excuse me). When someone wishes you a belated birthday, a simple 谢谢 (xièxie, thank you) is the appropriate reply.
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like "CHUR-lie-duh SHUNG-ree KWAH-luh." The first two syllables, 迟来, both have rising tones, while 生日快乐 follows its standard tones.
Other ways to say it
- 对不起，迟来的生日快乐！duì bù qǐ ， chí lái de shēng rì kuài lè ！Sorry, happy belated birthday!
- 虽然迟了，但还是要祝你生日快乐！suī rán chí le ， dàn hái shì yào zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè ！Although it's late, I still want to wish you a happy birthday!
- 迟祝你生日快乐！chí zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè ！Belatedly wish you a happy birthday! (more concise)
Examples
迟来的生日快乐！希望你度过了一个美好的一天。
chí lái de shēng rì kuài lè ！ xī wàng nǐ dù guò le yí gè měi hǎo de yì tiān 。
Happy belated birthday! Hope you had a wonderful day.
对不起，迟来的生日快乐！我最近太忙了。
duì bù qǐ ， chí lái de shēng rì kuài lè ！ wǒ zuì jìn tài máng le 。
Sorry, happy belated birthday! I've been so busy lately.
虽然迟了几天，但还是要祝你生日快乐！
suī rán chí le jǐ tiān ， dàn hái shì yào zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè ！
Although it's a few days late, I still want to wish you a happy birthday!
Pro tip: It's very common and polite to include an apology, even a short one, when wishing someone a belated birthday. Phrases like 对不起 (sorry) or 不好意思 (excuse me / my bad) are often added to show your regret for the delay.
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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