{"id":2517,"date":"2025-04-23T21:44:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/all4quotes.com\/?p=2517"},"modified":"2026-10-20T18:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T18:07:08","slug":"happy-birthday-to-you-in-italian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/all4quotes.com\/it\/happy-birthday-to-you-in-italian\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say Happy Birthday in Italian (With Pronunciation)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most common way to say happy birthday in Italian is Buon compleanno!<\/strong> (bwohn kom-pleh-AHN-noh). For something warmer or more flexible, Italians also say Tanti auguri!<\/strong> (\u201cmany good wishes\u201d) or simply Auguri!<\/strong> This guide explains what each phrase means, how to pronounce it, when to use it with friends, family or colleagues, and the mistakes learners make most often.<\/p>\n

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\"Birthday<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The short answer: Italian birthday phrases at a glance<\/h2>\n
Italian<\/th>How to say it<\/th>Literal meaning<\/th>When to use it<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Buon compleanno!<\/strong><\/td>bwohn kom-pleh-AHN-noh<\/td>\u201cgood birthday\u201d<\/td>The standard phrase, for anyone at any age. Used for birthdays only.<\/td><\/tr>
Tanti auguri!<\/strong><\/td>TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree<\/td>\u201cmany wishes\u201d<\/td>Warm and friendly. Also used for Christmas, weddings, a new job and other occasions.<\/td><\/tr>
Auguri!<\/strong><\/td>ow-GOO-ree<\/td>\u201cwishes\u201d<\/td>The short version. Casual, and works on a birthday or any other celebration.<\/td><\/tr>
Tanti auguri di buon compleanno!<\/strong><\/td>TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree dee bwohn kom-pleh-AHN-noh<\/td>\u201cmany wishes of a good birthday\u201d<\/td>The fuller version, good for cards and for colleagues.<\/td><\/tr>
Auguroni!<\/strong><\/td>ow-goo-ROH-nee<\/td>\u201cbig wishes\u201d<\/td>Informal and playful, for friends and family.<\/td><\/tr>
Felice compleanno!<\/strong><\/td>feh-LEE-cheh kom-pleh-AHN-noh<\/td>\u201chappy birthday\u201d<\/td>Correct, but less common in everyday speech than buon compleanno<\/em>.<\/td><\/tr>
Cento di questi giorni!<\/strong><\/td>CHEN-toh dee KWEH-stee JOR-nee<\/td>\u201ca hundred of these days\u201d<\/td>A traditional, slightly old-fashioned wish for a long life, often said to older people.<\/td><\/tr>
Auguri in ritardo!<\/strong><\/td>ow-GOO-ree een ree-TAR-doh<\/td>\u201cbelated wishes\u201d<\/td>When your wishes arrive after the day.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n

If you only learn one phrase, learn Buon compleanno!<\/em> If you want one phrase that works almost everywhere, Auguri!<\/em> or Tanti auguri!<\/em> is a safe choice. The Italian dictionary Treccani gives auguri di buon compleanno<\/em> as an example under augurio<\/em> and lists tanti auguri<\/em> among its set phrases (see Treccani: augurio<\/a>).<\/p>\n

How to pronounce the phrases<\/h2>\n

How to read the respellings:<\/strong> capital letters mark the stressed syllable; ah<\/em> as in \u201cfather\u201d, eh<\/em> as in \u201cbed\u201d, ee<\/em> as in \u201csee\u201d, oh<\/em> as in \u201cgo\u201d (short and pure, without the English glide), oo<\/em> as in \u201cmoon\u201d, ow<\/em> as in \u201ccow\u201d, ch<\/em> as in \u201cchair\u201d, ny<\/em> as in \u201ccanyon\u201d, ly<\/em> as in \u201cmillion\u201d. Italian vowels are always pronounced, even at the end of a word, and doubled consonants (nn, mm, tt) are held a little longer. These respellings are simplified approximations for English speakers, not a phonetic transcription.<\/p>\n

Two things help most. First, the stress in compleanno<\/em> falls on the \u201can\u201d (kom-pleh-AHN-noh), not on the first syllable. Second, auguri<\/em> starts with the sound \u201cow\u201d and the stress is on \u201cgoo\u201d (ow-GOO-ree). Listening to a native speaker once or twice will fix the details that no respelling can show.<\/p>\n

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\"Cake<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What \u201cbuon compleanno\u201d means, word by word<\/h2>\n

Buon<\/em> is the short form of buono<\/em> (\u201cgood\u201d). It is buon<\/em> and not buona<\/em> because compleanno<\/em> is a masculine noun. Treccani records compleanno<\/em> as a word Italian borrowed from Spanish cumplea\u00f1os<\/em>, itself built from cumplir<\/em> (\u201cto complete\u201d) and a\u00f1o<\/em> (\u201cyear\u201d) (Treccani: compleanno<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Auguri<\/em> is the plural of augurio<\/em>, a wish for something good to happen. In this sense it is always plural, which is why the phrase is tanti auguri<\/em> (\u201cmany wishes\u201d). Because auguri<\/em> simply means good wishes, it also works for holidays and other occasions.<\/p>\n

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\"Flower<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Formal or informal?<\/h2>\n

The short phrases above are neutral: you can say Buon compleanno!<\/em> or Tanti auguri!<\/em> to a friend, a grandparent or a boss. The difference appears when you add a full sentence. Italian uses tu<\/em> with friends and family and the polite Lei<\/em> with people you do not know well, older people or people in authority.<\/p>\n

Ti auguro un felice compleanno!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Translation:<\/strong> I wish you a happy birthday! (informal, tu<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Le auguro un felice compleanno.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Translation:<\/strong> I wish you a happy birthday. (formal, Lei<\/em>)<\/p>\n

To add a name, put a comma before it: Buon compleanno, Marco!<\/em> On a card, start with Caro Marco<\/em> (to a man) or Cara Giulia<\/em> (to a woman). Carissimo<\/em> and carissima<\/em> are warmer.<\/p>\n

How to reply when someone wishes you happy birthday<\/h2>\n