Happy Birthday in Spanish: 33 Wishes, Blessings, and the Songs, All With Translations

The group chat is already filling up with birthday messages, the cake is ordered, and one of the people you care about most is about to be wished a happy birthday by everyone they know — in Spanish. You want to add more than two borrowed words, and you want to get them right.

Here is the whole kit on one page: how to say happy birthday in Spanish and how to pronounce it, 33 wishes with English translations sorted by who they are for (her, him, a friend, mom and dad, and the formal ones for a boss or teacher), 5 blessings and a short birthday prayer in Spanish, both birthday songs with their lyrics, and the four mistakes that catch English speakers every time.

The 10-second answer

• Happy birthday in Spanish is: ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
• Say it: feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyos
• Casual short form (friends and family): ¡Feliz cumple!
• Add this to almost any wish and you sound like you mean it: ¡Que cumplas muchos más! — “May you have many more!”

Quick finder

• How to pronounce feliz cumpleaños
• 8 ways to say happy birthday in Spanish
• Wishes for her · Wishes for him · Wishes for a friend
• Wishes for mom and dad · Formal wishes · Funny wishes
• Birthday blessings and a short prayer in Spanish
• The birthday songs: Cumpleaños Feliz and Las Mañanitas
• How to write a birthday card in Spanish
• Mistakes to avoid · Traditions worth knowing · Questions, answered

How to Pronounce Feliz Cumpleaños

Two words, one sound that English does not have. That sound is the whole job.

• Feliz — feh-LEES. The stress lands on the second part: feh-LEES.
• Cumpleaños — koom-pleh-AH-nyos. The stress lands on the AH. The ñ sounds like the “ny” in canyon. Say “canyon” slowly and you already own the hardest sound in the phrase.

Put together: feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyos. Say it out loud twice before the party and once in the car, and it will come out warm instead of careful. In most of Spain the z in feliz sounds like “th” (feh-LEETH). The “s” sound above is understood everywhere, and it is how most of Latin America says it — if your people are from Mexico or anywhere in the Americas, use the “s.”

8 Ways to Say Happy Birthday in Spanish

One phrase is standard. The other seven are how you stop sounding like a phrasebook.

Happy Birthday Wishes in Spanish for Her

Spanish changes its endings for the person you are talking about. For her, the wishes below already carry the right endings — copy them exactly as written.

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermosa! Que tu día sea tan lindo como tu corazón.
   Happy birthday, beautiful! May your day be as lovely as your heart.
2. Hoy celebramos a una mujer increíble. ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Te deseo un año lleno de alegría.
   Today we celebrate an amazing woman. Happy birthday! I wish you a year full of joy.
3. ¡Feliz cumple, amiga! Gracias por tu amistad. Que todos tus deseos se hagan realidad.
   Happy birthday, my friend! Thank you for your friendship. May all your wishes come true.
4. Que este nuevo año te traiga tanta felicidad como tú nos das a todos. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   May this new year bring you as much happiness as you give all of us. Happy birthday!
5. ¡Felicidades en tu día! Eres una bendición para todos los que te conocen.
   Congratulations on your day! You are a blessing to everyone who knows you.
6. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, reina! Que la pases de maravilla hoy y siempre.
   Happy birthday, queen! May you have a wonderful time today and always.

Happy Birthday Wishes in Spanish for Him

For him, the endings change — amigo, campeón, hermano. These are written for a man, exactly as you would send them.

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, amigo! Que este año te traiga salud, éxito y muchas razones para sonreír.
   Happy birthday, my friend! May this year bring you health, success, and many reasons to smile.
2. Hoy es tu día, hermano. ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que cumplas muchos más.
   Today is your day, brother. Happy birthday! May you have many more.
3. ¡Felicidades! Que Dios te bendiga y guíe tus pasos en este nuevo año.
   Congratulations! May God bless you and guide your steps in this new year.
4. ¡Feliz cumple, campeón! A celebrar como se debe.
   Happy birthday, champ! Time to celebration properly.
5. Te deseo un año lleno de buenas noticias y momentos con la gente que quieres. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   I wish you a year full of good news and moments with the people you love. Happy birthday!
6. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, caballero! Que tengas un día a tu altura.
   Happy birthday, gentleman! May you have a day that lives up to you.

Happy Birthday Wishes in Spanish for a Friend

The words below work for any friend. Where a wish could name them, add amigo for a man or amiga for a woman, right after the greeting.

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que tu día esté lleno de risas y buena compañía.
   Happy birthday! May your day be full of laughter and good company.
2. Otro año más de amistad. ¡Gracias por todo y feliz cumpleaños!
   Another year of friendship. Thank you for everything, and happy birthday!
3. ¡Que los cumplas feliz, hoy y siempre!
   May you celebrate it happily, today and always! (This is the line from the birthday song itself.)
4. Te mando un abrazo enorme en tu día. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   I’m sending you a huge hug on your day. Happy birthday!
5. ¡Feliz cumple! Que este año te sorprenda con todo lo bueno que mereces.
   Happy birthday! May this year surprise you with all the good you deserve.
6. Brindo por ti y por otro año de aventuras. ¡Felicidades!
   Here’s to you, and to another year of adventures. Congratulations!

Happy Birthday in Spanish for Mom and Dad

For parents, Spanish goes warm fast — mamá, papá, and a blessing carry most of the weight.

For Mom

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, mamá! Gracias por tu amor y tus oraciones. Que Dios te bendiga siempre.
   Happy birthday, Mom! Thank you for your love and your prayers. May God bless you always.
2. Mamá, eres el corazón de esta familia. ¡Que tengas un día maravilloso!
   Mom, you are the heart of this family. Have a wonderful day!
3. ¡Felicidades, mami! Te quiero mucho, hoy y todos los días.
   Congratulations, Mommy! I love you very much, today and every day.

For Dad

4. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, papá! Gracias por todo lo que haces por nosotros. Que Dios te dé salud y muchos años más.
   Happy birthday, Dad! Thank you for everything you do for us. May God give you health and many more years.
5. Papá, tu ejemplo vale más que mil palabras. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   Dad, your example is worth more than a thousand words. Happy birthday!
6. ¡Felicidades, papá! Que este año te devuelva un poco de todo lo que nos has dado.
   Congratulations, Dad! May this year give you back a little of everything you have given us.

Formal Happy Birthday Wishes in Spanish

Formal Spanish wishes them well with usted — the polite “you.” Use these for a boss, a teacher, a client, or an older relative you want to honour.

1. Le deseo un muy feliz cumpleaños y un año lleno de éxitos.
   I wish you a very happy birthday and a year full of success.
2. ¡Muchas felicidades en su día! Que tenga un año de salud y prosperidad.
   Many congratulations on your day! May you have a year of health and prosperity.
3. Reciba un cordial saludo en su cumpleaños. ¡Felicidades!
   Please accept a warm greeting on your birthday. Congratulations!
4. Espero que pase un día muy especial junto a su familia. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   I hope you have a very special day with your family. Happy birthday!

Funny Happy Birthday Wishes in Spanish

Warm first, funny second — and every joke below is one Spanish speakers actually use.

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Recuerda: la edad es solo un número… cada vez más grande.
   Happy birthday! Remember: age is just a number… a bigger and bigger one.
2. ¿Mayor? Definitivamente. ¿Más sabio? Discutible. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   Older? Definitely. Wiser? Debatable. Happy birthday!
3. ¡Felicidades por sobrevivir otro año! Eres un crack.
   Congratulations on surviving another year! You’re a star. (Crack is slang — save it for close friends.)
4. No cuentes las velas, solo disfruta su brillo. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
   Don’t count the candles, just enjoy the glow. Happy birthday!
5. ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que vivas tanto que tus arrugas tengan sus propias arrugas.
   Happy birthday! May you live so long that your wrinkles get wrinkles of their own.

Birthday Blessings in Spanish (Bendiciones)

Blessings are not an add-on to a Spanish birthday. They are the birthday’s native language — que Dios te bendiga is something grandparents, parents, and friends say without thinking twice.

1. ¡Que Dios te bendiga hoy y siempre!
   May God bless you today and always!
   Say it: keh dee-OS teh ben-DEE-gah HOY ee SYEM-preh.
2. Que este año te traiga salud, paz y muchas bendiciones.
   May this year bring you health, peace, and many blessings.
3. Que Dios guíe tus pasos y cuide tu corazón en este nuevo año.
   May God guide your steps and guard your heart in this new year.
4. Que la gracia de Dios te acompañe hoy y todos los días de tu vida.
   May God’s grace go with you today and every day of your life.
5. Bendiciones para ti y tu familia en este día tan especial.
   Blessings for you and your family on this special day.

Lord, we thank You for this birthday and for the life we celebrate today. Bless this new year with health, joy, and peace. Guide every step, guard their heart, and may Your love go with them today and always. Amen.

The Blessing From the Bible, in Spanish

The oldest birthday blessing of all is Numbers 6. Here it is in the Reina-Valera, the Spanish Bible most families know:

Jehová te bendiga, y te guarde; Jehová haga resplandecer su rostro sobre ti, y tenga de ti misericordia; Jehová alce sobre ti su rostro, y ponga en ti paz. — Números 6:24-26 (RVR1960)

In English: “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” Write the Spanish at the bottom of a card and it does the work of a whole paragraph.

The Birthday Songs in Spanish

There are two songs, not one — and knowing the second one is what makes the room turn around and smile.

Cumpleaños Feliz (the one with the tune you know)

Sung to the same melody as “Happy Birthday to You”:

Cumpleaños feliz,
cumpleaños feliz,
te deseamos todos,
cumpleaños feliz.

Happy birthday, happy birthday, we all wish you, happy birthday.

To put the person’s name in the song, swap the third line: “te deseamos, [name], cumpleaños feliz” — or use the version sung across much of Latin America: “Feliz cumpleaños a ti, feliz cumpleaños a ti, feliz cumpleaños, querido/a [name], feliz cumpleaños a ti” (querido for a man, querida for a woman). And when the singing ends, Mexican parties often keep going: “¡Ya queremos pastel! ¡Ya queremos pastel! Aunque sea un pedacito, pero queremos pastel” — “We want cake! We want cake! Even if it’s just a little piece, we want cake!”

Las Mañanitas (the Mexican classic)

In Mexico and much of Central America, the real birthday song is this one — a serenade sung at dawn to wake the birthday person, or later around the cake, often with mariachi. Learn two verses and you can join in instead of just clapping.

One line of fair warning: somewhere in this song, the birthday person’s name gets sung loudly by everyone at once. If it is your party, that moment is coming. Enjoy it.

Other countries keep their own songs: in Argentina the tune is “Que los cumplas feliz” (“may you celebrate it happily”), and in Venezuela parties sing “Ay, qué noche tan preciosa” (“oh, what a beautiful night”). If you hear either, the words in this section have already taught you the rhythm of the thing — join the chorus and sing the name.

How to Write a Birthday Card in Spanish

A Spanish birthday card has the same bones as an English one: a greeting, one real wish, and a warm sign-off. Here is each bone, ready to use.

The opening

• Querido/a [name], — Dear [name]. For close people. Querido for a man, Querida for a woman.
• Estimado/a [name], — Esteemed [name]. For formal cards.
• Or skip the opening and start with the greeting itself: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, [name]!

The middle (pick one line)

• Any wish from the sections above, by relationship.
• Add a blessing from the Bendiciones section if the person would love it — for family, they usually would.

The sign-off

• Con cariño — With affection (warm, all-purpose)
• Un fuerte abrazo — A big hug (the most common warm closing in Spanish)
• Mis mejores deseos — My best wishes (safe anywhere)
• Con todo mi amor — With all my love (family and partners)
• Bendiciones — Blessings (one word, and it lands)

Mistakes to Avoid

Four small errors catch almost every English speaker. All four are easy to dodge once you have seen them.

❌ Feliz cumpleaño → ✅ Feliz cumpleaños. The word always ends in s, even for one birthday. It is built from años (years, plural) and it never changes.
❌ Felices cumpleaños → ✅ Feliz cumpleaños. The greeting keeps the singular feliz. (MosaLingua’s teachers flag this one too — it is that common.)
❌ Feliz aniversario for a birthday → ✅ Aniversario is for anniversaries — weddings, work milestones. For the day someone was born, it is always cumpleaños.
❌ Felicidaciones → ✅ Felicidades or Felicitaciones. Both are real words for “congratulations.” The blend of the two is not.
❌ Dropping the ñ → ✅ Keep the little wave. Años means years. Without the tilde, the word becomes a very different and very rude one — the single most famous spelling mistake in Spanish. On a birthday card, of all places, check for the ñ.

Birthday Traditions Worth Knowing

The words land better when you know what happens around them.

• Las Mañanitas at dawn. In Mexico, the birthday can start before sunrise, with singers (sometimes a full mariachi) outside the birthday person’s window.
• La mordida. At a Mexican party, the crowd chants “¡que la muerda!” — “bite it!” — and the birthday person takes the first bite of cake face-first, usually with a loving push from behind. Stand where you can see it. Or, if it is your birthday, stand where you can dodge.
• Día del Santo. In Spain, many people also celebrate their saint’s day (the feast day of the saint they are named after) — two birthdays a year. Las Mañanitas calls the birthday itself día de tu santo for the same reason.
• Quinceañera. A girl’s 15th birthday across Latin America is a milestone on the scale of a wedding, and it traditionally opens with a Thanksgiving Mass (Misa de Acción de Gracias) before the party — thanks first, dancing after.
• Ear pulls. In Spain (and Argentina), the birthday person’s earlobes get a gentle pull for each year, plus one more for luck.
• The birthday person pays. In Spain, the celebrant often treats everyone else — a way of sharing their blessings with the people they love.

Happy Birthday in Spanish: Questions, Answered

How do you pronounce feliz cumpleaños?
Feh-LEES koom-pleh-AH-nyos. Stress the LEES and the AH, and make the ñ sound like the “ny” in canyon. The full breakdown is in the pronunciation section above.

How do you say happy birthday in Spanish to a woman?
The greeting itself does not change — ¡Feliz cumpleaños! works for everyone. What changes are the words around it: amiga (not amigo), hermosa, querida, cumpleañera for “birthday girl.” The For Her section above has six wishes with every ending already done for you.

And to a man?
Same greeting; the endings flip: amigo, hermano, querido, cumpleañero for “birthday boy.” Six ready wishes are in the For Him section.

What do you write in a Spanish birthday card?
Open with Querido/a plus their name (or Estimado/a for a formal card), add one wish from this page, and sign off warm: Con cariño or Un fuerte abrazo. One personal line in the middle beats a long message every time.

What is Las Mañanitas?
Mexico’s traditional birthday song — a dawn serenade whose first lines credit King David (“the mañanitas that King David sang”) and call the birthday a saint’s day. Two verses with pronunciation and translation are in the songs section above.

How do you say happy birthday in Spanish formally?
Use the usted forms: Le deseo un muy feliz cumpleaños (“I wish you a very happy birthday”), open a card with Estimado/a, and sign Mis mejores deseos or Saludos cordiales (“kind regards”). Four ready formal wishes are in the formal section.

One Wish, Said Right, Is Enough

You do not need fluent Spanish to make someone feel celebrated in their own language. You need the greeting said with a steady voice, one wish that fits the person, and — if they are the blessing kind of family — a bendición at the end. Pick your lines from this page, say them out loud once before you need them, and then say them like you mean them. That effort, in their language, is the gift inside the gift.