50 Ways to Say 'Happy Birthday’

by 
The Celebrate Team

Birthdays are special times when you can really show you care and have a ton of fun! We've put together a big list of 50 fantastic ways to say "Happy Birthday" that are totally unique.

You'll find all sorts of great ideas here — from awesome quotes to funny sayings — to make your birthday wishes totally stand out and make the birthday person feel like a superstar. No matter if it's your best friend, a family member, or even someone from work, these creative ideas will help you make their day extra special and spread smiles all around!


Ways to Wish Happy Birthday

A well known Paul Simon song (50 Ways to Leave Your Lover) mentions the number of times you can fall out of love (personally we think he's referring to the number of times people can fall in and out of love... but we digress). For a genius like Simon, we're willing to bet it didn't take too long to come up with the lyrics.

Fortunately something as positive as wishing something heartfelt towards a loved one's special day shouldn't require the creativity of a genius.

Each year around the sun is worth celebrating! 🥳 So while you might be thinking of getting a present and birthday card, why not elevate the guest of honor's experience with a birthday video present to show how much they mean to you?

How to Say Happy Birthday Wishes In Different Ways

A sprinkle donut with a candle in it.


You know the good old "Happy Birthday" we always say? Well, that never gets old. But guess what? There are lots of fun and unique ways to say it (even in different languages). If you're looking for a unique way to say happy birthday, we have a few suggestions.

Special Ways to Say Happy Birthday

  • Wishing many happy returns!
  • Many more happy returns!
  • May all your birthday wishes come true!
  • Have a day overflowing with beer and happiness!
  • Today’s a great excuse for you to make some bad decisions. Let’s party!
  • May this day be as special as you are.
  • Never stop enjoying all the happy, little moments in your life.
  • To your good health!
  • May this be as memorable as your first birthday and a more fantastic year than the one you just had!
  • Have a fantastic day!
  • Have a smashing birthday!
  • The say you "said" goodbye to mother's womb!
  • Happy Anni Birth Sary
  • Sending you warm and heartfelt birthday wishes!
  • Here's to a day filled with laughter, love, and all the things that bring you happiness!
  • Wishing you a fabulous birthday and a year ahead filled with dreams come true.
  • Happy birthday! May your special day be surrounded by the love of family and friends.
  • Sending you my warmest birthday greetings and best wishes for an incredible year ahead.
  • Here's to a birthday that's as wonderful as you are!
  • Happy birthday to an amazing person who brings joy to everyone around them.
  • May your birthday be a delightful celebration of the incredible person you are.
  • Sending you lots of love and well wishes on your special day. Happy birthday!
  • Let’s raise a toast to you and your life!
  • The more candles you blow, the merrier. Blow them all away and wish for the best!
  • You should feel like a newborn baby.
  • Never stop enjoying all the happy, little moments in your life!
  • A million magic wishes to you!
  • A remarkable year to come!
  • A bouquet of happiness for you!
  • Laughter and joy forever!
  • You keep getting finer — just like a good wine!
  • Happy birthday and happy every day, you are loved!
  • The warm comfort of many more candles!

Funny Ways to Say Happy Birthday

A bunch of pink and orange smiley face balloons against a blue sky.


Get ready to add some laughter to your birthday message! We've gathered a bunch of hilarious and quirky ways to say "Happy Birthday" that are guaranteed to crack a smile. Because let's be real, who doesn't love a good laugh on their special day? From clever puns to playful jokes, these funny birthday wishes will have everyone in stitches.

  • You’re still alive!? Congratulations!
  • It’s another year, and it’s still the same old you!
  • Hmmm...didn’t we celebrate this just a year ago?
  • I know you’re old, but I still got you a toy, so enjoy!
  • This is the perfect day to thank me for remembering your birthday.
  • You’re adopted!
  • Don’t mind the past, for you can’t change it. Stop thinking about the future, for you can’t anticipate it. Pay no heed about the present, for I didn’t get you one!
  • At least you’re not as old as you will be next year!
  • A year closer to getting that senior citizen’s discount. Keep at it!
  • Congratulations! You continue to be at the top of your skillful death evasion class!

Fun Birthday Quotes You Can Use in Your Birthday Message

Three cupcakes with candles in them in, on plates, in front of four balloons and confetti everywhere.

Looking to sprinkle some wisdom and inspiration into your birthday wishes? Using quotes is the way to go! We've rounded up a collection of thoughtful and uplifting quotes that will add a touch of depth and warmth to your birthday messages. Whether you want to share a favorite line from a movie, a famous saying, or even a heartfelt quote from a well-known author, these gems of wisdom are like a little gift of their own.

  • “Happy Birthday! May your Facebook wall be filled with messages from people you never talk to.”
  • “You’re older today than yesterday but younger than tomorrow!”
  • “Forget about the past, you can’t change it. Forget about the future, you can’t predict it. And forget about the present, I didn’t get you one. Happy birthday!”
  • “Cheers on your birthday. One step closer to adult underpants.”
  • “Happy birthday to one of the few people whose birthday I can remember without a Facebook reminder.”
  • “You know, you don’t look that old. But then, you don’t look that young, either!”
  • “Happy birthday to someone who is smart, gorgeous, funny and reminds me a lot of myself… from one fabulous chick to another!”
  • “Don’t get all weird about getting older! Our age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying us!”
  • “As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two. Happy birthday!”
  • “To quote Shakespeare: ‘Party thine ass off!’”
  • “You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime. Happy birthday!”
  • “On your birthday, I thought of giving you the cutest gift in the world. But then I realized that is not possible because you yourself are the cutest gift in the world.”
  • “Happy birthday to someone who is forever young!”
  • “It’s birthday time again, and wow! You’re a whole year older now! So clown around and have some fun to make this birthday your best one!”
  • “Just wanted to be the first one to wish you happy birthday so I can feel superior to your other well-wishers. So, happy birthday!”
  • “Congratulations on being even more experienced. I’m not sure what you learned this year, but every experience transforms us into the people we are today. Happy birthday!”
  • “When the little kids ask how old you are at your party, you should go ahead and tell them. While they’re distracted trying to count that high, you can steal a bite of their cake! Happy birthday!”

Bonus Idea #51: Use Celebrate.buzz to Make a Group Birthday Video

TL:DR

You don’t have to be a professional videographer to create one of the most fabulous birthday video gifts to ever exist: a group birthday video for your loved one. In fact, you don’t even need to be tech-savvy! In just three easy steps you can create a group video from friends and family to celebrate their special day! 

  1. Create and send your invitation link to friends and family
  2. They all record and upload messages. No account or app download needed
  3. Drag and drop messages, then tap a button to merge into a single amazing video
    * (Optional) You can also easily add other creative touches if you wish like GIFs, music, stickers and more

Takes just 15 minutes from start to finish, even for newbies. The only thing that takes time is waiting for your friends’ messages!

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Use Classic Video

You can first kick off the birthday bash by setting up your event on Celebrate.buzz. After completing registration, you can then pick a cool image that screams birthday vibes and totally captures the birthday star's style. At this stage, you'll then have a link the Celebrate.buzz app generates that you can send to friends, family, and everyone else — near and far — who wants to send a video birthday message.

Give each collaborator clear instructions on what to submit when sending through a video clip or pictures. The more specific that you are with your instructions, the better the final video will be. If it helps you can even encourage people based on a prompt, like:

  • Share a favorite memory with the birthday person
  • What's a piece of advice you have for their upcoming year? 
  • Try to say happy birthday in as many ways as they can in their video

Don't forget: When you send the invitation to collaborate, request that all videos be complete by a certain deadline.

And Some Tips for Filming Are...

Relieve the stress of filming a birthday message by offering top tips to help everyone say and upload their best "happy birthday message" possible.

For example let them know that: 

  • The audio should be clear (filming in a quiet place is best!)
  • They can relax and pretend that they're talking to a friend (which, really, they are!)
  • They can write down the message they want to say and practice, practice, practice if that will help
  • They shouldn't be afraid to film several versions until they're happy and comfortable with the final result. The best part? They can film as many times as they want on their phones, and uploading their preferred one through Classic Video
  • They should have fun, get creative, and just let their personality shine!

So, spread the word by sharing this link with everyone who wants to leave a happy birthday message.

Then, once everyone's submitted their message, you can edit the final video. And it's easy! Through the video editing platform, you can add your own video clips, rearrange clips, add titles and music, and split clips as you wish. The end result is a beautiful way to commemorate a milestone celebration!

Edit and Finalize the Birthday Video

Once you’re happy with the final video, you can send it to the special birthday person to watch in-person or online. Choose to unveil the birthday message at a grand party, on the big-screen TV after a birthday dinner (or during the birthday cake 🎂 ), or surprise them by sending it to their email inbox!

Ready to get started? Sign up with Celebrate.buzz today and get started on making the best birthday video gift imaginable!

Optionally supercharge your video using our Q&A video style

Instead of using our Classic video, you can use our Q&A style. It costs a bit more, but we find it can dramatically improve the quality of the answers 🔥

Each person responds to each question, one at a time, so they can really focus on your specific idea. We later do all the tedious work of interleaving all of the videos into the right order behind each question. Pretty magical!

A Final Message

We hope you're feeling armed with a whole arsenal of creative ideas to on how to say happy birthday! Whether you choose to add a dash of humor, a sprinkle of inspiration, or a personal touch that's uniquely yours, remember that your heartfelt wishes can truly light up someone's day and create cherished memories.

So go ahead, pick your favorite ways to say it, and let the birthday magic unfold. Let's keep spreading smiles, making memories, and celebrating each other in the most wonderful ways possible. And remember, a birthday video is one wa to send your birthday wishes to whoever, whenever. It truly can be EASY and so much FUN to create if you have the right tools... and we do 😉

Having a live event?

Create a Guestbook with the Magic of Video

Our Classic and Q&A styles are fantastic for surprise gifts created before an event! But what about AT the event?

Are you having a Wedding, Milestone Birthday or Anniversary, Retirement Party, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Quinceañera, Celebration of Life or any other live gathering?

Here's a fabulous and low cost way to capture special messages from guests AT THE EVENT and even from friends who can't make it!

Try it now! Test an example of the Guest contributor experience.

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Hear from loved ones, capture the moment, relive them forever.

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Hear from loved ones, capture the moment, relive them forever.

Get started for FREE