30 Creative Ways to Say Happy Birthday

Birthdays are one of the occasions that almost every human beings looks forward to – apart from being made to feel special by friends and family, the day marks the simple achievement of making it through another year and, despite all unhappiness and negativity, basking in the sheer joy of being alive. Here are some new and creative ways that you can say ‘Happy Birthday’ to a whole lot of people, ranging from co-workers and acquaintances to friends and family. $ROMANCE-TIPS-OPTIN$

One of the innovative ways of wishing Happy Birthday is to say it in a different language. Everyone says “Happy Birthday” in English, thus it would be a good idea if you can say it in another language.  This works both ways, whether the recipient is familiar with the language or not; in case of the former, the person is pleasantly surprised to be wished in his/her mother tongue, especially when it is a foreign language to you and thus unexpected. Alternatively if you wish a friend Happy Birthday in a language completely unknown to him/her, it is sure to leave him/her bewildered and make for a lot of fun all around.

In Spanish, you can say "Feliz Cumpleaños!"  which means Happy Birthday! Or “Que cumplas muchos más"  which literally means ‘May you have many more birthdays’. Though the latter sounds a little bit awkward in English but it's very much used in Spanish.
 

If you wish to use French to wish someone Happy Birthday, the most commonly used expression is ‘Bon Anniversaire’ and pronounced bohn ahn ee vehr sare; while this phrase is perfect for acquaintances, in order to wish a close friend or family member, you can use ‘Joyeux Anniversaire”.
 

Likewise for an Italian flavor you can say, ‘Buon Compleanno’ while for a dash of Oriental exoticism you can use ‘Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu’ which is Happy Birthday in Japanese.


 

Yet another creative way to wish Happy Birthday is to accompany it with a quote on birthdays. This could be inspirational like, “Not just a year older, but a year better”.
 

Or, “May the best of your past be the worst of your future”.
 

Or perhaps include a fun observation like, “A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip”.
 

Or a cheekier variation on the theme like, “Enjoy your Xth trip around the sun!" where X stands for number of birthday+1, and is sure to make the recipient feel that much older.
 

Sometimes just a simple, heartfelt line I’ve always "Long may you run," a la Neil Young may be perfect to set aside your birthday message from all the others.
 

One of the most delightful ways of saying Happy Birthday in a creative manner is to include a healthy dose of humor. You could write a witty line or two saying “Happy Birthday, You look different today. Hmm, more mature in a way”.
 

Or perhaps bring in some playfulness saying ‘Happy Birthday! Be Good but not too Good’.
 

Yet another birthday greeting on the above line could read, “On your birthday, let me wish you plenty of joy, I know you're too old, but I still bought you a toy!”
 

A simpler but equally delightful message could say, “Feel like a newborn baby. Happy Birthday!”
 

Similarly you might pen down words like “I hope that for every candle on your cake you get a wonderful surprise”.
 

If it is a person you know well, you could even get a little cheeky saying, "Congratulations for surviving another year!" or "Congratulations on living to see [AGE]”!
 

Another birthday message on these lines could include something like, “You are 17 around the neck, 42 around the waist, 96 around the golf course”.
 

While playing around with numbers, you can wish someone turning thirty saying, “You're not thirty; you're eighteen with twelve years of experience”.
 

If the recipient is approaching or has made it to middle age, you can have fun with the fact with words like, “Another year, another new place that aches”.
 

For someone even more advanced in years, your birthday message could read, "Smile while you still have teeth!"
 

Or a gentler take on sunset years could read, “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come”.
 

For a particularly close friend or sibling you could even get a little risqué, like saying " Happy Welcome to the World Screaming and Naked Day!
 

Or “Congratulations on another year of skillful death evasion !"
 

For someone at work, you say write a note saying "Happy birthday! All right, now back to work."
 

If the recipient is fond of wordplay, you can rearrange the words, Happy Birthday so that the message reads something like "drippy haybath"
 

One of the best ways to wish Happy Birthday is of course to flatter them so that they really feel good about themselves. Thus your birthday greeting could include the words like “You get better looking each year!” And it is sure make the other person smile.
 

Or something wittier like “How do you expect me to remember your birthday, when you never look any older? Happy birthday!”
 

Another feel-good message that you can put down on a birthday card for is, “Sixteen – or whatever the number of years - candles make a lovely light, But not as bright as your eyes tonight”.
 

If you are thinking of a special way to wish a loved one on his/her birthday, you can rarely fail with telling them what they mean to you, like “Happy birthday! I'm really glad you're in my life. You make me smile every day!"
 

On a similarly sentimental note, you can even say, “Happy Birthday, I am glad you were born on this day”.
 

To make your birthday message truly special for someone close to you, you could include some personal details about the recipient. For instance,  "Happy birthday so-and-so! I hope your day is filled with …" and in the blank space, you can insert three things that you know the person likes – they could be random things like climbing trees or getting flowers or special ones like a lifelong dream or heartfelt plans.
 

Birthday poems have traditionally been the stable of congratulatory messages. However instead of getting all mushy and sentimental, you could write down a poem which is both humorous and meaningful at the same time.
‘Birthday cards are all the same,
That just seems an awful shame.
But this one's different from the start,
Since it traveled from the heart !”