Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan! | tu-gʻil-GAN ku-nin-GIZ bi-LAN | Happy birthday! | Polite “your”. |
| Tugʻilgan kuning bilan! | tu-gʻil-GAN ku-NING bi-LAN | Happy birthday! | Informal “your”. |
| Tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan tabriklayman! | … tab-rik-lay-MAN | I congratulate you on your birthday! | The full sentence, for cards and toasts. |
| Uzoq umr koʻring | u-ZOQ UMR koh-RING | May you live long | A traditional wish added after the greeting. |
| Tugʻilgan kuningiz muborak boʻlsin! | tu-gʻil-GAN ku-nin-GIZ mu-bo-RAK boʻl-SIN | May your birthday be blessed | A formal, warm wish; muborak means “blessed”. |
| Onajon, tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan! | o-na-JON, tu-gʻil-GAN ku-nin-GIZ bi-LAN | Happy birthday, dear mum! | Onajon is “dear mother”. |
| Aziz doʻstim, tugʻilgan kuning bilan! | a-ZIZ doʻs-TIM, tu-gʻil-GAN ku-NING bi-LAN | Happy birthday, dear friend! | Aziz is “dear”; the informal kuning fits a friend. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
With your born day.
What people say back
Rahmat, aytganingiz kelsin (rah-MAT, ayt-ga-nin-GIZ kel-SIN): “Thanks, may your words come true”.
In a real exchange
- You: Tugʻilgan kuningiz bilan! Uzoq umr koʻring.
Happy birthday! May you live long. - Colleague: Katta rahmat! Aytganingiz kelsin.
Thank you very much! May your words come true. - You: Sogʻ boʻling, baxtli boʻling!
Be healthy, be happy! - Colleague: Rahmat! Marhamat, tortdan oling.
Thank you! Please, have some cake.
Good to know
- Tugʻilgan kun is “born day”; -ingiz is “your”; bilan is “with”. The word “congratulations” is understood.
- Wishes matter more than the greeting. Common ones: sogʻ boʻling (be healthy), baxtli boʻling (be happy).
- Aytganingiz kelsin, “may what you said come true”, is how people answer good wishes.
Common mistakes
- Writing tugilgan without ʻ. The letter is gʻ, a different sound from g.
- Dropping bilan and saying only Tugʻilgan kuningiz. Without bilan (“with”) it is just “your birthday”.