Happy birthday in Ukrainian, and how to congratulate anyone on anything

Вітаю! The one word you need

Вітаю (vitáiu) means “congratulations” — and, in a different context, also “greetings, hello”. For any occasion, the formula is the same: Вітаю з + the occasion in the instrumental case.

• Вітаю з днем народження! (vitáiu z dnem naródzhennia) — Happy birthday!
• Вітаю з весіллям! (z vesílliam) — Congratulations on your wedding!
• Вітаю з новосіллям! (z novosílliam) — Happy housewarming!
• Вітаю з новою роботою! — Congratulations on your new job!

In speech you can drop Вітаю and keep just the occasion: З днем народження! is the everyday “Happy birthday!”. And if you want to sound warmer or more formal, add щиро (shchýro, sincerely): Щиро вітаю!

How to say happy birthday in Ukrainian

З днем народження! (z dnem naródzhennia)

Literally “with the day of birth”. The stress falls on -ро-: na-RO-dzhen-nia. The double нн is pronounced long, like the nn in “unnamed”.

Then comes the song. At family celebrations Ukrainians often sing Многая літа (mnóhaia líta), “many years” — a short, solemn blessing in Church Slavonic, also sung at weddings and name days. Among friends, the familiar “Happy Birthday” tune works too.

Many Ukrainians, especially in religious families, also celebrate іменини (imenýny), or день ангела: the feast day of the saint they are named after. The greeting is З днем ангела! (z dnem ánhela).

The grammar of wishes: бажаю + genitive

A Ukrainian congratulation is really a list of wishes, and they all hang on one verb: бажаю (bazháiu), “I wish”. The person gets the dative (тобі, вам), and the thing you wish goes into the genitive.

• щастя (shchástia) — happiness (same form in the genitive)
• здоров'я (zdoróvia) — health; often міцного здоров'я, “strong health”
• миру (mýru) — peace (from мир)
• мирного неба (mýrnoho néba) — a peaceful sky, a wish that means a great deal in Ukraine today
• любові (liubóvi) — love (from любов)
• натхнення (natkhnénnia) — inspiration
• успіхів (úspikhiv) — success, in the plural
• тепла (teplá) — warmth (from тепло)
• усього найкращого (usohó naikráshchoho) — all the best

For a longer wish, use Бажаю, щоб… + past tense: Бажаю, щоб усі твої мрії здійснилися (zdiisnýlysia) — “I wish that all your dreams come true”. Or start with Нехай / Хай (nekhái / khai), “may”: Нехай кожен день приносить радість — “May every day bring you joy.”

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas in Ukrainian

З Новим роком! (z novým rókom) — Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve is a huge family celebration in Ukraine, with a festive table, presents under the tree and the countdown to midnight. The perfect reply is Навзаєм! (navzáiem), “Same to you!” — a lovely word that works for any holiday greeting, though not for birthdays, obviously.

З Різдвом Христовим! (z rizdvóm khrystóvym) — Merry Christmas!

Since 2023, Christmas in Ukraine has been officially celebrated on 25 December. That year the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church moved their fixed feasts to the new calendar, and the state holiday moved with them; 7 January is no longer a public holiday. Some families and parishes still keep the old date, so you may hear Christmas greetings in January too.

Alongside З Різдвом Христовим! there's a traditional call and response:

Christmas Eve, Святвечір (Sviatvechír), is the family evening with twelve meatless dishes and carols. I've written more about it in my Ukrainian winter words.

Happy Easter in Ukrainian

At Easter, Великдень (Velýkden), “the Great Day”, people greet each other not with “hello” but with a joyful exchange:

The general greeting is З Великоднем! (z Velýkodnem), “Happy Easter!”. Note how Великдень changes to Великоднем after з.

How to write a birthday card in Ukrainian

A Ukrainian card follows a simple shape: address, congratulation, wishes, a warm sign-off.

• Address with Дорога / Дорогий (dorohá / dorohýi), “dear”, plus the name in the vocative: Олена → Олено, Андрій → Андрію, Тарас → Тарасе.
• Congratulate: Вітаю тебе з днем народження!
• Wish two or three things with Бажаю тобі…
• Sign off: Обіймаю (obiimáiu, “hugs”), З любов'ю (z liubóviu, “with love”) or З найкращими побажаннями (“with best wishes”).

For a teacher, a boss or an older relative you're on ви with, switch to the polite forms. In letters and cards, the polite Ви is traditionally written with a capital letter:

What to say when someone congratulates you

• Дякую! (diákuiu) — Thank you!
• Дякую, дуже приємно! (diákuiu, dúzhe pryiémno) — Thank you, that's so kind!
• І вам / і тобі того ж! — And the same to you!
• Навзаєм! (navzáiem) — Same to you! (for holidays, not birthdays)

Say it, don't just read it

Congratulations are one of the most rewarding things to learn in Ukrainian: a card or a toast in your partner's or friend's language is remembered for years. For the toast itself, see how to say cheers in Ukrainian. If you'd like to practise saying your wishes out loud with the right stress and warmth, that's what we do in my Ukrainian lessons online. Just starting? My free guide to your first 100 Ukrainian words is a gentle first step.