Are you a JO1 fan who wants to learn Japanese with your beloved J-Pop stars? In Lesson 3, I will translate a real message from Ruki and break it down step by step. By following this simple method, you will be able to understand Japanese posts from all JO1 members and many other J-Pop idols without relying on a translator.
お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read and fully understand the Japanese Ruki used here. This is the perfect chance for international JAM to level up their Japanese language skills and get one step closer to understanding JO1 and their members.
So let’s start learning Japanese with the JO1 members!
Learn Japanese with J-Pop Stars #3 (JO1, Ruki)
⏳ Study Time: 5-10 min
How to study Japanese by yourself:
- Read a Japanese sentence aloud
- Break down its words and meanings
- Review and level up your Japanese skills
Step 1) Learn to Read Japanese Sentences and Kanji
日本語
お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁
1.1 漢字 (Kanji)
お誕生日 おめでとう 🎉🎂🎁
1.2 カナ (Kana)
- お誕生日 (おたんじょうび)
- おめでとう (おめでとう)
1.3 ローマ字 (Romaji)
- お誕生日 (o-tanjoubi)
おたんじょうび - おめでとう (omedetou)
Step 2) Study Japanese Words and Their Meanings
English Translation
- Happy birthday! 🎉🎂🎁
- Congratulations on (your) birthday! 🎉🎂🎁
2.1 お誕生日 (おたんじょうび, o-tanjoubi)
- Word: お誕生日
- Reading: おたんじょうび
- Word Type: noun (honorific)
- Word Class: common, JLPT N5
- Word Formality: polite, formal language
| お誕生日 |
|---|
| 誕生日 → お誕生日 |
| [noun (honorific)] birthday, (your) honorable birthday |
お誕生日 (おたんじょうび, o-tanjoubi) means “birthday” or “(your) honorable birthday.”
It’s a polite or respectful way to refer to someone’s birthday.
The noun is actually made of two parts. The honorific prefix お (o) that adds politeness, and 誕生日 (たんじょうび, tanjoubi), the Japanese word for “birthday.”
Adding the honorific prefix in front of nouns doesn’t change the meaning. It simply makes the word or expression more courteous. The polite form is commonly used when talking about someone else’s birthday. Since お shows respect toward the listener or another person, it is not normally used for your own birthday, as it can make you sound self-important.
The neutral, standard way to say birthday in Japanese is 誕生日 (たんじょうび, tanjoubi).
2.2 おめでとう (omedetou)
- Word: おめでとう
- Word Type: interjection
- Word Class: common, JLPT N3
- Word Formality: more on the casual side
| おめでとう |
|---|
| [interjection] Congrats! Congratulations! Well done! Best wishes! All the best! |
おめでとう (omedetou) means “Congrats!” or “Congratulations!“
It’s used to celebrate someone’s good news, success, or a happy occasion.
It’s friendly and casual, often used with friends, family, or people close to you.
The interjection can stand alone or be combined with the event being celebrated.
One of its most common uses is in the set phrase お誕生日おめでとう (おたんじょうびおめでとう, o-tanjoubi omedetou), which means “happy birthday” or literally “congratulations on your birthday.“
For a more polite or formal tone, especially with teachers, coworkers, or people you don’t know well, you can say おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu). Both forms express warm celebration, but the ございます version simply adds extra respect.
お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁
Since お誕生日おめでとう (おたんじょうびおめでとう, otanjoubi omdetou) is normally used to congratulate someone else on their birthday, Ruki (JO1) is likely using the phrase to announce his own birthday in a fun, playful way and to invite his fans to join the celebration and excitement.
Knowing our mischievous prince charming, it can also be read as him jokingly saying, “It’s my birthday” or even “Happy birthday to me!” He uses the familiar phrase playfully to add a cute, light-hearted twist to his yearly birthday post.
Step 3) Review and Improve Your Japanese
How to learn Japanese fast:
- Review sentences and words regularly
- Listen, read, speak, and write in Japanese
- Continue to the next sentence and repeat
3.1 Review & Remember Japanese With Flashcards
Create Sentence Flashcard for:
- お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁
Create Word Flashcards for:
- お誕生日
- おめでとう
Examples
Front: Japanese sentence/word written in kanji
Back: Kana, translations, any other information
| My Sentence Flashcard |
|---|
| Front: お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁 |
| Back: お誕生日おめでとう🎉🎂🎁 Happy birthday! 🎉🎂🎁 Congratulations on (your) birthday! 🎉🎂🎁 |
| My Word Flashcard |
|---|
| Front: お誕生日 |
| Back: お誕生日（おたんじょうび） birthday, (your) honorable birthday |
3.2 Practice & Level Up Your Japanese Skills
How to improve your Japanese skills fast:
- Reading: Read Japanese for 5-10 min
- Writing: Write in Japanese for 5-10 min
- Speaking: Speak Japanese for 5-10 min
- Listening: Listen to Japanese for 5-10 min
A) Listening Practice
Listen to this song.
Can you catch the Japanese we learned today?
Source: 絢香 〜 バースデーソング
B) Reading Practice
Read the following sentences.
Can you spot the Japanese we learned today?
- ママの誕生日だよ🎂🎉
- おめでとうございます🎉
- 瑠姫 (るき) くん誕生日おめでとう🎂
- 誕生日プレゼント、いただきました✨
- 3周年 (さんしゅうねん) おめでとうー!!!
You can also try to read Ruki’s IG post.
C) Speaking Practice
Say the following sentences.
Can you repeat them aloud without looking?
- まじで おめでとう🎊
- 明日 (あした) は 誕生日 です✨
- アレックス、誕生日 おめでとう！
- クリスマスケーキ と 誕生日 ケーキ です！
- 28歳 (にじゅうはっさい) の 誕生日 おめでとう🤍
- 瑠姫 (るき) さん 誕生日 おめでとう ございます！
- 今日 (きょう) は 瑠姫 (るき) さん の 誕生日 です ね✨
D) Writing Practice
Type (or write down) the words and sentences in Japanese.
3.3 Continue Studying Japanese
You’ve completed Learn Japanese with J-Pop Stars #3 🎉
You’re one step closer to understanding Ruki and the other JO1 members in Japanese!
- Japanese Words +2
- Japanese Sentences +1
Well done ♪٩(⌒‐⌒)۶♪
| Our First Goal |
|---|
| Japanese Sentences 3 / 10 |
| Japanese Words 7 / 10 |
| Our Ultimate Goal |
|---|
| Japanese Sentences 3 / 10,000 |
| Japanese Words 7 / 25,000 |
To reach native fluency, our goal is to master 10,000 sentences and 25,000 words.
So let’s keep studying and continue our journey to Japanese fluency!
➡️ Next Lesson: Learn Japanese with J-Pop Stars #4
⬅️ Need a quick review? Revisit the previous lesson!
▶️ New here? Start from Lesson 1!
… or keep learning Japanese with one of my other free lessons!
- 📺 Learn Japanese with Anime
Understand anime dialogue without subtitles - 📖 Learn Japanese with Manga
Read your favourite manga written in kanji and kana - 🎵 Learn Japanese with Songs
Understand the meaning behind your favourite lyrics
🎤 Learn Japanese with J-Pop Stars
Learn real Japanese from your favourite stars and idols - 🎮 Learn Japanese with Video Games
Understand game dialogue and the characters you love - 💬 Learn Japanese with Real Sentences
See how my friends actually use Japanese in everyday life
For more information about the artists, please visit JO1’s Official Homepage or YouTube Channel.