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Happy birthday
in Polish.

Wszystkiego najlepszego means all the best and is what Polish people say on a birthday. Add z okazji urodzin, on the occasion of your birthday, to make it the full wish.

Sto lat, a hundred years, is the song everybody sings, and it works on its own as a birthday wish. The table has the pronunciations, and the Polish birthday wishes below are ready to sign.

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Everyone's words in one card.

Updated

A wrapped present. Happy birthday. It's a big one. Well, medium.

Sto lat i dużo zdrowia. (A hundred years and lots of health.)

From Joe

Życzę Ci dużo śmiechu i mało pracy. (I wish you lots of laughter and little work.)

From Priya

Sto lat, Babciu. Kochamy Cię. (A hundred years, Grandma. We love you.)

From Kofi

Pick a design

  • Midcentury birthday card. Happy birthday.
  • Blowing out the candles. Small hands on a big cake. Happy birthday.
  • A homemade cake with one candle. Happy birthday.
  • Pop birthday card. Happy birthday.
  • Cutpaper birthday card. Happy birthday.
  • A roast potato. Happy birthday. Have the last roast potato.
  • A cake. Happy birthday. Second slice is allowed. Third is between you and the fridge.
  • Marker lettering. Happy birthday. I got you a card. "present" is crossed out and "card" written above it.
  • Two-colour printed lettering. Happy birthday. Yes, there's cake. No, you don't have to speak.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Happy birthday. You still can't fold a fitted sheet and that's fine.

The question

Each writer gets a question.

One at a time, about Sam. They answer in their own words, or write without one.

Who they are to you
  1. Something Sam did this year that you still think about.
  2. Words of Sam's that you have caught yourself using.
  3. A day Sam made better just by turning up.
  4. Something Sam taught you without meaning to.
  5. A small thing about Sam that nobody else would notice.
  6. The story about Sam you tell most.
  1. The moment you knew you had a proper friend in Sam.
  2. Something Sam did that only a friend would.
  3. A thing you still laugh about together.
  4. The time Sam turned up when it mattered.
  5. Something Sam knew about you before you said it.
  1. Something Sam did for the family that went unsaid.
  2. A habit of Sam's that you have caught yourself copying.
  3. A memory of Sam from when you were younger.
  4. Something Sam put up with from you.
  5. Something Sam taught you, mostly by example.
  1. A small thing Sam did that you noticed and never mentioned.
  2. The moment you knew.
  3. Something Sam did this year that made things easier for you.
  4. A thing about Sam you would not change.
  5. Something Sam carried that was yours to carry.
  1. The thing you go to Sam for.
  2. Something you picked up from working beside Sam.
  3. A bad day at work that Sam turned round.
  4. Something a new starter should be told about Sam.
  5. Something Sam did that made the job feel worth doing.

Or write without one.

The phrases

Said and written. The stress is on the second to last syllable in every Polish word.

PolishSaid roughlyWhat it meansWhen
Wszystkiego najlepszegofshist-KYEH-go nai-LEP-sheh-goAll the bestAny birthday, any age
Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin... z oh-KAZ-yee oo-ROD-jeenAll the best on your birthdayThe full form, for a card
Sto latsto LAHTA hundred yearsThe song, and a wish on its own
Najlepsze życzenia urodzinowenai-LEP-sheh zhih-CHEN-ya oo-rod-jee-NO-vehBest birthday wishesWritten, a little formal
Dużo zdrowia i szczęściaDOO-zho ZDROV-ya ee SHCHEN-shchaLots of health and happinessAfter the wish, for anyone
Spełnienia marzeńspeu-NYEN-ya MA-zhenMay your dreams come trueFor a younger person
Wszystkiego dobregofshist-KYEH-go dob-REH-goAll good thingsShort and warm
Z okazji urodzin życzę Pani wszystkiego najlepszego...ZHIH-cheh PAH-nee...On your birthday I wish you all the best (to a woman)Formal. Panu to a man

The pronunciations are approximate and written for an English reader. A Polish speaker will forgive you the vowels.

Happy birthday wishes in Polish

Polish first, then what it says. Copy the Polish and sign it in your own name.

Short

  • Sto lat, Kasiu. (A hundred years, Kasia. Use their name in the vocative if you know it, or plain if you do not.)

  • Wszystkiego najlepszego. Sto lat od nas wszystkich. (All the best. A hundred years from all of us.)

  • Najlepszego z okazji urodzin. (The very best on your birthday.)

  • Sto lat i dużo zdrowia. (A hundred years and lots of health.)

  • Wszystkiego dobrego, i do zobaczenia wkrótce. (All good things, and see you soon.)

To a friend

  • Wszystkiego najlepszego, przyjacielu. Dzięki za ten rok. (All the best, my friend. Thanks for this year.)

  • Sto lat. Następne urodziny świętujemy razem, obiecuję. (A hundred years. Next birthday we celebrate together, I promise.)

  • Życzę Ci dużo śmiechu i mało pracy. (I wish you lots of laughter and little work.)

  • Sto lat, i niech ten rok będzie lepszy od poprzedniego. (A hundred years, and may this year be better than the last.)

  • Najlepszego. Tęsknię i myślę o Tobie dzisiaj. (All the best. I miss you and am thinking of you today.)

To family

  • Sto lat, Mamo. Dziękuję za wszystko. (A hundred years, Mum. Thank you for everything.)

  • Wszystkiego najlepszego, Tato. Zdrowia przede wszystkim. (All the best, Dad. Health above all.)

  • Sto lat, Babciu. Kochamy Cię. (A hundred years, Grandma. We love you.)

  • Najlepsze życzenia, Dziadku, od całej rodziny. (Best wishes, Grandad, from the whole family.)

  • Sto lat dla najlepszej siostry na świecie. (A hundred years for the best sister in the world.)

Formal

  • Z okazji urodzin życzę Pani wszystkiego najlepszego. (On your birthday I wish you all the best. To a woman.)

  • Z okazji urodzin życzę Panu dużo zdrowia i pomyślności. (On your birthday I wish you health and success. To a man.)

  • Najlepsze życzenia urodzinowe od całego zespołu. (Best birthday wishes from the whole team.)

  • Serdeczne życzenia z okazji urodzin. (Warm wishes on your birthday.)

  • Sto lat i wszystkiego dobrego od nas wszystkich. (A hundred years and all good things from all of us.)

What Sto lat is

Sto lat is the birthday song, and also the toast, and also the thing people shout at a wedding. It wishes the person a hundred years of life and everybody in the room knows the tune.

In a card, the two words on their own are a complete wish. Write them, add the name, and sign.

Polish names change ending when you address someone directly. Kasia becomes Kasiu, Piotr becomes Piotrze. If you are unsure, the plain name is fine and nobody will mind.

A card the whole family writes in

Everyone writes in their own language. It opens on the morning.

  1. 01

    Add the date.

    The birthday. The card opens that morning, wherever they are.

  2. 02

    Choose who to ask.

    Family here and family in Poland. Each gets one link and writes once, in a browser.

  3. 03

    Everyone writes their own words.

    In Polish, in English, or both. Signed with their name.

Create a card

Questions

How do you say happy birthday in Polish?

Wszystkiego najlepszego, said roughly fshist-KYEH-go nai-LEP-sheh-go. It means all the best. For the full birthday wish add z okazji urodzin at the end.

What does Sto lat mean?

A hundred years. It is the first two words of the birthday song and is used on its own as a wish, a toast and a card message.

Is there a formal way to say it?

Yes. Z okazji urodzin życzę Pani wszystkiego najlepszego to a woman, and Panu instead of Pani to a man. Use it for a colleague or someone older you do not know well.

How do I write a Polish name in a card?

The plain name is always acceptable. If you know the vocative form, Kasiu for Kasia or Tomku for Tomek, it reads warmer, but a wrong ending is worse than none.

Part of group birthday card.

More guides

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Everyone's words in one card.