Talking About Birthdays in Chinese: Dates, Age & Food 🎂

Ever wondered how to ask someone when their birthday is in Chinese? In this lesson, you’ll learn key phrases for discussing birthdays, including how to ask for a date, state your age, and talk about classic birthday foods like cake and noodles.

💬 Video Transcript

王伟: 哥哥，你好。
(Wang Wei: Brother, hello.)

王磊: 你好，王伟。你在看什么？
(Wang Lei: Hello, Wang Wei. What are you looking at?)

王伟: 我在看日历。哥哥，你的生日是几月几号？
(Wang Wei: I’m looking at the calendar. Brother, what date is your birthday?)

王磊: 我的生日是三月五号。
(Wang Lei: My birthday is March 5th.)

王伟: 三月五号。好的，我知道了。你的生日是三月五号。
(Wang Wei: March 5th. Okay, I got it. Your birthday is March 5th.)

王磊: 对。王伟，你的生日是几月几号？
(Wang Lei: Correct. Wang Wei, what date is your birthday?)

王伟: 我的生日是八月十号。
(Wang Wei: My birthday is August 10th.)

王磊: 八月十号。好的，我知道了。
(Wang Lei: August 10th. Okay, I got it.)

王伟: 对，我的生日是八月十号。
(Wang Wei: Correct, my birthday is August 10th.)

王磊: 那么，王伟，你今年多大？
(Wang Lei: So, Wang Wei, how old are you this year?)

王伟: 我今年二十二岁。你呢？哥哥，你多大？
(Wang Wei: I am 22 years old this year. And you? Brother, how old are you?)

王磊: 我今年二十八岁。
(Wang Lei: I am 28 years old this year.)

王伟: 你二十八岁。我二十二岁。
(Wang Wei: You are 28. I am 22.)

王磊: 对。我二十八岁。你二十二岁。
(Wang Lei: Correct. I am 28. You are 22.)

王伟: 所以，你的生日是三月五号，你二十八岁。
(Wang Wei: So, your birthday is March 5th, and you are 28 years old.)

王磊: 是的。你的生日是八月十号，你二十二岁。
(Wang Lei: Yes. Your birthday is August 10th, and you are 22 years old.)

王伟: 对！哥哥，生日的时候，你喜欢吃什么？
(Wang Wei: Correct! Brother, on your birthday, what do you like to eat?)

王磊: 我喜欢吃蛋糕。你喜欢吃蛋糕吗？
(Wang Lei: I like to eat cake. Do you like to eat cake?)

王伟: 我非常喜欢吃蛋糕！蛋糕很好吃。
(Wang Wei: I really like to eat cake! Cake is very delicious.)

王磊: 是的，蛋糕很好吃。我也喜欢吃面条。
(Wang Lei: Yes, cake is very delicious. I also like to eat noodles.)

王伟: 我也喜欢吃面条！生日吃面条很好。
(Wang Wei: I also like to eat noodles! Eating noodles on your birthday is very good.)

王磊: 对。生日的时候，我们吃蛋糕，也吃面条。
(Wang Lei: Correct. On birthdays, we eat cake and also eat noodles.)

王伟: 太好了！谢谢哥哥。
(Wang Wei: That’s great! Thank you, brother.)

王磊: 不客气。
(Wang Lei: You’re welcome.)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are some of the key words and phrases you’ll hear in the video. Practice them to build your core Chinese vocabulary.

🔍 Grammar Focus

Let’s break down two key question patterns from the conversation.

1. Asking for a Date: 几月几号 (jǐ yuè jǐ hào)

When Wang Wei wants to know his brother’s birthday, he doesn’t ask “when.” Instead, he uses a more specific structure: 几月几号 (jǐ yuè jǐ hào), which literally means “which month, which number day?” This is the standard way to ask for a specific date in Chinese.

• Example from the script:

  你的生日是几月几号？ (What date is your birthday?)

To answer, you simply replace 几月几号 with the actual month and day number.

• Example from the script:

  我的生日是三月五号。 (My birthday is March 5th.)

2. Asking “How Old?”: 多大 (duō dà)

To ask for someone’s age in Chinese (generally for people over 10 years old), the common phrase is 多大 (duō dà).

• Example from the script:

  哥哥，你多大？ (Brother, how old are you?)

When you state your age, you must use the measure word 岁 (suì) after the number, which means “year(s) of age.”

• Example from the script:

  我今年二十二岁。 (I am 22 years old this year.)

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Use these flashcards to test your memory on the key phrases from this lesson.

💡 Key Takeaways

Here are the most important points to remember from this lesson:

• To ask for a date like a birthday, use the structure ...是几月几号？ (…shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?).
• To ask an adult or older child their age, the standard question is 你多大？ (Nǐ duō dà?).
• When stating your age, always add the measure word 岁 (suì) after the number, as in 我二十二岁 (Wǒ èrshí’èr suì).
• In Chinese culture, eating long noodles, or 面条 (miàntiáo), on your birthday is a tradition symbolizing a long and healthy life.

🎯 Practice Quiz

Check your understanding with a few quick questions.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.