The Meaning of seinengappi [生年月日] In Japanese

生年月日
せいねんがっぴ
Romaji: seinengappi N5

What does 生年月日 mean?

Translation and Meaning

birth date, date of birth

Definition

生年月日 means the date of birth: the year, month, and day on which a person was born; it is used in official records, forms, and identity checks to determine age and eligibility.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Primary meaning is the exact birth date used for identification and administrative purposes.
  • When speaking casually about birthdays, people usually use 誕生日 rather than 生年月日.
  • In data entry and records, 生年月日 is a standard field label for age verification and legal documentation.

Etymology

etimologia sei + nen + gappi reflects the standard on’yomi readings of 生 and 年, with 日 often read as ひ/び in compounds; in this word the reading combines into seinengappi, a conventional form in modern Japanese.

Origin

Meiji-era civil registration and the modernization of administrative systems introduced standardized birth date recording as a formal data element in official documents; earlier practices varied by locale and era.

Composition

  • 生: birth, life
  • 年: year
  • 月: month
  • 日: day
  • Overall: four-kanji compound meaning the birth date, the year-month-day of a person’s birth

Usage

Used in formal contexts such as government forms, medical records, school enrollment, and legal documents; in casual speech, 誕生日 is used for birthday celebrations, while 生年月日 appears on official records and applications.
💡 Tips
Visualize a calendar embedded in a newborn’s life: the kanji order mirrors life (生) then time (年, 月) and the final mark of the day (日). The small っ in がっぴ signals a quick double consonant, helping recall the pronunciation seinengappi.

Variations

  • 誕生日 tanjoubi — birthday (casual)
  • 生年月日 seinengappi — formal birth date

Example Phrases

  • 申込書には生年月日を正確に記入してください。
    Mōshikomi-sho ni wa seinengappi o seikaku ni kinyū shite kudasai.
    Please fill in the birth date accurately on the application form.
    Lista:
    • 申込書には (Mōshikomi-sho ni wa) – on the application form
    • 生年月日を (seinengappi o) – birth date
    • 正確に (seikaku ni) – accurately
    • 記入してください (kinyū shite kudasai) – please fill in
    Core point: 「生年月日」 significa birth date e aparece em formulários; 「には」 marca o tema/locação ‘on the form’, e 「を」 marca o objeto de 記入.
  • 氏名と生年月日を記入してください。
    shimei to seinengappi o kinyū shite kudasai.
    Please fill in your full name and birth date.
    Lista:
    • 氏名 (shimei) – full name
    • と (to) – and
    • 生年月日 (seinengappi) – birth date
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 記入 (kinyū) – fill in
    • してください (kudasai) – please do
    「氏名」 is the formal term for ‘full name’ used in forms; here it functions as the object of 記入.
生年月日