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Birthday card messages

Whether it's a 50th for your best friend or an 18th for your niece, here are birthday card messages for every big birthday, some funny ones, and a free tool that suggests three for you.

Reviewed by Katie at Speechmade. How we write our guides

A birthday card doesn't need to be long. For a big birthday, though, it's nice to write more than "Happy birthday, love from". A line about something you've shared or something you admire about them makes it a card they'll want to keep.

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Tone

What to write in a birthday card

Start with the birthday wish and their name. Then add one personal thing, such as a memory or a plan you've made together. Finish with what you hope the day or the year holds for them.

Gentle jokes about the number are fine for most people. Leave out anything about health, memory or weight, even as a joke. The card will sit on the mantelpiece where everyone can read it.

18th and 21st birthday card messages

  • Happy 18th, Maisie! We're so proud of the kind, funny young woman you've become. Enjoy every minute of it, and good luck with the driving test. Love, Auntie Jo and Uncle Ian.
  • Happy 18th, Tyler. I still remember you asleep in a pushchair at Morecambe, and now look at you. Have a brilliant birthday.
  • Happy 21st, Freya! Three years of Aberystwyth have clearly suited you. We hope your big day is as lovely as you are. All our love, Mum and Dad.
  • Happy 21st, Zak. Here's to your first birthday as a proper grown-up, whatever that means. Have a great night.

30th and 40th birthday card messages

  • Happy 30th, Kerry. Thirty looks good on you. Thanks for twenty years of sleepovers and far too many phone calls. Love you loads.
  • Happy 30th, bro. You're still my annoying little brother, but you've turned out all right. Have a great day.
  • Happy 40th, Ifan! Forty years old and you still can't parallel park. Hope the day is as good as you are.
  • Happy 40th, Rach. You've done so much in the last ten years, and we're so proud of you. Here's to the next ten.

50th birthday card messages

  • Happy 50th, Lynne! You've been the best friend anyone could ask for. Can't wait to celebrate with you in Tynemouth. Love, Sal.
  • Happy 50th birthday to the best dad in the world. Thanks for all the lifts and the Saturday mornings at the football. We love you.
  • Happy 50th, Stu. Hope you have a brilliant birthday and that Villa win for you on Saturday.
  • Happy 50th, Farida. I've been lucky enough to be your friend for thirty of those years, and I've loved every one. Hope Saturday is brilliant.

60th, 70th, 80th and 90th birthday card messages

  • Happy 60th, Mum. You've given us so much, and today is all about you. Enjoy every minute of the trip to Lanzarote. All our love.
  • Happy 70th, Uncle Bob. Thanks for all the bad puns and the good advice over the years. Lots of love.
  • Happy 80th, Nana! You've made the best roast potatoes in Worcestershire for as long as any of us can remember. We love you so much.
  • Happy 90th birthday, Grandad. You still beat all eight of your grandchildren at dominoes, and we've stopped pretending to let you win. With all our love.

Funny birthday card messages

Keep jokes gentle and about things they'd laugh at themselves.

  • Happy birthday, Huw. I was going to get you something expensive, but then I remembered you still haven't given back my tent.
  • Happy birthday to my favourite sister. Please don't tell the other two. Have a lovely day, and save me some cake.
  • Happy birthday, Shaz. Another year older and still the loudest singer in the Thursday choir. Love you.
  • Happy birthday, Kyle. I got you a card with a big number on it so you wouldn't have to count the candles.

More birthday help

If you're giving a speech at the party, start with the birthday speech guide, or go straight to the guides for a 50th birthday speech or a 80th birthday speech. For a couple celebrating years of marriage, see anniversary speeches. For other cards, try wedding card messages or the main card messages page.

Common questions

What do you write in a 50th birthday card?

Wish them a happy 50th, mention something you have shared or something they have done, and say what you hope for the year ahead. A gentle joke about the number is fine, but leave out anything about health, memory or weight.

Is it all right to joke about age in a birthday card?

Light jokes about the number of candles or finally being a grown-up are fine for most people. Keep away from anything about bodies, health or forgetting things. If they are sensitive about their age, just leave the number out.

What do I write in a card for someone turning 90?

Congratulate them warmly and mention something from their life that you love, such as a story they tell or something they taught you. Write clearly in a good-sized hand so the card is easy to read.

What do I write in a birthday card for a colleague?

Something short and friendly is right. "Happy birthday, hope you have a lovely day" with a line about something they enjoy, such as their team or a holiday they have coming up, is plenty.