Whether you remember your friend’s birthday on your own or get a notification on social media about it, you’ll want to write to congratulate them.
Once you’ve purchased an appropriate card and have located a nice black pen, however, you might find yourself drawing a blank.
Put it this way: You’ll be wishing your friend “Happy birthday” every 365 days for as long as your friendship lasts.
That’s a lot of birthday messages! And considering that you probably have more than a few friends (not to mention family members and acquaintances), you’ll be writing in birthday cards on a regular basis.
To avoid saying the exact same things over and over again, change your friend’s card up by choosing one of these creative, funny, or sweet birthday wishes.
50 great messages to write in a birthday card for a friend
- Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!
- Your friendship is one of the greatest gifts life has given me. I can’t wait for all the outrageous shenanigans still to come.
- I wish I could be there on your birthday, but since I can’t, I hope this card shows that I’m celebrating with you in spirit. Have a fabulous party and an even better year.
- I hope you treat yourself to a truly special day…you only turn 30 once!
- The weather is celebrating you today too. Enjoy that bright, big, blue birthday sky!
- I can’t think of anyone who deserves to be celebrated more than you. I hope this year brings you every possible happiness.
- Happy birthday to one of the most generous, kind-hearted, and hilarious people I know.
- Have a birthday as fun, quirky, and special as you are.
- Today is all about YOU! Happy birthday dear.
- No gift I could ever give you would be as wonderful as the gift of your friendship that you give me on a daily basis.
- Cheers to all that you have accomplished this year and to all the wonderful things you will do in your next 365 days around the sun.
- I hope you have the loveliest day.
- Sending you a million birthday hugs and every good wish a human heart can possibly muster.
- No words can express how lucky I am to have a friend like you. I hope this birthday is everything you had hoped it would be.
- Happy birthday to the most beautiful gal out there.
- Happy birthday…trust me, next year is going to be even better than the last.
- If you were looking for a sign to have an extra-large slice of cake today, this is it!
- I won’t judge you if I catch you feeling up the packages on the present table…you’ve always been a child at heart.
- Wishing you another super fun spin around the sun!
- You’re younger than you’ll ever be, so live it up today!
- Remind me to call your mom today to thank her for creating my favorite person ever!
- I tell you how much I value your friendship almost every day anyway, but it feels only appropriate to say it in a card today. Happy birthday!
- Make the most of this day (and every one that follows it!)
- I’m never as proud as when I get to point at you and say, “That’s my bestie!!”
- Happy birthday to my OG best friend. This bond is for life! I’ll still be singing you happy birthday when I have to put dentures in to do it.
- This day calls for some serious celebration…and we both know that’s our specialty.
- Since we basically have PhDs in how to have a good time, let’s go teach the masses how it’s done. Happy birthday, party animal!
- You are like a fine wine…too much of you hurts my head.
- Happy birthday, you big grump. And cheer up, you’re one day closer to the end!
- I heard it was your birthday, so I got you this stupid card.
- You have such good taste that I knew I’d never be able to pick the right present…so I didn’t even try!
- Congratulations on being just as disorganized and a year closer to death.
- Happy birthday, you old fogey!
- Welcome to the era when every compliment ends with the caveat “for your age.”
- Don’t worry about getting older, it will happen whether you worry or not!
- Welcome to middle age. Is it time for a crisis yet?
- It’s now forty years since you were evicted from your mother’s uterus. Yay…right?
- Well, I can’t deny that you’re older, but you’re definitely not wiser.
- Ah I love writing stupid inscriptions in generic birthday cards. I hope you appreciate that I reluctantly went to Target in my pajamas this morning for you.
- Are you ever going to stop having these birthday things? It’s kind of a lot of effort for me…
- I signed this card, so…you’ll probably want to keep it for when I’m famous. Oh, and happy birthday, by the way.
- Whoops! Your birthday was yesterday? Sorry about that.
- I knew I shouldn’t have turned my Facebook notifications off…happy belated birthday.
- Other people’s birthdays are like taxes…an inevitable and unnecessary expense for me.
- Your hairline is putting up a remarkable fight against these birthday things you keep having.
- Happy anniversary of the day your mother’s body rejected you!
- Happy birthday…you’re holding it together remarkably well considering how old you’re getting.
- Thanks for providing me with another excuse to get merry…oh, and happy birthday.
- Well, I guess we’re one year closer to our wild behavior being completely unacceptable…happy birthday, my partner in crime.
- Happy birthday! I’m so happy for you that you get to have a best friend like me.
The sweetest things to write in a birthday card for a friend
If your priority is making sure that your friend feels loved and supported, you might want to stay away from funny card inscriptions.
Instead of putting loads of time into crafting a unique message, you can focus on how best to express how much you care about your friend.
Expressing excitement about all the good times to come always goes down well. After all, friendship is about time spent in each other’s company.
The more you can refer to the fun you two have together, the more meaningful your note will be.
Compliments are also always a welcome addition to birthday messages.
Basically, if you want to write something that is brim-full of kindness and radiates positivity, you can opt for one of these more traditional birthday messages.
Here are some examples of nice birthday card inscriptions that you can adapt to fit your specific circumstances.
1. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!
You can’t go wrong with this classic birthday message. No matter how close to someone you are, this is a perfectly appropriate note to write in a congratulatory card.
Whether the birthday boy or girl is a teenager or is long past middle age, you could write this note in their card.
This inscription’s versatile tone makes it perfect for everyone from that person you talk to at work to your lifelong best friend.
You can start your birthday card with this message and add on another few sentences, or you can let it stand on its own.
2. Your friendship is one of the greatest gifts life has given me. I can’t wait for all the outrageous shenanigans still to come.
If you know that you and your friend have one of those ride-or-die connections that won’t ever expire, you’ll be excited for the future of your sisterhood or bromance.
For example, you might already be thinking of perfect messages to write in a bridesmaid thank you card after your best girlfriend stands beside you on your wedding day.
Or maybe you’re thinking of all the Saturday nights still to come when you’ll close out the dancefloor at your favorite local joint.
Mentioning future shenanigans keeps the tone of your card light and fun and will stop your friend from worrying that all the fun is over now that you’re getting older.
3. I wish I could be there on your birthday, but since I can’t, I hope this card shows that I’m celebrating with you in spirit. Have a fabulous party and an even better year.
If your friend lives in a different city and you won’t be able to give them a birthday hug on their special day, you should make sure you send your card far enough in advance.
You’ll want them to have some token of your friendship on their actual birthday, so meeting post-office deadlines is a must.
As an aside, if the reason you can’t be at a birthday party is that you’re on vacation, a birthday note makes a great thing to write on a postcard. Your friend will love seeing where you are!
4. I hope you treat yourself to a truly special day…you only turn 30 once!
This is a perfect message to write in a 30th birthday card. And of course, you could adapt to any birthday by changing the age it refers to.
If your friend is someone who generally makes sensible decisions, doesn’t over-indulge, and prefers to treat others than to invest in themselves, this card is ideal.
As the friend of a selfless person, it’s important to encourage them to allow themselves a few treats here and there.
5. The weather is celebrating you today too. Enjoy that bright, big, blue birthday sky!
If your friend has been blessed with a beautiful day on their birthday, you can refer to the weather in your card.
This is an especially good idea if your friend is a bit of a nature lover.
6. I can’t think of anyone who deserves to be celebrated more than you. I hope this year brings you every possible happiness.
If you are writing a birthday card for a friend who is beginning a year full of major milestones, this makes a great note.
Maybe your friend is getting married this year. Or maybe she is pregnant, and you know the roles will soon be reversed when she sits down to think about what to write in a baby shower thank you card.
Whatever the big events coming up in your friend’s life, referring to these in your birthday card will add to the general excitement of the day.
7. Happy birthday to one of the most generous, kind-hearted, and hilarious people I know.
No one doesn’t like being complimented. And there’s nothing better than being told how great you are by people who genuinely love you.
Choose three generous adjectives that you feel describe your friend and adjust this message to include them.
8. Have a birthday as fun, quirky, and special as you are.
This is another wonderfully adaptable birthday message. If you’re not sure “quirky” is a good way to describe your friend, why not go for “Have a birthday as exciting, adventurous, and full-of-life as you are”?
Whatever words you use to describe your friend, this personalized birthday message is sweet and conveys genuine care.
9. Today is all about YOU! Happy birthday dear.
If you have a friend who struggles to put themselves first, encourage them to at least make themselves the focus of their birthday.
After all, it only comes around once per year.
If you’re looking for a gift to give alongside this message, choose something that forces your friend to take time for themselves.
A gift card to a spa, or bath salts and a book, for example, would make an ideal present.
10. No gift I could ever give you would be as wonderful as the gift of your friendship that you give me on a daily basis.
Speaking of choosing birthday presents, it’s always the thought that counts.
That’s why homemade gifts are often the most meaningful.
This message is one of the many great things to write in a scrapbook for a best friend.
If you’re giving your bestie a handcrafted book of memories for their birthday, you can even skip the card altogether and just focus on writing moving notes in the book itself.
11. Cheers to all that you have accomplished this year and to all the wonderful things you will do in your next 365 days around the sun.
This is the birthday message for the girl boss in your life.
If your friend is killing it in the professional world and has done some major levelling up recently, this card is a lovely way to congratulate her.
12. I hope you have the loveliest day.
This simple and elegant birthday message is ideal for the understated friend in your life.
While some people are all flair, glitter, and pizzazz on their big day, others prefer to not even mention that it’s their birthday.
To congratulate someone on turning a year older without embarrassing them or drawing unnecessary attention to them, slip them a card with this caring inscription in it.
13. Sending you a million birthday hugs and every good wish a human heart can possibly muster.
If you’re far away on the day your friend adds another notch to their age belt, you can send them this lovely message.
If you send this, your friend will know just how loved they are.
I mean, how can you be mad at anyone for not being there on your birthday if they send a card like this?
14. No words can express how lucky I am to have a friend like you. I hope this birthday is everything you had hoped it would be.
This message would also make a fool-proof message for a bachelorette card…just sub in “bachelorette party” for “birthday.”
15. Happy birthday to the most beautiful gal out there.
There are far worse things to have to do than to come up with ways to respond to “you are beautiful.”
If there’s no getting around the fact that your friend is a 10/10 stunner, you can send this card that is a birthday wish and a compliment all wrapped into one.
16. Happy birthday…trust me, next year is going to be even better than the last.
If the coming year is already chock-a-block full of great plans, you can remind your friend of all the good things to come with this hopeful and forward-looking message.
If your friend had a difficult last year, you might have spent a lot of time trying to make them feel better.
Maybe you had to come up with ways to cheer someone up over text after a break-up or had to figure out what to say to someone who has lost a loved one.
Whatever difficulties your friend faced over the last year, you can mark their birthday with this positive message.
Wonderful and unique ways to wish a friend a happy birthday
Birthdays are opportunities to celebrate. And that doesn’t just mean that they’re a chance to let your hair down and have a party.
They’re a day when you can celebrate the person turning a year older.
Whatever the year has thrown at them, use their big day as an opportunity to really focus on what makes them special.
The more you tailor your birthday message to reference specific things about your friend, the more touching and unique it will be.
Here are a few ways to wish a friend happy birthday that will grab their attention and make them feel like you’ve really put time into writing the perfect card.
17. If you were looking for a sign to have an extra-large slice of cake today, this is it!
This silly message won’t be one your friend is expecting.
In a sea of boring, generic birthday cards, yours will certainly stand out.
18. I won’t judge you if I catch you feeling up the packages on the present table…you’ve always been a child at heart.
Given the whole birthday card industrial complex that exists as a result of chains like Hallmark, we’ve all become saturated with cheesy birthday messages.
To freshen things up a bit and to stand out from the crowd, why not opt for this creative message that will surely put a smile on your friend’s face.
19. Wishing you another super fun spin around the sun!
I mean, that’s all a year is, right? We’re just sitting here on planet Earth spinning circles around the sun.
This makes an ideal birthday card message for the existentialist in your life. Anyone who thinks outside the box will enjoy this unusual way of wishing someone many happy returns.
20. You’re younger than you’ll ever be, so live it up today!
A lot of people spend their birthdays dwelling on how old they’re getting.
Reminding someone that they are the youngest they will ever be is a good way to get them to seize the day.
21. Remind me to call your mom today to thank her for creating my favorite person ever!
Given that birthdays are the anniversaries of the day our mothers gave birth to us, it’s remarkable that they are all about us and not about the women who made it all happen.
Of course, we celebrate our mothers on other days.
And we should always be making sure we write heartwarming messages in mother’s day cards for a grandmother, especially our own mothers after we have children.
That said, if you want to joke around with your friend on their birthday, ask them to remind you to thank their mother for birthing them…after all, she did all the hard work, right?
22. I tell you how much I value your friendship almost every day anyway, but it feels only appropriate to say it in a card today. Happy birthday!
Who doesn’t love an overly gushy, lovey-dovey friendship? I mean, isn’t it better to tell each other how we feel regularly than to keep it all inside?
We never know what might happen tomorrow, so telling our loved ones how we feel today is never a bad idea.
If you and your bestie are the kind of people who text each other “I LOVE YOU!” about ten times per day, this is the perfect birthday message to send them.
23. Make the most of this day (and every one that follows it!)
If you are the motivational speaker in your group, write this inspiring message in a birthday card for a friend who needs a bit of a kick up the you-know-what.
A birthday is obviously not the time to give someone a stern talking to about their attitude problems, but if you want to suggest that a friend buck up, this message is perfect.
Alternatively, if your friend is a naturally positive person, this note will just reinforce their happy energy.
24. I’m never as proud as when I get to point at you and say, “That’s my bestie!!”
How cute is this? Friendship is a beautiful thing and best friendship is the most wonderful version of it.
This message would also make a great note to write on a polaroid picture if you happen to have one of the two of you lying around.
You can slip the picture into your birthday card to make it extra special.
25. Happy birthday to my OG best friend. This bond is for life! I’ll still be singing you happy birthday when I have to put dentures in to do it.
This is a birthday card for the real ones. If you and your best friend go way, way, way back, you can remind them on their birthday that your bond is for life.
Add a touch of humor by saying that you’ll be singing them happy birthday even when you have to put in dentures to do so.
26. This day calls for some serious celebration…and we both know that’s our specialty.
Calling all party people! If you and your friend are known to be the life of any gathering, you can refer to your glorious reputation as good-time gals (or guys) with this birthday wish.
27. Since we basically have PhDs in how to have a good time, let’s go teach the masses how it’s done. Happy birthday, party animal!
Here’s another message for everyone out there who graduated from the university of fun.
If you’re part of the hype crew at whatever event you attend, this is the perfect birthday card inscription for your partner in crime.
The best funny birthday card messages for a friend
If a sentimental and sincere birthday message makes you want to roll your eyes, you’re probably someone who would rather entertain your friend with a humorous card.
Whether your friend is turning 18 or is getting closer to 90, a good sense of humor is timeless.
That said, knowing that you want to write a funny card doesn’t really help you narrow down what message to inscribe in your card.
For one thing, humor is completely subjective. What one person finds funny another might consider plain stupid.
There are also so many kinds of humor. From dry and dark humor to slapstick to witty wordplay, there’s no shortage of ways to try to get someone to giggle, chortle, or howl with laughter.
Jokes are like paint colors; you never know whether they’re appropriate until you test them.
So, try these sample funny birthday messages out on yourself to see how they go down.
28. You are like a fine wine…too much of you hurts my head.
If you’re wondering whether this birthday message is a little too harsh to be funny, then you’re probably right. It certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.
But anyone whose friendships are based on mutual ribbing and jeering might just think this message strikes the perfect tone.
29. Happy birthday, you big grump. And cheer up, you’re one day closer to the end!
Do you have a friend who is known to be the Eeyore of the group?
If they only seem to know one way respond to “how’s your day?”, which is by complaining about something, then you can use their birthday card to joke about how grumpy they are.
Telling them to cheer up because they’re one day closer to the end is only funny if, despite their downcast nature, they have a good sense of humor.
Do be careful not to offend anyone with this unusual birthday message.
30. I heard it was your birthday, so I got you this stupid card.
What makes something funny? Well, at the end of the day, that’s a subjective question.
If you and your friend aren’t exactly traditional and tend to joke about how silly conventions are, this chuckle-worthy message will surely strike a chord.
31. You have such good taste that I knew I’d never be able to pick the right present…so I didn’t even try!
Maybe you haven’t gotten your friend a gift because you ran out of time or because you simply couldn’t think of one.
Or maybe, you were never planning to anyway because you just aren’t really a gift giver.
Whatever the case, you can use this funny message to (half-heartedly) excuse yourself.
32. Congratulations on being just as disorganized and a year closer to death.
As children, we assume we’ll have it all figured out by the time we get to adulthood.
And yet, no matter how old we get, we still find ourselves wondering how to do basic things, such as what to say when someone doesn’t reply.
We should know that by the time we’re grown-up…right?
If you want to make a joke that refers to how immature your friend still is, despite their literal maturity, you can opt for this funny message.
33. Happy birthday, you old fogey!
No explanation needed here…just make sure you don’t send this to anyone sensitive!
34. Welcome to the era when every compliment ends with the caveat “for your age.”
You can’t slow down time, unfortunately. And while there are a whole host of wonderful things about old age, it’s less funny to talk about those.
So, if it’s humor you want, this is the perfect age-related funny message for your friend’s birthday card.
35. Don’t worry about getting older, it will happen whether you worry or not!
Where’s the lie?
Cards that help people laugh about things that might be causing them stress behind the scenes can be therapeutic. And this is a perfect example.
36. Welcome to middle age. Is it time for a crisis yet?
If you’re a few years older than your friend whose birthday it is, you can welcome them to middle age.
This card jokingly makes reference to the famous “mid-life crisis” that sees many people go off the rails for a few years and buy a sports car they can’t afford.
37. It’s now forty years since you were evicted from your mother’s uterus. Yay…right?
You can make your friend laugh by pointing out how absurd the concept of a birthday party is.
I mean…when you think about what a birth is, celebrating its anniversary every year starts to seem like a strange tradition.
38. Well, I can’t deny that you’re older, but you’re definitely not wiser.
If your friend is one of those forever-young-at-heart types, this is an ideal birthday message for them.
It pokes fun at their age, but in a loving way.
39. Ah I love writing stupid inscriptions in generic birthday cards. I hope you appreciate that I reluctantly went to Target in my pajamas this morning for you.
Acknowledging the reality of how most birthday cards are bought will make your friend laugh.
After all, this is one of those “we all know it’s true, we just don’t talk about it” things.
40. Are you ever going to stop having these birthday things? It’s kind of a lot of effort for me…
If you’re the kind of friend who tends to make everything about themselves, you can use your friend’s birthday card to, you guessed it, make their birthday about you.
41. I signed this card, so…you’ll probably want to keep it for when I’m famous. Oh, and happy birthday, by the way.
Faux arrogance is one of the great comedic tropes.
Joking about your card’s potential value once you’ve made it big and adding “happy birthday” as an afterthought is objectively funny, there’s no two ways about it.
42. Whoops! Your birthday was yesterday? Sorry about that.
This is a funny way to joke about your own scattered nature. If you missed your friend’s birthday, because, well, you miss everything, you can (sort of) make up for it with this card.
If nothing else, your friend is sure to get a laugh out of it.
43. I knew I shouldn’t have turned my Facebook notifications off…happy belated birthday.
Nowadays, most of us feel there isn’t much point in learning off everyone’s birthday by heart.
Why would we when there’s a service that is ready and willing to remind us?
If you didn’t get around to wishing someone happy birthday on the day, you can wish them a happy belated birthday and excuse yourself for your lateness with this funny quip.
44. Other people’s birthdays are like taxes…an inevitable and unnecessary expense for me.
Again, this birthday card message is funny because it manages to make your friend’s special day all about you.
Plus, pretending their party is an inconvenience to you just adds a dash more wit.
45. Your hairline is putting up a remarkable fight against these birthday things you keep having.
Male pattern baldness can be distressing.
That said, this is a good message to write in the birthday card of an aging man if he has a great hairline.
If he doesn’t, this could come across quite mean, so do be careful.
46. Happy anniversary of the day your mother’s body rejected you!
That’s what a birthday is, right? Again, make sure the friend you send this to isn’t the sensitive kind.
47. Happy birthday…you’re holding it together remarkably well considering how old you’re getting.
There’s a stereotype that older people are scattered and have a hard time staying organized.
This in it itself isn’t funny because it can cause families a lot of distress.
That said, if your friend is nowhere near actual old age, you can jeer them with this line.
48. Thanks for providing me with another excuse to get merry…oh, and happy birthday.
Pretending that all your friend’s birthday is to you is an excuse to party makes the joke that you don’t really care about them and are just using them to have a good time.
Because this is surely not true, joking about it makes for a funny card inscription.
49. Well, I guess we’re one year closer to our wild behavior being completely unacceptable…happy birthday, my partner in crime.
If you and your friend are known for having a good time, you can send them this note in a birthday card.
They’ll appreciate your solidarity in persevering with placing “fun” at the top of your list of priorities.
50. Happy birthday! I’m so happy for you that you get to have a best friend like me.
‘Nuff said.