Armenian birthday songs: how to say happy birthday, and the songs to play

At an Armenian birthday the toasts are long and the music is loud, and one song title comes back again and again: "Tsnundd Shnorhavor," happy birthday to you. This guide covers how to say it, why the spellings differ, and the Armenian birthday songs played most in the Armenly catalog. Every song here plays free on Armenly.

By The Armenly team. Written November 4, 2026.

Key findings

  • "Shnorhavor" means "congratulations," and "tsnund" means "birth" or "birthday," so "shnorhavor tsnundd" is "happy birthday to you" [1] [2].
  • The final "d" is "your": "tsnundd" is "your birthday." Song titles spell it many ways: Tsnundd, Dznoundd, Cnundd, Tsnundt.
  • The most played Armenian birthday song in the Armenly catalog is "Tsnundd Shnorhavor" by Mihran Tsarukyan, with about 360,000 Spotify plays (catalog read November 4, 2026).
  • Aram Khachaturian's piano Children's Album has a piece called "On a Birthday," the classical choice for a birthday.

How to say happy birthday in Armenian

  • Shnorhavor tsnundd (շնորհավոր ծնունդդ): "happy birthday to you" [1].
  • Shnorhavor (շնորհավոր) on its own means "congratulations," and works for any happy occasion [1].
  • Tsnund (ծնունդ) means "birth," and also "birthday" or, in everyday speech, a birthday party [2].
  • The order can flip: song titles say "Tsnundd Shnorhavor" as often as "Shnorhavor Tsnundd."

Why the song titles are spelled so many ways

Armenian has no single way of writing its letters in English. The first letter of ծնունդ is written ts, dz or c depending on who spells it: "ts" in Eastern Armenian spelling, "dz" in Western Armenian, as Armenly's letter converter shows, and "c" in the scholarly system Wiktionary uses [2]. That is why the same title appears as Tsnundd, Dznoundd and Cnundd. Search any of them on Armenly and you will find the same songs.

The most played Armenian birthday songs

These are the songs with a birthday title played most in the Armenly catalog, one per artist and title, by Spotify plays as recorded on November 4, 2026. Play counts are indicative, not official chart figures.

For a child, a parent or a quieter table

  • For a child's party, Aram Khachaturian's "On a Birthday," from his piano Children's Album, then the Kids & Family shelf.
  • Some songs carry a name or a relation in the title, such as "Cnundd Shnorhavor Hayrik" ("Happy Birthday, Dad") by Artyom Voskanyan.
  • Once the toasts start, the kef shelf takes over.

Questions people ask

How do you say happy birthday in Armenian?

"Shnorhavor tsnundd" (շնորհավոր ծնունդդ), "happy birthday to you." "Shnorhavor" means congratulations and "tsnund" means birthday. The order can also be reversed: "tsnundd shnorhavor."

What is the Armenian happy birthday song?

There is no single traditional one, but the most played in the Armenly catalog is "Tsnundd Shnorhavor" by Mihran Tsarukyan, with about 360,000 Spotify plays. Aram Asatryan's "Dznoundd Shnorhavor" is another favorite.

Is it tsnund, dznund or cnund?

All three. They are the same Armenian word, ծնունդ, spelled the Eastern way (ts), the Western way (dz) or in the scholarly system (c).

Sources

Cite this page

The Armenly team, "Armenian birthday songs: how to say happy birthday, and the songs to play." Armenly, November 4, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/armenian-birthday-songs

Read next

Listen free

Loading Armenly