Unified English Braille · Words in braille
Happy birthday in braille
In braille, “happy birthday” is 13 cells, with a blank cell between the words: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽. Contracted braille (Grade 2), the form most books and signs in English use, shortens it to 11 cells: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙.
The cells are Unicode braille, so you can copy them: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ (Grade 1) or ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙ (Grade 2). To write another word, use the braille translator.
Happy birthday, letter by letter
One cell per letter, the dots numbered 1, 2 and 3 down the left column and 4, 5 and 6 down the right.
| Letter | Braille | Dots | Where the dots are |
|---|---|---|---|
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 | top left, middle left and middle right |
| a | ⠁ | 1 | top left |
| p | ⠏ | 1-2-3-4 | top left, middle left, bottom left and top right |
| p | ⠏ | 1-2-3-4 | top left, middle left, bottom left and top right |
| y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 | top left, bottom left, top right, middle right and bottom right |
| space | ⠀ | none | a blank cell between the words |
| b | ⠃ | 1-2 | top left and middle left |
| i | ⠊ | 2-4 | middle left and top right |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 | top left, middle left, bottom left and middle right |
| t | ⠞ | 2-3-4-5 | middle left, bottom left, top right and middle right |
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 | top left, middle left and middle right |
| d | ⠙ | 1-4-5 | top left, top right and middle right |
| a | ⠁ | 1 | top left |
| y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 | top left, bottom left, top right, middle right and bottom right |
The letters h, a, b, i and d stay in the top two rows of the cell, like every letter from a to j; the letters p, y, r and t reach the bottom row, with dot 3 or dot 6. In happy birthday, h appears twice, a appears twice, p appears twice and y appears twice, and every copy is the same cell: in Grade 1 a letter looks the same wherever it falls. The fullest cell is y, with five dots, and the whole phrase has 41 raised dots in Grade 1.
Each letter has its own page in the braille alphabet: H, A, P, Y, B, I, R, T, D.
Happy birthday in Grade 2 braille
In Grade 2, happy birthday is ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙: 11 cells instead of 13. These are the parts that change, as liblouis, the braille engine our translator runs, writes them:
| Grade 2 | Dots | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| th (in birthday) | ⠹ | 1-4-5-6 | Groupsign: one cell for a group of letters |
| day (in birthday) | ⠐⠙ | 5 + 1-4-5 | Initial-letter contraction: dot 5 followed by the first letter |
Everything else is spelled letter by letter. For comparison, Grade 1 is ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽: 1-2-5, 1, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-3-4-5-6, blank, 1-2, 2-4, 1-2-3-5, 2-3-4-5, 1-2-5, 1-4-5, 1, 1-3-4-5-6.
Do not shorten a word to its first letter. In Grade 2, h written alone means “have” and b written alone means “but”, so a lone letter would be read as that word.
Grade 1 is easier to check against a chart; Grade 2 is the form most books and signs in English use. More in braille contractions.
Happy birthday with capital letters
Braille has no separate capital letters. The capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), goes in front of a capital letter, and two of them (⠠⠠) put a whole word in capitals; in this phrase each word takes its own.
| Grade 1 | Grade 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower case: happy birthday | ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ | ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙ |
| Each word capitalized: Happy Birthday | ⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ | ⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙ |
| All capitals: HAPPY BIRTHDAY | ⠠⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠠⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ | ⠠⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠠⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙ |
Where to use happy birthday in braille
Happy birthday is the phrase for cards, gift tags and the label on a present. Grade 2, the form most books and signs in English use, saves two cells here: the th of birthday is one cell, ⠹ (dots 1-4-5-6) and the day of birthday is dot 5 followed by d, ⠐⠙.
For a child who is still learning, or for a card that sighted family members will check against a chart, Grade 1 spells every letter and is still correct braille. If you do not know which one the reader prefers, ask them: it is their call.
To add a name, write it after the phrase with a capital indicator in front of its first letter, and a comma and a blank cell before it, as in print: “Happy birthday, Ana” is ⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙⠂⠀⠠⠁⠝⠁ in Grade 2. The braille translator does the same with any name.
More words in braille
- Love in braille: ⠇⠕⠧⠑
- Hello in braille: ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕
- Thank you in braille: ⠞⠓⠁⠝⠅⠀⠽⠕⠥
- Merry Christmas in braille: ⠍⠑⠗⠗⠽⠀⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠍⠁⠎
- Yes in braille: ⠽⠑⠎
- I love you in braille, and how to write a name
- Braille contractions: the Grade 2 signs, explained
- All braille words
Frequently asked questions
How do you write happy birthday in braille?
Happy birthday is 13 cells, with a blank cell between the words: ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ (1-2-5, 1, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-3-4-5-6, blank, 1-2, 2-4, 1-2-3-5, 2-3-4-5, 1-2-5, 1-4-5, 1, 1-3-4-5-6). In Grade 1 each letter takes one six-dot cell.
Is happy birthday different in Grade 2 braille?
Yes. In Grade 2 it is ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙, 11 cells instead of 13: the th of birthday is one cell, ⠹ (dots 1-4-5-6) and the day of birthday is dot 5 followed by d, ⠐⠙.
How do you write Happy Birthday with capital letters in braille?
Put the capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), in front of each word: ⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽ (Grade 2: ⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙). In all capitals, each word takes two capital indicators: ⠠⠠⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠠⠠⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓⠙⠁⠽.
How many dots does happy birthday have in braille?
41 raised dots in Grade 1, spread over 13 cells; Grade 2 uses 33 dots in 11 cells.
How do you write “happy birthday to you” in braille?
In Grade 2 it is ⠓⠁⠏⠏⠽⠀⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙⠀⠞⠕⠀⠽. To is spelled out, and you is the letter y on its own, as in thank you.
From “happy birthday” to reading
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