Happy 30th and 40th Birthday Wishes: What to Write in the Card

Happy 40th birthday wishes and happy 30th birthday wishes should sound like you, and this guide gives you plenty of messages to start from. A 30th or 40th birthday often comes with a party, a dinner or a trip, but the card is the part people tend to keep, so it is worth adding a line or two of your own.

Below you will find short wishes, messages for a friend, a husband or wife, a son or daughter, a sister or brother and a coworker, plus funny wishes, sentimental messages, a few classic quotes and religious wishes with Bible verses.

Article contents

• How to Write a 30th or 40th Birthday Card
• Happy 30th Birthday Wishes
• Happy 40th Birthday Wishes
• Sentimental 30th and 40th Birthday Messages
• 30th and 40th Birthday Quotes
• Religious 30th and 40th Birthday Wishes
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Write a 30th or 40th Birthday Card

1. Open with the milestone and their name. "Happy 30th, Megan" or "Happy 40th, Chris" makes the card feel personal from the first line.
2. Share a memory or something you admire. One specific moment, such as a road trip or a time they helped you, means more than a long list of compliments.
3. Look ahead to the new decade. Wish them good things for their thirties or forties, such as new adventures, time with family or a great year at work.
4. Keep any age jokes kind. A light joke about the number is fine for someone who enjoys it. Leave out comments about health, weight or looks.

Example: "Happy 40th, Chris! I still laugh about the camping trip when our tent blew into the lake. Thank you for twenty years of friendship. I can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you. Love, Sam"

Happy 30th Birthday Wishes

Short 30th Birthday Wishes

• Happy 30th birthday!
• Happy 30th! Welcome to your best decade yet.
• Thirty years down and the best still ahead. Happy birthday!
• Happy 30th birthday. Enjoy every minute of your special day.
• Happy 30th! May this decade bring you everything you are hoping for.
• Cheers to 30 years of you. Happy birthday!
• Happy birthday! Here's to a great start to your thirties.
• Happy 30th! Go celebrate yourself today.

30th Birthday Messages for a Friend

• Happy 30th! You were there for every big moment of my twenties, and I plan to keep you around for my thirties too.
• We have come a long way since our early twenties. Happy 30th, my friend.
• Thirty years old and still the first person I call with good news. Happy birthday.
• Happy 30th birthday! You have worked hard for everything you have, and it shows.
• Here's to your thirties: more confidence, better plans and the same great friends.
• Happy 30th! Thank you for every road trip, every long phone call and every laugh.
• Happy 30th birthday to a friend who makes every year more fun. I can't wait to see what this decade brings you.

30th Birthday Wishes for a Husband or Wife

• Happy 30th birthday to the love of my life. I'm so happy we get to start this decade together.
• Thirty years of you, and I get to share so many of them. Happy birthday, my love.
• Happy 30th, babe. You are my favorite person, and every year with you is better than the last.
• Happy 30th birthday to my best friend and partner in everything.
• Happy 30th to my husband. Thank you for the laughs, the support and the life we are building together.
• Happy 30th to my wife. You make our home a happy place, and I love you more every year.

30th Birthday Wishes for a Daughter or Son

• Happy 30th birthday. Thirty years ago you made us parents, and you are still our greatest joy.
• Happy 30th to our daughter. We are so proud of the woman you have become.
• Happy 30th to our son. We are so proud of the man you have become.
• Watching you build your own life has been one of the best parts of ours. Happy 30th birthday.
• Happy 30th birthday. The home, the work and the friendships you have built are a joy to watch.
• Happy 30th! No matter how old you get, you will always be our baby. Love, Mom and Dad

30th Birthday Wishes for a Sister or Brother

• Happy 30th, sis! You have always been the one who has it together, and I'm proud of you.
• Happy 30th to my little brother. It is hard to believe you are all grown up.
• Happy 30th birthday to my sister and lifelong best friend.
• Thirty years of sharing parents, holidays and inside jokes. Happy birthday, brother.
• Happy 30th! Watching you grow into the person you are has been a gift.
• Happy 30th birthday to my sister. Thank you for always being in my corner.

Funny 30th Birthday Wishes

• Happy 30th! You are now officially the age where a good night's sleep is a big deal.
• Welcome to your thirties, where a new vacuum cleaner counts as an exciting purchase.
• Happy 30th birthday! Don't worry, 30 is just 21 with a lot more experience.
• Thirty is when you stop staying up late on purpose and start doing it by accident.
• Happy 30th! With age comes wisdom, so you are now officially harder to fool.
• Happy birthday! Thirty is a great age to start saying "kids these days."

Happy 40th Birthday Wishes

Short 40th Birthday Wishes

• Happy 40th birthday!
• Happy 40th! Four decades of you is worth a party.
• Happy 40th! Here's to the best years yet.
• Happy 40th birthday. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
• Happy 40th! You make this age look like a lot of fun.
• Here's to 40 and many more birthdays to come.
• Happy 40th! Celebrate like you mean it.
• Cheers to 40 years of you. Happy birthday!

40th Birthday Wishes for a Friend

• Happy 40th to a friend who makes every year better. I'm glad we are getting older together.
• Forty years of being wonderful. Happy birthday, my friend.
• Happy 40th birthday! You have grown wiser, kinder and funnier every year I have known you.
• Here's to 40 years of you, and to many more years of friendship.
• Happy 40th! You have built a great life, and you deserve a great celebration.
• Happy 40th birthday to the friend who always knows what to say.
• From school pickups to late-night talks, you have been there for all of it. Happy 40th, my friend.

40th Birthday Wishes for a Husband or Wife

• Happy 40th birthday, my love. You are more wonderful now than the day I met you.
• Forty years of you, and I love you more with every one I get to share. Happy birthday.
• Happy 40th to the best husband and dad I know. We love you so much.
• Happy 40th birthday to my wife. The kids and I are the luckiest people in the world.
• Here's to 40, and to growing old together. Happy birthday, my love.
• Happy 40th to my husband. Thank you for the life we have built and the laughter you bring to every day.

40th Birthday Wishes for a Daughter or Son

• Happy 40th birthday. It feels like yesterday that we brought you home, and now look at the life you have made.
• Happy 40th to our daughter. You are a wonderful mother, friend and daughter, and we are so proud of you.
• Happy 40th to our son. You are a good man, and we are proud of you every day.
• Happy 40th! You will always be our child, even when you have children of your own.
• Happy 40th birthday. We love you more than words can say. Love, Mom and Dad

40th Birthday Wishes for a Sister or Brother

• Happy 40th, big brother. You still give the best advice in the family.
• Happy 40th birthday, sis! I will always look up to you.
• Forty years old! You have been my best friend since we shared a bedroom. Happy birthday.
• Happy 40th birthday. It was fun growing up with you, and it is even more fun growing older with you.
• Happy 40th! Don't worry, I will always be younger than you.
• Happy 40th to my sister. Thank you for every phone call, every visit and every laugh.

40th Birthday Wishes for a Coworker

• Happy 40th birthday! We're lucky to work with you.
• Happy 40th! We hope you take some time to relax and enjoy some cake today.
• Happy milestone birthday from all of us. Enjoy your day.
• Happy 40th birthday to a great teammate. Thank you for everything you do.
• Happy 40th! Wishing you a great year at work and an even better one outside of it.
• Happy 40th! Thanks for making work more fun for all of us.

Funny 40th Birthday Wishes

• Happy 40th! The view from the top of the hill is pretty great.
• Forty is the age when you start saying "back in my day" and meaning it.
• Congratulations on turning 40. You are now officially allowed to complain about the thermostat.
• Happy 40th! They say life begins at 40, so you are basically brand new.
• Happy 40th birthday! You are now old enough to enjoy a quiet night in and proud of it.
• Happy 40th! I'm not saying you are old, but I'm glad we have cake and not 40 candles.
• Happy 40th! Don't worry, you are still younger than you will be next year.

Sentimental 30th and 40th Birthday Messages

A longer message suits a spouse, a close friend or a family member.

• As you start a new decade, I hope you know how much you are loved. You make life better for everyone around you. Happy birthday.
• Every year I know you, I am more grateful for you. Happy 40th, and thank you for being exactly who you are.
• Your thirties are here, and I can't wait to see what you do with them. I will be cheering for you the whole way. Happy 30th.
• Thank you for the kindness, the laughter and the friendship you have given me over the years. Happy milestone birthday.
• Forty years of you is something to celebrate. I hope today is full of the love you give to everyone else.
• Some people make every room brighter, and you are one of them. Happy 30th birthday.

30th and 40th Birthday Quotes

A short quote can sit at the top of the card, with your own message below it. These come from classic authors whose words are in the public domain.

• "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be." Robert Browning, "Rabbi Ben Ezra"
• "The years teach much which the days never know." Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Experience"
• "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Works and Days"
• "We do not count a man's years, until he has nothing else to count." Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Old Age"

Religious 30th and 40th Birthday Wishes

For a friend or family member who shares your faith, a Bible verse and a short blessing make a meaningful birthday message.

Bible Verses for a 30th or 40th Birthday

These verses are from the New International Version (NIV).

• "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
• "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." (Psalm 20:4)
• "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
• "I thank my God every time I remember you." (Philippians 1:3)
• "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3)
• "The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad." (Psalm 118:24)

Religious Birthday Wishes

• Happy 30th birthday. We thank God for you and pray He blesses this new decade.
• May God fill your forties with strong faith, good friends and people who love you.
• Happy 40th! God has been faithful through every one of your years, and He will be in the years to come.
• Happy 30th birthday. I pray this decade brings you peace, joy and a deeper walk with the Lord.
• Thanking God for 40 years of you. May He bless you and your family this year and always.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you write in a 40th birthday card?

Start with "Happy 40th" and their name, then add a favorite memory or something you admire about them. Finish with a wish for the years ahead, such as "Here's to your best decade yet."

What should I write in a 30th birthday card?

Wish them a happy 30th, mention something they have done or a time you shared, and wish them a great start to their thirties. A short line like "Welcome to your best decade yet" is a good choice when you are not sure what to say.

Is it okay to joke about age in a 30th or 40th birthday card?

Yes, if you know the person well and they enjoy that kind of humor. Keep the joke about the number itself and leave out anything about health, weight or looks. It also helps to end the card with a warm line.

What is a short happy 40th birthday message?

"Happy 40th! Here's to the best years yet" is a simple and warm choice. "Cheers to 40 years of you" also works well for a friend, a sibling or a coworker.

For more birthday ideas, see our funny birthday wishes, our birthday wishes for a good friend, and the next milestones in our 50th birthday wishes. If you are writing for someone younger, our 18th and 21st birthday wishes can help.

Our Happy Birthday Assorted Cards are blank inside, so you have plenty of room for any of these messages. You can also see all of our birthday cards.

Milestone birthday wishes: sweet 16, 18th and 21st, 30th and 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th, 80th and 90th.