kaarawan

Kaarawan is a Filipino term meaning a person's birthday or birth anniversary. It refers to the annual date on which a person was born and is commonly celebrated with family and friends. In everyday speech, speakers may say Maligayang kaarawan to wish someone a happy birthday, or refer to kaarawan niya to indicate the event.

Derived from Tagalog roots, kaarawan combines ka- (a nominalizing prefix) with araw (day) to form a noun designating the day of birth. The term is used across various Filipino languages and is widely understood in the Philippines and in Filipino-speaking communities abroad.

Celebrations typically involve gatherings, sharing a meal, presenting gifts, and a cake with candles. Candles are lit for each year of age, or in some traditions a symbolic number of lights. In some families, relatives visit the celebrant and offer well-wishes; some observe religious rites or prayers tied to the occasion.

Related terms include Araw ng kapanganakan (day of birth) and greetings such as Maligayang kaarawan. The term reflects the personal milestone rather than a public holiday in most contexts, though some communities observe milestone birthdays with larger celebrations. Kaarawan is primarily used in Filipino-language discourse and has no formal legal status separate from the birth date itself.