乐 lè / yuè — (surname); happy; laugh; cheerful; (surname); music
节日里，孩子们玩得很快乐。Jié rì lǐ, hái zi men wán de hěn kuài lè.During the festival, the children played happily.
Common words: 快乐 (kuài lè)、音乐 (yīn yuè)、音乐会 (yīn yuè huì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "happy"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "happy", including 乐 (lè / yuè), 欢 (huān), 欣 (xīn), 畅 (chàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "happy" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 乐 (lè / yuè), 欢 (huān), 欣 (xīn), 畅 (chàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lè, yuè, huān, xīn, chàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 乐 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 乐 lè / yuè(surname); happy; laugh; cheerful; (surname); musicUseful words: 快乐, 音乐
- 欢 huānjoyous; happy; pleasedUseful words: 喜欢, 欢迎
- 欣 xīnhappyUseful words: 欣赏, 欣慰
- 畅 chàngsmooth; fluent; joyful; happyUseful words: 畅销, 畅通
Common words for these 4 "happy" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 乐 (lè / yuè) — so "happy" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
快乐kuài lèhappy; joyful音乐yīn yuèmusic音乐会yīn yuè huìconcert喜欢xǐ huanto like; to be fond of欢迎huān yíngto welcome; welcome欢乐huān lègaiety; gladness; glee; merriment欣赏xīn shǎngto appreciate; to enjoy; to admire欣慰xīn wèito be gratified欣欣向荣xīn xīn xiàng róng(idiom) flourishing; thriving畅销chàng xiāoto sell well; bestselling; chart-topping
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "happy".
欢 huān — joyous; happy; pleased
孩子们欢快地唱着歌。Hái zi men huān kuài de chàng zhe gē.The children sang joyfully.
Common words: 喜欢 (xǐ huan)、欢迎 (huān yíng)、欢乐 (huān lè)
欣 xīn — happy
看到孩子取得了好成绩，妈妈十分欣慰。Kàn dào hái zi qǔ dé le hǎo chéng jì, mā ma shí fēn xīn wèi.Seeing the child get good grades, Mom was very gratified.
Common words: 欣赏 (xīn shǎng)、欣慰 (xīn wèi)、欣欣向荣 (xīn xīn xiàng róng)
畅 chàng — smooth; fluent; joyful; happy
雨过天晴，他的心情十分舒畅。Yǔ guò tiān qíng, tā de xīn qíng shí fēn shū chàng.After the rain cleared, his mood was very relaxed.
Common words: 畅销 (chàng xiāo)、畅通 (chàng tōng)、舒畅 (shū chàng)
All 4 characters
Open 乐、欢、欣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.