Meanings of 歡
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About 歡
Podcast: 歡
Podcast: 歡
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AI Study Notes for 歡
喜 (xǐ) — use 歡 when expressing joy in a broader or more celebratory context, while 喜 is more commonly used for personal happiness or liking something.
Be cautious with the tone when pronouncing '欢'; it is pronounced with a high flat tone (first tone). Common collocations include '欢喜' (huānxǐ) meaning to be glad and '欢庆' (huānqìng) meaning to celebrate. It’s typically used in both formal and informal contexts.
Although not part of HSK levels, '欢' connects with other emotions and feelings learned at beginner levels. Focus on using it with adjectives and verbs to express feelings, such as '欢笑' (huānxiào, to laugh joyfully).
Learners often confuse '欢' with '欢喜', using them interchangeably. For example, saying '我欢这个消息' (I happy this news) is incorrect; it should be '我欢喜这个消息'.
Pronunciation of 歡
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Etymology of 歡
Simplified form of 歡. Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound. 欠 (yawn) is a pictograph of a person with an open mouth. Likely used here to represent a person joyfully laughing.
breathe
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 歡
Simplified form of 歡. Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound. 欠 (yawn) is a pictograph of a person with an open mouth. Likely used here to represent a person joyfully laughing.
- 1The meaning half欠 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half雚 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawaybreathe
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 歡? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 歡
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How to say happy, glad, joyful in Chinese
“happy, glad, joyful” in Chinese is歡
歡 (huān) means happy, glad, or joyful. It is often used to express feelings of happiness in various contexts, such as celebrating an event or enjoying a moment. This character can also appear in phrases that convey a sense of welcome or joy.
When to use 歡
Be cautious with the tone when pronouncing '欢'; it is pronounced with a high flat tone (first tone). Common collocations include '欢喜' (huānxǐ) meaning to be glad and '欢庆' (huānqìng) meaning to celebrate. It’s typically used in both formal and informal contexts.
歡 or something close to it
喜 (xǐ) — use 歡 when expressing joy in a broader or more celebratory context, while 喜 is more commonly used for personal happiness or liking something.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse '欢' with '欢喜', using them interchangeably. For example, saying '我欢这个消息' (I happy this news) is incorrect; it should be '我欢喜这个消息'.
Write 歡
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Practice writing 歡 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 歡
Compound Meaning
What does 喜欢 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 歡
'欢' can be used in sentences like '我很欢喜这个消息' (I am very happy about this news).
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