快乐 (kuài lè) — happy, joyful | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A warm, everyday 'happy' — describes lasting contentment, not just a moment. 高兴 is a quick reaction; 幸福 is a deeper life-state.

adjective

happyjoyful

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

快 here feels cheerful, and 乐 means joy, so the word means happy.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄夬快

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài快kuài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Appears in