Meaning of 快乐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- happy; joyful
How to use 快乐
快乐 is the standard word for wishing someone happiness on holidays and birthdays, and it also describes a happy person or time. Example: 生日快乐 (shēngrì kuàilè) Happy birthday.
快 (kuài) means fast and 乐 (lè) means joy, so 快乐 is the quick, light feeling of joy. Notice 快 has the heart radical 忄 on the left, a hint that this word is about feelings.
Common mistake: The 乐 in 快乐 is read lè, but the same character is read yuè in 音乐 (yīnyuè, music), so learners often mix up the two readings. Also, for a simple state like being glad about something, many speakers use 高兴 (gāoxìng) rather than 快乐.
快乐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
快 kuài · rapid · 7 strokes
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- 7
乐 lè · happy · 5 strokes
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- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 快乐.
| 音乐 | yīnyuè | music |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 音乐会 | yīnyuèhuì | concert |
| 快点儿 | kuài diǎnr | erhua variant of 快點|快点[kuai4 dian3] |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | pleasantly cool (weather etc); to cool oneself; to cool off |
| 快餐 | kuàicān | fast food; snack |
| 赶快 | gǎnkuài | quickly; at once |
| 乐队 | yuèduì | band; pop group |
| 快速 | kuàisù | fast; high-speed; rapid |
| 欢乐 | huānlè | gaiety; gladness |
| 可乐 | kělè | amusing; entertaining |
| 乐观 | lèguān | optimistic; hopeful |
Questions about 快乐
What does 快乐 mean?
快乐 (kuàilè) means "happy; joyful" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 快乐?
快乐 is made of 2 characters: 快 (7 strokes), 乐 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 快乐 an HSK word?
Yes. 快乐 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 快乐 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 快乐 is written 快樂.
What is the difference between 快乐 and 高兴?
快乐 tends to describe a deeper or longer-lasting happiness and is used in set greetings like 新年快乐. 高兴 (gāoxìng) is more about feeling pleased in a specific moment, as in 我很高兴见到你 (I am glad to meet you).
Can I say 我很快乐 in everyday conversation?
Yes, 我很快乐 (wǒ hěn kuàilè) means I am very happy and is grammatically fine. In casual talk about a single event, though, 我很高兴 often sounds more natural.