欢乐 meaning in English

欢乐 describes a lively, joyful atmosphere, often shared by a group, like at a festival or party. It is a bit more literary and "scene-like" than 快乐, and often comes before nouns such as 气氛 or 时光. Example: 我们度过了一段欢乐的时光。(Wǒmen dùguò le yí duàn huānlè de shíguāng.) We spent a joyful time together.

欢乐 joins 欢 (huān), the same 欢 found in 喜欢 (xǐhuan) and 欢迎 (huānyíng), with 乐 (lè), the same 乐 found in 快乐 (kuàilè). Two "happy" characters stacked together give you a big, shared feeling of joy.

Common mistake: In 欢乐, 乐 is read lè, but in 音乐 (yīnyuè) and 乐队 (yuèduì) the same character is read yuè, so learners often mix up the two readings. Also, people say 生日快乐, never 生日欢乐, because birthday and holiday wishes use 快乐.