haa1 haa1哈哈
Jyutpinghaa1 haa1
Yalehā hā
Definition
Ha-ha; the sound of laughter, sometimes used to show a polite or forced laugh.
colloquialemotioncommunication
How it's used
Repeated laughter sounds often signal social awkwardness or a desire to soften a blunt statement. When used in text messages, it frequently serves as a filler to avoid sounding too serious or aggressive. It is rarely used to describe genuine, hearty laughter, which is more often expressed through phrases like 笑死我.
Examples
After he finished the joke, the whole room laughed out loud.
Haha, you are really funny when you talk.
Related words
Common phrases
to laugh out loud
Common mistake
Avoid using this to express genuine amusement in a professional or formal context, as it can be perceived as dismissive or insincere. It is strictly a colloquial marker for casual interaction.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
