hei2 jyut6喜悅喜悦
Jyutpinghei2 jyut6
Yalehéi yuht
Definition
Joy, happiness, or delight.
neutralemotion
How it's used
Expresses a refined, internal sense of happiness that often borders on the literary or formal. While perfectly understandable in speech, native speakers usually prefer more direct terms like 開心 or 高興 when describing everyday feelings. It is most frequently encountered in written media, speeches, or when someone wants to emphasize a profound or elevated state of contentment.
Examples
Seeing you so successful, I am truly filled with joy.
This kind of joy is really hard to express in words.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this in casual, everyday situations like telling a friend you are happy to see them, as it can sound overly dramatic or like you are reading from a book. Stick to 開心 for normal social interactions.
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.
