hoi1 hoi1 sam1 sam1開開心心开开心心

Jyutpinghoi1 hoi1 sam1 sam1

Yalehōi hōi sām sām

Definition

To be happy, joyful, or cheerful; happily.

colloquialemotiondescriptions

How it's used

Reduplication of adjectives like this is a hallmark of Cantonese, adding a sense of ease, lightheartedness, or genuine enjoyment to the state of being. It is often used to describe a pleasant atmosphere or a relaxed state of mind rather than a deep, intense emotion. You will frequently hear it used as an adverbial phrase to describe how people are doing something together.

Examples

gin3見dou2到nei5你hoi1開hoi1開sam1心sam1心，ngo5我dou1都hou2好fong3放sam1心。

Seeing you happy makes me feel relieved too.

daai6大gaa1家hoi1開hoi1開sam1心sam1心sik6食caan1餐faan6飯laa1啦。

Let's all have a happy meal together.

Common phrases

hoi1開hoi1開sam1心sam1心gwo3過jat6日zi2子

to live life happily

hoi1開hoi1開sam1心sam1心gam3咁wun6玩

to play happily

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe professional or serious happiness, as the reduplication makes it sound informal and light. It is not appropriate for formal writing or serious contexts where you might use a more neutral term like 高興.