hoi1 sam1開心开心
Jyutpinghoi1 sam1
Yalehōi sām
Definition
Happy, joyful, or in a good mood.
Example
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Expressing happiness in Cantonese relies heavily on this term, which functions as a versatile adjective for both temporary moods and general personality traits. Unlike some formal synonyms, it feels natural in almost any social context, from casual chats with friends to expressing satisfaction with a service or event. It is frequently modified by degree adverbs like 好 or 幾 to adjust the intensity of the emotion.
Examples
You seem really happy today.
Seeing you so happy makes me happy too.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it to describe objects or situations that are inherently pleasant or joyful, as it specifically refers to the internal emotional state of a person. For external things that bring joy, use 令人開心 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
