恭喜
kiong-hí
The English phrase "congratulations" is expressed in Hokkien as 恭喜 (kiong-hí).
You use 恭喜 to express approbation. In spoken Hokkien, it is very common to repeat the phrase as 恭喜恭喜 to express enthusiastic congratulations. For formal settings, such as professional environments or official settings, the term 祝賀 (chù-ho̍h) is used instead.
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 恭喜 literally means "respectfully congratulate", where 恭 means respectfully/ceremoniously and 喜 means happiness/joy.
Which one should you use?
While 恭喜 is the standard term, 恭喜恭喜 is a common way to express enthusiastic congratulations in spoken Hokkien. 祝賀 is a formal way of expressing congratulations used in official settings or professional environments.
How do you pronounce it?
kiong-hí
When do people say it?
During Lunar New Year, the phrase is often extended to 恭喜發財 (kiong-hí hoat-châi) to wish someone prosperity.
Did you know?
- Unlike in English, where 'congratulations' is used for any achievement, using 恭喜 for a tragedy that resulted in a 'win' (like inheriting money from a death) can be seen as insensitive or taboo.
- The character 喜 in 恭喜 is used in the term 囍, a double-character symbol seen at weddings. This 'double happiness' symbol is a visual representation of the joy expressed by the phrase.
- In some traditional Hokkien households, the response to 恭喜 is not a 'thank you' but rather a reciprocal 恭喜 back to the speaker, creating a loop of mutual well-wishing.
Examples in context
- 恭喜！Congratulations!This example shows the use of 恭喜 as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #13238618 by tsunhua, translation #1437 by CK
- 恭喜你畢業！ (kiong-hí lí pi̍t-káu)Congratulations on your graduation!
- 歡喜恭喜你啊！ (hoan-hí kiong-hí lí a)Congratulations! How joyful!
Example conversation
Jiayi congratulates Jiahao on his graduation.
- 佳怡 Chia-yi恭喜你畢業了！gong hsi li piat-giep liao!Congratulations on graduating!
- 家豪 Ka-hao多謝你，佳怡。to sia li, Jia-yi.Thank you, Jiayi.
- 佳怡 Chia-yi你現在要去做什麼？li hian-zai ai cho si-mi?What are you going to do now?
- 家豪 Ka-hao我想先休息一下。wa siang hian hiu-si it-ea.I want to rest for a bit first.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
