Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 幸福 | |
| 快樂 / 快乐 | faai³ lok⁶ |
| 愉快 | jyu⁴ faai³ / jyu⁶ faai³ |
In Cantonese, there are different ways to express happiness depending on whether you mean a deep sense of well-being or a fleeting moment of joy. 幸福 is used for a profound, long-term sense of well-being or blessedness. To express a 'sense of happiness' or a 'feeling of well-being', speakers often use 幸福感 by adding 感 (gam2) to the end. For more immediate or transient joy, the term 快樂 is used. If you want to describe extreme happiness, you can use the informal expression 開心到飛起, which means 'so happy that you could fly'.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the duration and depth of the emotion. 幸福 refers to long-term well-being or a state of being blessed. In contrast, 快樂 refers to more immediate, short-term joy or pleasure. Finally, 愉快 is a more formal term used to describe a pleasant mood or a pleasant experience rather than a deep state of happiness.
How does it change in a sentence?
While 幸福 and 快樂 function as nouns meaning 'happiness', in casual everyday conversation, the adjective 'happy' is most frequently expressed using the phrase 開心.
Did you know?
- While 幸福 means 'happiness', its first character 幸 can also mean 'luck' or 'fortune'. This links the idea of being happy with the idea of being lucky in Cantonese culture.
- Because 幸福 carries a connotation of 'blessing', a person might say they 'possess' 幸福 in a way that sounds more like possessing a treasure or a grace than simply feeling an emotion.
- The term 愉快 is rarely used in spoken Cantonese and is almost exclusively reserved for formal writing or official speeches. Using it in a casual chat would sound unnaturally stiff.
Examples in context
- 我好開心見到你。I am very happy to see you.
- 祝你生日快樂！Wishing you a happy birthday!
- 我中獎了！開心到飛起！I won the lottery! I'm so happy I could fly!
- 成日陪佢去影相，人逢喜事精神爽。I often accompany him for photography sessions, and meeting good fortune boosts my spirit.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zijian and Yating are talking about their goals in life.
- 子健 Tsz Kin你覺得咩係幸福？nei5 gok3 dak1 me1 hai6 hing1 fuk1?What do you think happiness is?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting我覺得同家人喺埋一齊就係幸福。ngo5 gok3 dak1 tung4 gaa1 jan4 hai2 maai4 jat1 cai4 zau6 hai6 hing1 fuk1.I think being together with family is happiness.
- 子健 Tsz Kin我同意，簡單嘅生活最幸福。ngo5 tung1 ji6, gaan2 daan1 ge3 sang1 wut6 zeoi3 hing1 fuk1.I agree, a simple life is the happiest.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting係啊，唔需要太多物質。hai6 aa3, m4 seoi3 jiu3 tai2 do1 mat6 zat1.Yes, you don't need too many material things.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happiness” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
