嘿嘿
hēihēi
In Chinese, the phrase "hehe" is expressed as 嘿嘿 (hēihēi). If unsure, use 嘿嘿. Wiktionary also lists 哈哈 (hāhā).
Meaning: sound of a giggle (intj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 嘿嘿 | hēihēi |
| 哈哈 | hāhā |
The term 嘿嘿 is an informal way to represent the sound of a giggle. In digital messaging, it is often used to convey a sense of being sly, mischievous or having a secret joke.
Which one should you use?
While 哈哈 represents a loud, open laugh, 嘿嘿 represents a suppressed, low-pitched or mischievous giggle.
How do you pronounce it?
hēihēi
Did you know?
- In online gaming and forums, users often replace the characters 嘿嘿 with the number '233', which represents a laughing emoji from the early internet era.
- Chinese social media users sometimes use 呵呵 (hēhē) instead of 嘿嘿, but it has evolved into a passive-aggressive way to say 'whatever' or to end a conversation coldly.
- The sound 嘿 can also function as an interjection to get someone's attention, similar to 'Hey!', meaning the same characters can shift from a laugh to a call depending on the pitch.
Examples in context
- 他嘿嘿地笑着。tā hēihēi de xiào zhe.He is giggling.
- 他在那里嘿嘿直笑。tā zài nà lǐ hēihēi zhí xiào.He is just giggling there.
- 嘿嘿，我刚才说错了。hēihēi, wǒ gāng cái shuō cuò le.Hehe, I just misspoke.
Example conversation
Yuting is teasing Haoran about a surprise.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，我给你准备了一个惊喜。Hàorán, wǒ gěi nǐ zhǔnbèile yīgè jīngxǐ.Haoran, I have prepared a surprise for you.
- 浩然 Haoran真的吗？是什么？Zhēnde ma? Shì shénme?Really? What is it?
- 雨婷 Yuting嘿嘿，现在不能告诉你。hēihēi, xiànzài bùnéng gàosù nǐ.Hehe, I can't tell you right now.
- 浩然 Haoran好吧，我等你的惊喜。Hǎo ba, wǒ děng nǐ de jīngxǐ.Alright, I'll wait for your surprise.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hehe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
