хе-хе́
xe-xé
The Russian phrase for a giggle is хе-хе́ (xe-xé), which corresponds to the English "hehe". Wiktionary also lists ха-ха́ (xa-xá).
Meaning: sound of a giggle (intj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| хе-хе́ | xe-xé |
| ха-ха́ | xa-xá |
While хе-хе́ and its variations represent a light, mischievous or suppressed giggle, other forms like ха-ха́ represent louder, more genuine laughter.
Which one should you use?
The form хе-хе́ represents a quiet, sly or mischievous chuckle. In contrast, ха-ха́ is used for loud, hearty and genuine laughter.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
xe-xé
When do people say it?
For widespread, standard laughter in text messages, Хаха (Khaha) is commonly used.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'hehe' for a cute giggle, a Russian speaker using хе-хе might accidentally sound like a villain in a cartoon.
- In Russian internet slang, people often use the letter ы to create ыыы, which represents a clumsy or awkward laugh rather than a mischievous giggle like хе-хе́.
- Russian has a specific word хохотать, derived from the loud sound of ха-ха́, which means to laugh loudly and uncontrollably, similar to 'guffawing'.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hehe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
