gioia di vivere
/ˈd͡ʒɔ.ja di ˈvi.ve.re/word by wordfeminine
The English phrase 'joie de vivre' is translated into Italian as gioia di vivere.
gioia di vivere refers to an enjoyment of living or a zest for life.
Meaning: enjoyment of living, zest for life (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of gioia (joy), di (of) and vivere (to live/living).
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun gioia is feminine. If you choose to use an article with the phrase, you must use the feminine form, such as la gioia di vivere.
How do you pronounce it?
The phrase has 5 syllables and the stress is on the first syllable: /ˈdʒɔ.ja di ˈvi.ve.re/.
Did you know?
- In Italy, the concept of gioia di vivere is often linked to 'la dolce vita', though the latter refers more to a lifestyle of luxury and pleasure.
- The Italian word gioia is a linguistic sibling of the English word 'joy', as both evolved from the Latin 'gaudium'.
- The verb vivere is used in the phrase vivere alla giornata, meaning to live for today or take things one day at a time.
Examples in context
- Ho una grande gioia di vivere!I have great joy for living!
- Mi piace la tua spensieratezza!I love your carefree spirit!
- La sua gioia di vivere è contagiosa.Her zest for life is contagious.
- Abbiamo bisogno di un po' di gioia di vivere.We need a bit of enjoyment of living.
- Il nonno mantiene una grande gioia di vivere.Grandpa maintains a great zest for life.
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are talking at a cafe about a mutual friend.
- MatteoCome sta la nostra nuova amica?How is our new friend?
- MartinaLei ha una bellissima gioia di vivere!She has a beautiful zest for life!
- MatteoÈ vero, sembra sempre felice.It is true, she always seems happy.
- MartinaSì, mi trasmette molta energia.Yes, she gives me a lot of energy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “joie de vivre” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (gioia, di, vivere) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries di, gioia, vivere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
