Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| हर्ष | harṣ | /ɦəɾʂ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| आनंद | ānand | /ɑː.nənd̪/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| ख़ुशी | xuśī | /xʊ.ʃiː/ (Hindi, Standard) /kʰʊ.ʃiː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
feminine |
| सुख | sukh | /sʊkʰ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| प्रसन्नता | prasannatā | /pɾə.sənn.t̪ɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| आह्लाद | āhlād | /ɑːɦ.lɑːd̪/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
All these terms refer to a feeling of happiness.
Which one should you use?
While these words all relate to joy or happiness, they carry different nuances. आनंद often implies a deeper, more spiritual or profound sense of bliss or joy compared to everyday happiness. In contrast, सुख is often used to refer to material comfort, prosperity or a state of well-being rather than just an emotional burst of joy. हर्ष is a more formal, literary term often used to describe a sudden or outward expression of delight.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Hindi offers several levels of formality for this concept. आनंद is a formal way to say joy in Hindi.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ख़ुशी is a feminine noun, so any adjectives describing it must also be in the feminine form.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for हर्ष is harṣ. The IPA pronunciation is /ɦəɾʂ/.
Did you know?
- The word आनंद is so central to Indian thought that it appears in the term 'Sat-Chit-Ananda', which describes the three natures of the ultimate reality: truth, consciousness and bliss.
- The word ख़ुशी comes from Persian, showing the deep influence of Islamic and Persian culture on the everyday vocabulary of joy in North India.
- In Hindi philosophy, the opposite of सुख is दुख, and together they represent the duality of human existence often discussed in spiritual teachings.
Example sentences for Hindi are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Priya and Rahul are celebrating a promotion.
- प्रिया Priyaराहुल, तुम्हारी तरक्की की खबर सुनकर मुझे बहुत हर्ष हुआ।Rahul, tumhari tarakki ki khabar sunkar mujhe bahut harsh hua.Rahul, I felt great joy hearing the news of your promotion.
- राहुल Rahulशुक्रिया प्रिया! मैं भी बहुत खुश हूँ।Shukriya Priya! Main bhi bahut khush hoon.Thank you Priya! I am very happy too.
- प्रिया Priyaहम इसे आज पार्टी करके मनाएंगे।Hum ise aaj party karke manayenge.We will celebrate this with a party today.
- राहुल Rahulहाँ, यह विचार बहुत अच्छा है।Haan, yeh vichar bahut accha hai.Yes, that is a very good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “joy” translations and entries हर्ष, आनंद, ख़ुशी, सुख, प्रसन्नता, आह्लाद, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries आनंद, ख़ुशी, सुख, हर्ष, CC BY-SA 4.0.
