Chinese word

呵呵

Pronunciation

Pinyinhē hē

Meaning

  • interjectionha-ha

Example

他讲了个故事，大家都呵呵笑起来。tā jiǎng le gè gù shì dà jiā dōu hē hē xiào qǐ lái

He told a story, and everyone started chuckling.

Illustration for 呵呵 (ha-ha)

More examples

她看到那条消息，回了个呵呵就继续看别的。tā kàn dào nà tiáo xiāo xī huí le gè hē hē jiù jì xù kàn bié de

She saw the message, replied with "ha-ha," and continued looking at other things.

Core concept

A quick laugh that lightly acknowledges a remark without showing strong emotion.

Common phrases

  • 回了句呵呵huí le jù hē hē

    reply with ha-ha

  • 对着手机呵呵一笑duì zhe shǒu jī hē hē yí xiào

    chuckle at the phone

Similar words

哈哈hā hā: A loud, cheerful laugh expressing clear amusement.
嘻嘻xī xī: A soft, happy giggle with a playful tone.
嘿嘿hēi hēi: A sly, slightly proud chuckle that suggests a private pleasure.

Definition in Chinese

表示轻松、短促的笑声，常用于口语或聊天中作为随意的回应biǎo shì qīng sōng duǎn cù de xiào shēng cháng yòng yú kóu yǔ huò liáo tiān zhōng zuò wéi suí yì de huí yìng

Word origin

The reduplication in 呵呵 (hēhē, "ha-ha") gives the interjection two matching beats, echoing the short sound of casual laughter.

Usage tips

  • Unlike a full written sentence, this interjection can stand alone as a quick chat reply that acknowledges a comment without adding much content.

Other meanings

  • laughverb
  • hehinterjection

Opposites

  • 呜呜wū wūboo-hoointerjection

Related words

  • 呵呵声hē hē shēngchucklenoun

Word lists with this word