Chinese Conversation · Level 1
86 words
Chinese word
嘻嘻
Pronunciation
Pinyinxī xī
Meaning
- interjectionhee-hee
Example
她发了个表情，嘻嘻。tā fā le gè biǎo qíng xī xī
She sent an emoji that read, "Hee-hee."
More examples
他有点害羞，笑着说：'嘻嘻'。tā yóu diǎn hài xiū xiào zhe shuō xī xī
He was a little shy and said, "Hee-hee," with a smile.
Core concept
A small written laugh that makes nearby words feel playful and close rather than fully serious.
Common phrases
笑着说嘻嘻xiào zhe shuō xī xī
say hee-hee with a smile
发个嘻嘻语音fā gè xī xī yǔ yīn
send a hee-hee voice message
Similar words
哈哈hā hā: An open, hearty laugh expressed with a clear sense of amusement.
呵呵hē hē: A quiet, restrained laugh that suggests shyness or mild embarrassment.
嘿嘿hēi hēi: A private, playful laugh with a mischievous or self-satisfied tone.
Definition in Chinese
表示轻笑或带有玩笑意味的语气，常在书面聊天中以重复形式出现，用以软化语气或表示亲近。biǎo shì qīng xiào huò dài yǒu wán xiào yì wèi de yǔ qì cháng zài shū miàn liáo tiān zhōng yǐ chóng fù xíng shì chū xiàn yòng yǐ ruǎn huà yǔ qì huò biǎo shì qīn jìn
Word origin
The character 嘻 (xī, "cheerful exclamation") combines the mouth radical 口 (kǒu, "mouth") with 喜 (xǐ, "joy"), and repeating it forms a light chat interjection.
Usage tips
- In Chinese messages, this interjection can soften a request or teasing remark, but it can sound too casual in a formal work message.
Other meanings
- tee-heeinterjection
- with a giggleadverb
Opposites
- 呜呜wū wūboo-hoointerjection
Related words
- 笑嘻嘻xiào xī xīgrinningadjective