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HSK 1

高兴

happy; glad

adjectiveneutral5 episodes
高
gāo1st tone
兴
xìng4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
gāoxìng
Part of speech
adjective
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
16
Register
neutral
In episodes
5

Stroke order for 高兴

高兴 is written with 16 strokes (高: 10, 兴: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 高兴 mean?

高兴 (gāoxìng) is the everyday Chinese adjective for 'happy' or 'glad' — specifically, the kind of pleased, cheerful feeling you have in a particular moment.

Unlike English 'happy,' which can describe a whole life ('a happy life'), 高兴 almost always refers to a present mood or a reaction to something good: meeting someone, getting a gift, hearing good news. For 'happy' in the deep, lasting sense — happy marriage, happy childhood — Chinese uses 幸福 (xìngfú) instead.

高兴 functions as both an adjective ('I'm happy') and a verb-like state ('it makes me happy'): 我很高兴, 见到你很高兴 ('nice to meet you,' literally 'meeting you very happy'). Note that the adjective usually takes 很 (hěn) in front in positive statements — 我很高兴, not 我高兴 — even though 很 doesn't really mean 'very' here.

Character by character

高gāohigh; tall
+
兴xìngmood; interest; excitement (second reading xīng = to rise / flourish)
=
高兴

Memory hook: 'High mood' — literally 'high-spirits.' Your mood (兴) is high (高), so you're happy.

Hear 高兴 in real episodes

高兴 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

London Children Called It the Bubble Bus. The Operator Stopped Him Over "Safety Concerns" It Still Will Not Explain.高兴 spoken at natural speedbeginnerDoctors said he would only live to twelve, but this Belgian blogger lived to twenty-eight.高兴 spoken at natural speedbeginnerColombia held the new president's inauguration in Cali instead of the capital Bogotá. The outgoing president locked the barracks and didn't come to watch.高兴 spoken at natural speedbeginnerFlorida Pays People to Find Snakes. One Person Found 96 in 10 Days.高兴 spoken at natural speedbeginnerYoung Nigerian Oba Femi Beat WWE's "Beast" Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage高兴 spoken at natural speedbeginner
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Example sentences

见到你很高兴。

Jiàndào nǐ hěn gāoxìng.

Nice to meet you.

neutral

今天我很高兴。

Jīntiān wǒ hěn gāoxìng.

I'm really happy today.

spoken

他不高兴，因为下雨了。

Tā bù gāoxìng, yīnwèi xià yǔ le.

He's not happy because it's raining.

neutral

妈妈听了很高兴。

Māma tīng le hěn gāoxìng.

Mom was very happy to hear it.

neutral

Common phrases with 高兴

很高兴hěn gāoxìngvery happy
高兴极了gāoxìng jí leextremely happy
不高兴bù gāoxìngunhappy; displeased
见到你很高兴jiàndào nǐ hěn gāoxìngnice to meet you

Synonyms

开心kāixīn

开心 ('happy / cheerful') is more casual and emotionally warm than 高兴. Use 开心 with friends, in casual chat, and in playful contexts. 高兴 is slightly more neutral and works in any register.

快乐kuàilè

快乐 means 'joyful / happy' in a broader, often longer-lasting way. Holiday greetings use 快乐 (生日快乐, 新年快乐), not 高兴. 高兴 is a momentary feeling; 快乐 is a state.

幸福xìngfú

幸福 is the deep, life-level happiness — happy marriage, happy life. Don't use 高兴 for that meaning; it would sound trivial.

Don't confuse 高兴 with

高gāo

高 alone means 'tall / high' — physical height. 高兴 is the compound meaning 'happy.' Saying 我很高 means 'I'm tall,' not 'I'm happy.'

兴趣xìngqù

兴趣 means 'interest / hobby.' Same 兴 character, totally different word. 对……感兴趣 = 'be interested in,' not 'be happy about.'

FAQ

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Acquire it by listening

Meet 高兴 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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