欢

歡
huān
adjective #6,287

Meanings

  1. 1 happy; joyous; pleased

Examples

HSK 1
Wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.
I like Chinese food.
HSK 3
Huānyíng nǐ lái wǒ jiā.
Welcome to my home.

Tips

usage
欢 appears in 喜欢 (to like), 欢迎 (welcome), 欢乐 (joyful), and 欢呼 (to cheer). 喜欢 is one of the first words learners encounter.

Components

radical
欠 qiàn
to owe; yawn
Right radical 欠 depicts a person with mouth wide open exhaling - used for breath-related and mouth-open actions. Anchors 欢 in the image of joyful laughter, the open-mouthed exhale of delight. Same 欠 radical in 歌 (sing), 歇 (rest), 次 (next), 吹 (blow) - all activities involving an open mouth or pause for breath.
semantic
又 yòu
right hand; again
Left 又 (right hand) is a graphic placeholder in the simplified form. Traditional 歡 had the elaborate 雚 (huān, heron) phonetic on the left; the 1956 reform replaced it with 又 for simplicity - a stand-in shape that no longer carries phonetic value. Same 又 substitution appears in 鸡 (chicken) and 难 (difficult) where 又 replaces complex left-side phonetics.

Stroke Order

欢 huān