Happy in Different Languages
Discover 'Happy' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word happy is a simple and universal term that transcends language barriers. It signifies a feeling of joy, contentment, and satisfaction. The significance of this word is universal, as every culture seeks happiness in its own unique way. From the lively festivals of India to the serene landscapes of Scandinavia, the pursuit of happiness is a common thread that binds us all together.
Moreover, understanding the translation of happy in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances of various societies. For instance, the Spanish word for happy, feliz, is derived from the Latin word felix, which means fortunate or lucky. Meanwhile, the German word for happy, glücklich, is a compound of two words: Glück, meaning luck, and haben, meaning to have. This suggests that happiness is often associated with the idea of having good fortune in German culture.
With that in mind, let's explore some of the many translations of the word happy in different languages around the world.
Happy
Happy in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gelukkig | ||
| "Gelukkig" is derived from the Middle Dutch "geluckich", meaning "fortunate" or "lucky". | |||
| Amharic | ደስተኛ | ||
| Although generally accepted to imply a sense of joy and fulfillment, a less known use of ደስተኛ (destenya) carries a sense of fulfillment associated with vengeance and reprisal. | |||
| Hausa | farin ciki | ||
| The Hausa word "farin ciki" also means "satisfied" or "content." | |||
| Igbo | obi ụtọ | ||
| Malagasy | sambatra | ||
| The Malagasy word "SAMBATRA" also carries the meanings of "prosperous," "fortunate," and "lucky." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wokondwa | ||
| The word "wokondwa" can also mean "to be joyful" or "to be glad" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | kufara | ||
| The word "kufara" in Shona has its roots in the Bantu language family and is also used to express joy and contentment. | |||
| Somali | faraxsan | ||
| The word "faraxsan" in Somali can also mean "cheerful" or "joyful". | |||
| Sesotho | thabile | ||
| Thabile can also mean 'steady', 'firm', or 'reliable' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | furaha | ||
| "Furaha" is derived from the Arabic word "farah" meaning "joy, happiness, delight" and also from the Persian word "farah" meaning "delight, pleasure, joy". | |||
| Xhosa | wonwabile | ||
| The word "wonwabile" derives from the Xhosa verb "ukuwona," meaning "to see," suggesting that happiness is derived from experiencing something visually pleasing. | |||
| Yoruba | idunnu | ||
| Ìdúnnú is also used as a name for a child born during a period of great joy or celebration. | |||
| Zulu | ngijabule | ||
| The Zulu word for 'happy' is 'ngijabule' and this can also refer to someone who is wealthy in certain dialects. | |||
| Bambara | ɲagali | ||
| Ewe | dzidzɔ kpɔm | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byishimo | ||
| Lingala | esengo | ||
| Luganda | musanyufu | ||
| Sepedi | thabile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anigyeɛ | ||
Happy in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سعيدة | ||
| The word "سعيدة" ("happy") in Arabic can also refer to a city in Tunisia, a district in Egypt, and a town in Saudi Arabia. | |||
| Hebrew | שַׂמֵחַ | ||
| The word "שַׂמֵחַ" ("happy") derives from the root "שׂמח" meaning "to rejoice," also appearing in the name of the Jewish holiday "Simchat Torah" (literally "Rejoicing of the Torah"). | |||
| Pashto | خوښ | ||
| In the Pashto language, "خوښ" conveys a broader emotional state resembling contentment and tranquility. | |||
| Arabic | سعيدة | ||
| The word "سعيدة" ("happy") in Arabic can also refer to a city in Tunisia, a district in Egypt, and a town in Saudi Arabia. | |||
Happy in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i lumtur | ||
| "I lumtur" (happy) comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₁le(w)- "light, shine," also found in Albanian "lum" (light), "lume" (world), and "lumturim" (illumination). | |||
| Basque | pozik | ||
| The word "pozik" comes from the Basque word "poza", which means "joy". | |||
| Catalan | feliç | ||
| The word "feliç" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "felix," which also means "fertile" or "successful." | |||
| Croatian | sretan | ||
| "Sretan" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sretъ, which originally meant "meeting" or "encounter". | |||
| Danish | lykkelig | ||
| The Danish word "lykkelig" is derived from the Old Norse word "lukka", meaning fortune or luck, and is etymologically related to the English word "lucky". | |||
| Dutch | gelukkig | ||
| Gelukkig derives from the Proto-Germanic word *gailaikaz, meaning "auspicious" or "favored by the gods". | |||
| English | happy | ||
| The word "happy" originates from the Old Norse "happ", meaning "good luck" or "chance", and is related to the words "happen" and "haptic". | |||
| French | content | ||
| The French word "content" can also mean "satisfied" or "pleased". | |||
| Frisian | lokkich | ||
| The word "lokkich" also means "pleasant" or "funny" and is related to the word "lokkum", meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Galician | feliz | ||
| In Galician, "feliz" can also mean "lucky" or "fortunate". | |||
| German | glücklich | ||
| The word "glücklich" is derived from the Middle High German "gelücke", meaning "good fortune" or "luck". | |||
| Icelandic | ánægður | ||
| Ánægður is etymologically related to the word 'nægja' ('enough'), suggesting a state of contentment or fulfillment. | |||
| Irish | sásta | ||
| Irish 'sásta' also means 'contented, satisfied' and derives from the Old Irish 'sáth', meaning 'enough' | |||
| Italian | contento | ||
| The term "contento" in Italian, deriving from the Latin "contentus," also denotes satisfaction, fulfillment, or serenity. | |||
| Luxembourgish | glécklech | ||
| The word "glécklech" is derived from the Germanic root *glai-*, meaning "to shine" or "to be bright". | |||
| Maltese | kuntenti | ||
| The word "kuntenti" comes ultimately from the Latin "content" referring to contentment | |||
| Norwegian | lykkelig | ||
| "Lykkelig" has roots in the old Norse word "lukka" meaning "closed" or "locked," implying a state of feeling secure and satisfied. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | feliz | ||
| The word "feliz" is derived from the Latin word "felix", meaning "fruitful", "prosperous", or "lucky". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | toilichte | ||
| "Toilichte" is derived from the Old Irish word "taíliucht," meaning "great joy" or "exultation." | |||
| Spanish | feliz | ||
| Feliz, from the Latin 'felix,' also means 'fruitful' and 'fortunate.' | |||
| Swedish | lycklig | ||
| The word 'Lycklig' also relates to the Swedish word 'lycka', meaning 'luck' or 'fortune'. | |||
| Welsh | hapus | ||
| In Welsh, the word "hapus" also refers to a "calm sea" or "harbor". | |||
Happy in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шчаслівы | ||
| The Belarusian word "шчаслівы" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*sъčastije", which means "happiness" or "good luck". | |||
| Bosnian | sretan | ||
| The word "sretan" is also used to describe someone who has a good fortune or luck. | |||
| Bulgarian | щастлив | ||
| The word щастлив is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съчастие", meaning "participation" or "communion". | |||
| Czech | šťastný | ||
| The word "šťastný" originated from the verb "stihnouti," meaning "to reach," implying a sense of fulfillment. | |||
| Estonian | õnnelik | ||
| The root of the word õnnelik is 'õnn', which can refer to luck, fortune, or blessedness, and can thus imply more than just a fleeting sensation of happiness. | |||
| Finnish | onnellinen | ||
| "Onnellinen" may also mean "fortunate" or "lucky." | |||
| Hungarian | boldog | ||
| A Magyar Etimológiai Szótár (Etymological Dictionary of Hungarian) suggests that the word 'boldog' evolved from the Proto-Uralic word '*pal(a)' meaning "to rejoice, to be happy" | |||
| Latvian | laimīgs | ||
| The Latvian word "laimīgs" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word "leiman", meaning "fate" or "destiny". | |||
| Lithuanian | laimingas | ||
| The word "laimingas" is also related to "laimė" (luck), suggesting a connection between happiness and good fortune. | |||
| Macedonian | среќен | ||
| The Macedonian word “среќен” (“happy”) is etymologically related to the Albanian “sherën” (“good”), the Romanian “serene” (“festive”) and the Turkish “şirin” (“sweet”). | |||
| Polish | szczęśliwy | ||
| The word "szczęśliwy" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъčęstь, meaning "fate" or "fortune". | |||
| Romanian | fericit | ||
| The Romanian word "fericit" is derived from the Latin word "felix", meaning "fruitful" or "fortunate". | |||
| Russian | счастливый | ||
| The Russian word "счастливый" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*sъčastije" meaning "good fortune" or "luck". The word has alternate meanings of "lucky" and "fortunate" in contemporary Russian. | |||
| Serbian | срећан | ||
| The word "срећан" (happy) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*sъrekъ", and also means "fortunate" or "lucky". | |||
| Slovak | šťasný | ||
| The Slovak word šťasný can also mean "fortunate," while its archaic form šťastný can mean "blessed." | |||
| Slovenian | vesel | ||
| The Slovenian word "vesel" is a cognate of the English word "vessel" and shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as the Greek word "eudaimonia" meaning "well-being" | |||
| Ukrainian | щасливі | ||
| The word "щасливі" (happy) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъčęstь, meaning "good fate" or "good luck." | |||
Happy in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সুখী | ||
| In Sanskrit, "sukh" means "painless", implying freedom from pain or discomfort. | |||
| Gujarati | ખુશ | ||
| The Gujarati word "ખુશ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सुख" meaning "well-being" and also refers to a feeling of contentment or joy. | |||
| Hindi | खुश | ||
| The Hindi word 'खुश' ('khush') shares the common Proto-Indo-European root '*kus-' with English 'good' | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂತೋಷ | ||
| ಸಂತೋಷ comes from the Sanskrit word "santushta" meaning "content" or "satisfied". | |||
| Malayalam | സന്തോഷം | ||
| സന്തോഷം (santoṣam) is a direct loan from Sanskrit, and carries the meanings of contented, calm and unruffled, as well as cheerful and joyful. | |||
| Marathi | आनंदी | ||
| "आनंदी" in Marathi means "happy" and can also be used to refer to someone who is cheerful or joyous. | |||
| Nepali | खुसी | ||
| "खुसी" can also mean "sun" in Nepali, and the word is derived from the Sanskrit word "khushî," which means "joy, happiness, or delight." | |||
| Punjabi | ਖੁਸ਼ | ||
| The word "ਖੁਸ਼" in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "सुख" (sukh), meaning "pleasure", "comfort", or "ease". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සතුටු | ||
| "සතුටු" can also mean "wealthy", which is the result of "being happy". | |||
| Tamil | சந்தோஷமாக | ||
| Telugu | సంతోషంగా | ||
| The word "సంతోషంగా" in Telugu derived from Sanskrit "santushta," and also means "joyfully, cheerfully, or with pleasure." | |||
| Urdu | خوش | ||
| The term "خوش" comes from old Turkish and Persian meaning "good taste or smell", hence a sensation of contentment or delight. | |||
Happy in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 快乐 | ||
| "Happy" (快乐 in simplified Chinese) is also used as a greeting, similar to "hello" in English | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 快樂 | ||
| 快樂, literally "quick joy," from Cantonese "faat3 lok6" meaning "quickly obtain joy". | |||
| Japanese | ハッピー | ||
| The word "ハッピー" ("happy") in Japanese is a loanword from English that originally meant "lucky", and can still be used in that sense. | |||
| Korean | 행복 | ||
| The word "행복" (happy) in Korean can also mean "fortunate" or "lucky". | |||
| Mongolian | аз жаргалтай | ||
| The term "аз жаргалтай" (happy) can be traced back to the Proto-Mongolic root word "*jarγa-," meaning "to rejoice" or "to be happy," with the suffix "-ltai" denoting a state of being. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပျော်တယ် | ||
Happy in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | senang | ||
| Senang in Indonesian can also refer to a sensation of relief, as well as a state of being satisfied or content. | |||
| Javanese | seneng | ||
| The word "seneng" in Javanese can also mean "wealthy" or "prosperous". | |||
| Khmer | រីករាយ | ||
| The word "រីករាយ" also means "to be rich" and comes from the Sanskrit word "rājas" meaning "king". | |||
| Lao | ມີຄວາມສຸກ | ||
| Malay | gembira | ||
| The word "gembira" originally meant "to tremble or shudder" in Malay, but over time its meaning has shifted to describe a state of happiness or excitement. | |||
| Thai | มีความสุข | ||
| The Thai word "มีความสุข" derives from Sanskrit "sukha" meaning "ease" and "delight" and Pali "sukha" meaning "well-being." | |||
| Vietnamese | vui mừng | ||
| Vui mừng is a compound word formed by the combination of vui and mừng, which mean “joyous” and “happy” respectively. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | masaya | ||
Happy in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xoşbəxtəm | ||
| The word "xoşbəxtəm" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian phrase "khosh bakht"," which means "good fortune" or "good luck." | |||
| Kazakh | бақытты | ||
| In the Altai language, "bakyt" denotes the spiritual dimension of luck or fortune. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бактылуу | ||
| The word "бактылуу" is derived from the Old Turkic word "bahtlyg," meaning "fortunate" or "lucky." | |||
| Tajik | хушбахт | ||
| "Хушбахт" also means "fortunate" and, etymologically, derives from Persian "khūsh" (good) and "bakht" (luck, fortune). | |||
| Turkmen | bagtly | ||
| Uzbek | baxtli | ||
| This word is thought to be of Arabic origin, and it is also used in Turkish and Turkmen. | |||
| Uyghur | خۇشال | ||
Happy in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hauʻoli | ||
| 'Hauʻoli' shares a root word with 'haulani,' which means 'heavenly' in Hawaiian, suggesting a connection between happiness and the divine. | |||
| Maori | koa | ||
| The word “koa” also means “brave” in Maori and is associated with physical strength and courage. | |||
| Samoan | fiafia | ||
| The word "fiafia" comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *fia*, which means "to enjoy oneself" or "to have fun." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | masaya | ||
| "Masaya" may also mean "bright" or "shining" in an old Tagalog dictionary. | |||
Happy in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kusisita | ||
| Guarani | vy'a | ||
Happy in International Languages
| Esperanto | feliĉa | ||
| Esperanto's "feliĉa" derives from the Latin "felix," meaning "fruitful, fortunate, happy, or lucky." | |||
| Latin | felix | ||
| "Felix" in Latin can also refer to a type of plant known as the fern or brake. | |||
Happy in Others Languages
| Greek | χαρούμενος | ||
| The Greek word "χαρούμενος" is also used to describe animals, particularly horses, that are spirited, joyful, or playful. | |||
| Hmong | zoo siab | ||
| Zoo siab means joyful in the Hmong language, but the term zoo literally refers to "good water". | |||
| Kurdish | şa | ||
| The Kurdish word 'şa' is also used to describe a feeling of contentment, well-being, or joy. | |||
| Turkish | mutlu | ||
| In Turkish, "mutlu" originates from Arabic, "metluw," and means "pleased" or "satisfied" in a more general sense. | |||
| Xhosa | wonwabile | ||
| The word "wonwabile" derives from the Xhosa verb "ukuwona," meaning "to see," suggesting that happiness is derived from experiencing something visually pleasing. | |||
| Yiddish | צופרידן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'Tsofriden' ('happy') derives from the Hebrew word 'sofer' ('scribe'), implying a state of contentment with one's life and accomplishments. | |||
| Zulu | ngijabule | ||
| The Zulu word for 'happy' is 'ngijabule' and this can also refer to someone who is wealthy in certain dialects. | |||
| Assamese | সুখী | ||
| Aymara | kusisita | ||
| Bhojpuri | खुश | ||
| Dhivehi | އުފާ | ||
| Dogri | खुश | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | masaya | ||
| Guarani | vy'a | ||
| Ilocano | naragsak | ||
| Krio | gladi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆشحاڵ | ||
| Maithili | खुश | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hlim | ||
| Oromo | gammadaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖୁସି | ||
| Quechua | kusi | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रसन्नः | ||
| Tatar | бәхетле | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕጉስ | ||
| Tsonga | tsaka | ||