LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N4Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Joy in Japanese: 喜よろこび (よろこび), 喜よろこぶ, 喜よろこんで, 大喜おおよろこび, and 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく

"Joy" in Japanese is 喜よろこび (よろこび), the noun form of 喜よろこぶ (よろこぶ), "to be glad" or "to rejoice". The polite 喜よろこんで means "gladly" or "with pleasure", 大喜おおよろこび (おおよろこび) is "overjoyed", and the four basic emotions are 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく (きどあいらく): joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure.

Japanese has several ways to talk about happiness, and joy is the most visible one: you see it in a person's reaction. 嬉うれしい describes your own feeling, while 喜よろこぶ describes someone showing joy. This post covers the words, the difference between them, and the warm phrase 喜よろこんで that makes any yes sound generous.

How do you say "joy" in Japanese?

What does 喜よろこび mean?

喜よろこび (よろこび) is joy or delight. It is a slightly formal or written word.

生いきる喜よろこびを感かんじた。 — I felt the joy of being alive. (descriptive) それは大おおきな喜よろこびです。 — That is a great joy. (polite)

What does 喜よろこぶ mean?

喜よろこぶ (よろこぶ) is "to be glad" or "to rejoice", usually describing someone else's visible joy.

母ははがプレゼントを喜よろこんでくれた。 — My mother was delighted with the present. (casual) 子こどもたちは雪ゆきを見みて喜よろこんだ。 — The kids were thrilled to see the snow. (casual)

What is the difference between 嬉うれしい and 喜よろこぶ?

嬉うれしい (うれしい) is your own feeling: "I'm happy". 喜よろこぶ describes someone showing joy. You say 私わたしは嬉うれしい, but 彼かれは喜よろこんでいる. For more happy words, see Japanese words for happy.

合格ごうかくして嬉うれしい。 — I'm happy I passed. (casual) 合格ごうかくして、母ははが喜よろこんだ。 — My mother was overjoyed that I passed. (casual)

What phrases use 喜き?

What does 喜よろこんで mean?

喜よろこんで (よろこんで), "gladly", is a warm way to accept a request or invitation.

喜よろこんでお手伝てつだいします。 — I'd be glad to help. (polite) はい、喜よろこんで! — Yes, with pleasure! (polite, cheerful)

What does 大喜おおよろこび mean?

大喜おおよろこび (おおよろこび) is "overjoyed" or "thrilled".

弟おとうとはゲームをもらって大喜おおよろこびだった。 — My little brother was overjoyed to get the game. (casual)

For excitement words, see excited in Japanese.

What is 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく?

喜怒哀楽きどあいらく (きどあいらく) is the four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure. 喜怒哀楽きどあいらくがはっきりしている describes someone whose emotions show clearly on their face.

彼女かのじょは喜怒哀楽きどあいらくがはっきりしている。 — Her emotions show really clearly. (casual)

Word Reading Meaning
喜よろこび よろこび joy
喜よろこぶ よろこぶ to be glad, rejoice
喜よろこんで よろこんで gladly
大喜おおよろこび おおよろこび overjoyed
嬉うれしい うれしい happy (own feeling)
喜怒哀楽きどあいらく きどあいらく the four emotions
歓喜かんき かんき great joy (formal)
ぬか喜よろこび ぬかよろこび premature joy

Beyond the basics

What does ぬか喜よろこび mean?

ぬか喜よろこび (ぬかよろこび) is premature joy: getting excited about something that turns out not to be true.

当あたったと思おもったけど、ぬか喜よろこびだった。 — I thought I'd won, but it was a false alarm. (casual)

What is 歓喜かんき?

歓喜かんき (かんき) is great joy, a formal or literary word often used for crowds celebrating.

優勝ゆうしょうが決きまり、スタジアムは歓喜かんきに包つつまれた。 — When the win was sealed, the stadium erupted in joy. (news style)

Is 喜き a good kanji tattoo?

喜き alone means joy and is used in celebratory designs. The doubled form 囍means "double happiness" and is linked with weddings.

Common mistakes

  • Saying 私わたしは喜よろこんでいる for your own feeling. Usually say 嬉うれしい.
  • Saying 彼かれは嬉うれしい for someone else. Use 嬉うれしそう or 喜よろこんでいる.
  • Reading 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく as よろどあいらく. It is きどあいらく.
  • Using 喜よろこび in casual chat. It sounds formal; 嬉うれしい is more natural.
  • Reading 大喜おおよろこび as だいよろこび. It is おおよろこび.

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: your own feeling versus someone else's.

1. Say "My mother was delighted with the present."

Show answer

母ははがプレゼントを喜よろこんでくれた。 — 喜よろこぶ.

2. Say "The kids were thrilled to see the snow."

Show answer

子こどもたちは雪ゆきを見みて喜よろこんだ。 — 喜よろこんだ.

3. Say "I'm happy I passed."

Show answer

合格ごうかくして嬉うれしい。 — 嬉うれしい for yourself.

4. Say "My mother was overjoyed that I passed."

Show answer

合格ごうかくして、母ははが喜よろこんだ。 — 喜よろこぶ for others. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Accept a request politely: "I'd be glad to help."

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喜よろこんでお手伝てつだいします。 — 喜よろこんで.

6. Accept an invitation cheerfully: "Yes, with pleasure!"

Show answer

はい、喜よろこんで! — 喜よろこんで.

7. Say "My little brother was overjoyed to get the game."

Show answer

弟おとうとはゲームをもらって大喜おおよろこびだった。 — 大喜おおよろこび.

8. Say "Her emotions show really clearly."

Show answer

彼女かのじょは喜怒哀楽きどあいらくがはっきりしている。 — 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく.

9. Say "I thought I'd won, but it was a false alarm."

Show answer

当あたったと思おもったけど、ぬか喜よろこびだった。 — ぬか喜よろこび.

10. Fix: 彼かれは嬉うれしいです。 (describing someone else)

Show answer

彼かれは喜よろこんでいます。 — or 彼かれは嬉うれしそうです.

FAQ

How do you say "joy" in Japanese? 喜よろこび (よろこび).

What does 喜よろこぶ mean? To be glad or rejoice, usually about someone else.

What is the difference between 嬉うれしい and 喜よろこぶ? 嬉うれしい is your own feeling; 喜よろこぶ describes someone showing joy.

What does 喜よろこんで mean? "Gladly" or "with pleasure".

What is 喜怒哀楽きどあいらく? The four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure.

What does 大喜おおよろこび mean? Overjoyed.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

喜び	よろこび — joy
喜ぶ	よろこぶ — to be glad
喜んで	よろこんで — gladly
大喜び	おおよろこび — overjoyed
嬉しい	うれしい — happy
喜怒哀楽	きどあいらく — the four emotions
歓喜	かんき — great joy
ぬか喜び	ぬかよろこび — premature joy
合格	ごうかく — passing (an exam)
手伝う	てつだう — to help

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. 喜よろこんで is the phrase I teach for saying yes warmly, and the 嬉うれしい versus 喜よろこぶ split is the detail that makes learners sound natural when they describe how others feel. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference dictionaries.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

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