哈哈
the sound of laughing: “ha ha”
Structure
哈哈 （+ 地） + 笑 · 哈哈，+ 句子
What it means
哈哈 (hā hā) copies the sound of laughing, like “ha ha”. It says how someone laughs, or it is a laugh you say or type.
How it is built
哈哈 (+ 地) + 笑: 他哈哈地笑了起来 (he burst out laughing). At the start of a sentence: 哈哈，你说得太对了！ (haha, you’re so right!)
When to use it
Before 笑 it shows loud, open laughter, with or without 地. Online people write 哈哈哈 the way English speakers write “lol”. A common set phrase is 哈哈大笑, “roar with laughter”.
Watch out
哈哈 is not a verb on its own: ✗ 他哈哈了 ✓ 他哈哈地笑了.
Examples
他听了我的笑话，哈哈地笑了起来。
He heard my joke and burst out laughing.
哈哈，你说得太对了！
Haha, you’re so right!
孩子们看着熊猫，都哈哈地笑了。
The children watched the pandas and all laughed out loud.
Learn this in HSK 3 · Lesson 15: 看京剧 (A night at the opera)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →