Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
4 senses · 6 wordsMusic
Happiness or pleasure
Take delight in; appreciate
A reading in particular place names
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 樂 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Source record & scope
Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property
ガク ラク リョウ ゴウ ギョウ たのしむKorean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 낙
- KS X 1001 (0)
- 락
- KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
- 악
- KS X 1001 (0) · Personal-name Hanja (N)
- 요
- KS X 1001 (0) · Personal-name Hanja (N)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Character readings · Quốc ngữ
Vietnamese readings associated with this Han character. This field alone does not establish word meanings, current usage, or a complete account of Hán-Nôm reading traditions.
Go deeperHán Việt (Thi Viện) ↗Wiktionary ↗
Form & structure
Structure & components
4 direct parts- Layout
- complex
- Index radical
- 木 · 75 · 11 residual strokes
The modern form has a central 白-shaped region flanked by thread-like shapes above 木. These are useful visual labels. The historical function of the central element is disputed in the consulted account; modern appearance alone does not settle it.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
A boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
15 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences她每天聽音樂。
她每天听音乐。
She listens to music every day.
和朋友一起散步讓我很快樂。
和朋友一起散步让我很快乐。
Walking with friends makes me happy.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsAn instrument-related account
CUHK interprets early forms as strings attached to wood and relates the graph to a wooden musical instrument. It attributes this analysis to earlier scholarship rather than treating the modern components as a literal inventory.
A later element has competing explanations
For a central 白-like addition, CUHK reports a thumb or plucking interpretation and an alternative phonetic interpretation. This dossier retains both as attributed proposals and does not choose between them from visual resemblance alone.
Reading this character · explanatory note
樂 connects music and enjoyment in writing, but its pronunciations must remain separate. 音樂 / 音乐 and 樂器 / 乐器 use yuè; 快樂 / 快乐 and 樂觀 / 乐观 use lè. Literary yào means to delight in something, and lào survives in particular place names. These are contextual readings, not interchangeable options. CUHK relates early forms to a wooden stringed instrument and discusses competing interpretations of a later central element. The modern character is more intricate than the shortened 乐, but both forms require the same care with words, senses, and reading conventions.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
樂 corresponds to simplified 乐. Script conversion leaves the reading choice unresolved: 音樂 is yīnyuè, while 快樂 is kuàilè. The literary yào and place-name lào readings are explicitly scoped; surnames and additional regional readings are outside the core examples.
藥 contains a 樂-shaped lower portion but is a distinct whole character meaning medicine, normally yào in Mandarin. A character embedded in another does not automatically preserve its standalone reading.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- ngaewH · 五敎 反切 · #2804
- Middle Chinese
- ngaewk · 五角 反切 · #3265
- Middle Chinese
- lak · 盧各 反切 · #3570
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 15250 · ngaewH = 效開二去肴疑 · ngaewk = 江開二入江疑 · lak = 宕開一入唐來
Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗
Sources & reference
Sources & research
6 sourcesLocator & rights
Character entry; 形義通解, 繁簡對應, and cited Shuowen discussion where present · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Four readings with sense sections: yuè, lè, lào, yào · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Headword; 漢語拼音 and 釋義 · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 2 items
- Competing interpretations of the central historical element need independently consulted scholarly treatments.
- Surname readings and less common regional or literary readings are not exhaustively covered.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- yuè,lè,yào,luò,liáo 21280.160
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- lè 0683.041 · yuè 1430.061
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- lè(283) yuè(54)
- Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
- lè粵lok6 yuè粵ngok6 yào粵ngaau4,ngaau6
Reference desk
- Fanqie spellings
- 五敎 五角 盧各
- Kangxi positions
- 0548.200
- Guangyun positions
- 416.59 464.21 505.21
- GSR references
- 1125a
- Cangjie
- VID
- Four-corner
- 2290.4 3290.4