喜ぶ
よろこぶ
yorokobu
= to rejoice / to be glad / to be pleased / to be delighted
When someone achieves something meaningful — landing a new job, hearing good news from a friend, or receiving an unexpected gift — Japanese speakers reach for yorokobu to express that surge of genuine happiness. It captures heartfelt delight rather than a polite smile.
Yorokobu (喜ぶ) describes an inner state of joy or gladness that arises from something welcome happening. As an intransitive verb, the feeling belongs entirely to the subject — nobody causes it directly, it simply wells up. The noun form yorokobi (喜び) means “joy” or “delight” and appears in phrases like yorokobi no namida (tears of joy). The set phrase yorokonde (喜んで) — literally “with gladness” — functions as a polished way to accept an invitation or request, equivalent to “I’d be happy to” or “with pleasure.” This makes it one of the most practical expressions derived from the verb for everyday social situations.
The set phrase yorokonde! (喜んで！) deserves special attention. When a host asks if you would like more food, or a colleague requests your help on a project, replying yorokonde signals enthusiastic willingness with a warm, polished tone — far more expressive than a plain hai (yes). Be aware that yorokobu is intransitive; to say someone made you happy, use the causative form yorokobaseru or rephrase with ureshii (an adjective describing the feeling).
The kanji 喜 pairs the radical 口 (mouth) beneath 壴, an old pictograph of a drum decorated for a ceremony. Together they evoke the sound of celebration — a drumbeat that makes people open their mouths in joyful exclamation. The full character 喜ぶ therefore carries a visual sense of communal festivity built into its very structure.
Everyday use
合格の知らせを聞いて、彼女はとても喜んだ。
Goukaku no shirase wo kiite, kanojo wa totemo yorokonda.
She was overjoyed when she heard the news that she had passed.
Casual / Social Media
プレゼント届いたよ！本当に喜んでる！
Purezento todoita yo! Hontou ni yorokonderu!
The gift arrived! I’m genuinely so happy!
Formal / Cultural context
ご招待いただき、喜んで参加いたします。
Go-shoutai itadaki, yorokonde sanka itashimasu.
Thank you for the invitation; I will gladly attend.
In Japanese social culture, openly displaying strong emotion can sometimes feel at odds with the value placed on restraint, yet yorokobu occupies a comfortable exception. Expressing joy at someone’s good news or at receiving a kindness is seen as respectful acknowledgment of the other person’s effort, making it socially encouraged rather than excessive.
The noun yorokobi appears frequently in ceremonial and life-milestone language — wedding speeches, graduation messages, and New Year greetings often invoke yorokobi to mark transitions as genuinely happy occasions rather than merely formal ones. This gives the word a slightly elevated, heartfelt register that distinguishes it from more casual expressions of happiness.
In service and hospitality contexts, yorokonde became a signature phrase for staff at izakayas and traditional restaurants responding to a customer’s order. Hearing a server reply yorokonde! with energy signals attentiveness and warmth, and the phrase has since spread into everyday speech as a way to accept any request with genuine enthusiasm.