喜欢
xǐ huan · HSK 1
to like
😊❤️ 喜 = joy radical + 欢 = cheer; together: feel joy toward something
喜 (xǐ) means joy/happiness, often seen at weddings as 囍. 欢 (huān) means merry or pleased. Stack the two and you get the verb for liking — your heart cheers when you see it.
喜 — drum 壴 (top) + mouth 口 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing a drum (壴) above a mouth (口), depicting people singing or shouting joyfully alongside drumming at a celebration. The combination conveyed festive happiness, and the character came to mean 'joy' or 'to like.' The drum element 壴 itself depicts a drum on a stand.