What's the difference between 歓声 and 喜び?

歓声 (かんせい) means "cheer, shout of joy" and 喜び (よろこび) means "(a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations". 'Cheers' (歓声) are the vocal manifestation of 'joy' (喜び). The kanji 歓 (delight) and 喜 (rejoice) are semantically nearly identical, causing learners to confuse the vocalization with the emotion.

Why do JLPT N3 learners confuse 歓声 with 喜び?

Both words occupy adjacent semantic territory, which is exactly why the JLPT uses them as distractors for each other on multiple-choice items. The fastest way to stop confusing them is to study them as a pair, write a one-sentence contrast in your own words, and drill the pair specifically rather than each word in isolation.

Is 歓声 or 喜び more common on JLPT N3?

Both appear in the JLPT N3 curriculum and either may show up on a given exam. Don't try to predict which one the test will choose — learn to distinguish them and you'll be safe regardless. Both belong to the Emotions & Psychology theme of N3 vocabulary.

How do I practice this confusion pair?

Free option: visit /try and pick a confusion drill. Paid option: none — JLPT Mastery is free during launch. Whichever route you take, the engine specifically re-tests pairs you've gotten wrong rather than rotating through general vocabulary review.

JLPT N3 · Intermediate · Meaning confusion

歓声 vs 喜び

Why JLPT N3 learners mix up 歓声 (かんせい, “cheer, shout of joy”) and 喜び (よろこび, “(a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations”).

歓声

かんせい

cheer, shout of joy

noun

喜び

よろこび

(a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations

noun

Theme: Emotions & PsychologyJLPT N3

Why these get confused

'Cheers' (歓声) are the vocal manifestation of 'joy' (喜び). The kanji 歓 (delight) and 喜 (rejoice) are semantically nearly identical, causing learners to confuse the vocalization with the emotion.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 歓声 (cheer, shout of joy) and 喜び ((a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

歓声 (cheer, shout of joy)

聴衆から歓声があがった。
誰もが喜びの歓声を上げました。

喜び ((a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations)

彼は大喜びだ。
トムは大喜びでした。

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N3, this pair shows up as a vocabulary meaning question. You see one word and pick its English equivalent from four options — one of which will be the other word in this pair, chosen as a distractor precisely because of the overlap.

Sample item

「歓声」の意味は？

A. cheer, shout of joy (correct)
B. (a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations (distractor)
C. (other plausible meaning)
D. (other plausible meaning)

Drill this pair until it sticks

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Practice N3 confusion pairs

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Frequently asked

歓声 vs 喜び

歓声

かんせい

cheer, shout of joy

noun

喜び

よろこび

(a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations

noun

Theme: Emotions & PsychologyJLPT N3

Why these get confused

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 歓声 (cheer, shout of joy) and 喜び ((a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

歓声 (cheer, shout of joy)

聴衆から歓声があがった。
誰もが喜びの歓声を上げました。

喜び ((a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations)

彼は大喜びだ。
トムは大喜びでした。

How JLPT tests this pair

Sample item

「歓声」の意味は？

A. cheer, shout of joy (correct)
B. (a) joy, (a) delight, rapture, pleasure, gratification, rejoicing, congratulations, felicitations (distractor)
C. (other plausible meaning)
D. (other plausible meaning)