Wouldn’t you agree that we all need a little more joy in our lives? The Italian word for this positive sentiment is gioia.
gioia
joy
Gioia is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- la gioia = the joy
- le gioie = the joys
- una gioia = a joy
- (delle) gioie = (some) joys
Gioia, similar to the English word joy, can denote both a state of being and the source of one’s happiness, as illustrated in the following two example phrases.
Il bambino ha fatto un salto di gioia quando ha ricevuto il suo regalo di Natale.
The boy jumped for joy when he received his Christmas present.
Il Natale è il momento ideale per festeggiare le gioie della vita.
Christmas is the ideal time to celebrate the joys of life.
Gioia can also be used to describe a person, such as a daughter or son, who brings happiness and joy. In this context, alternative translations may include darling or light of one’s life. What’s more, gioia and gioia mia (literally “my joy”) are very common terms of endearment in Italian.
Sei la mia gioia, figlia mia.
You’re the light of my life, my daughter.
Below are a few expressions you might encounter containing the word gioia:
- essere pazzo / pazza di gioia = to be overjoyed
- darsi alla pazza gioia = to live it up / have a wild time
- essere fuori di sé dalla gioia = to be bursting with joy
Sometimes you’ll hear the expression che gioia, which literally translates to ‘what joy,’ but is closer in meaning to the English ‘how nice‘ or ‘that’s great.’ It can be used sincerely or sarcastically.
- Che gioia essere qui! = How nice it is to be here!
- Che gioia, sta piovendo di nuovo! = Oh great, it’s raining again!
You might also encounter the sarcastic expression Mai una gioia! (lit. never a joy!) which is used to convey a sense of perpetual disappointment, frustration, or dissatisfaction about the events happening in one’s life. In English, we might simply say My life sucks! or Nothing ever seems to go right!
In addition to its joyful meaning, gioia can also mean jewel, gem or precious stone. For example, you could describe a woman as being coperta di gioie (covered in jewels).
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
