native

How do I say ‘I’m happy for you’?

Warm and natural when congratulating someone on good personal news.

真替你高兴

zhēn tì nǐ gāoxìng

I’m genuinely happy for you.

LITERAL

I’m truly happy on your behalf.

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

I’m genuinely happy for you.

WHEN IT FITS

Good news from a friendAchievements and life eventsSincere personal congratulations

替你 adds the idea of sharing happiness from the other person’s point of view.

替你 carries the idea of standing in someone’s shoes — you are happy on their behalf, not just happy that something happened. 我为你高兴 is grammatically correct but less idiomatic in everyday congratulations. Reserve 恭喜你 for milestone announcements where an explicit congratulation feels expected.

HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT

听说你找到新工作了，真替你高兴。

Tīngshuō nǐ zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le, zhēn tì nǐ gāoxìng.

I heard you found a new job. I’m really happy for you.

Career news

看到你现在这么开心，我也替你高兴。

Kàndào nǐ xiànzài zhème kāixīn, wǒ yě tì nǐ gāoxìng.

Seeing you so happy now makes me happy for you too.

Personal happiness

CHOOSE BY SITUATION

太好了，恭喜你

tài hǎo le, gōngxǐ nǐ

That’s great, congratulations.

The moment calls for explicit congratulations