Usage note
哈常表示笑声，也可表示感叹。
hā cháng biǎo shì xiào shēng， yě kě biǎo shì gǎn tàn。
哈 means laughter or an exclamation.
Context note
哈常用于口语、聊天和笑。
hā cháng yòng yú kǒu yǔ 、 liáo tiān hé xiào。
It is often used in spoken language, chatting, and laughter.
5 examples
哈，我知道了。
hā， wǒ zhī dào le。
Ha, I know now.
他说完大家都哈了一声。
tā shuō wán dà jiā dōu hā le yì shēng。
After he finished speaking, everyone laughed with a 'ha'.
哈，这个问题不难。
hā， zhè ge wèn tí bù nán。
Ha, this question is not hard.
她笑着说哈。
tā xiào zhe shuō hā。
She said 'ha' with a smile.
哈表示轻松的笑。
hā biǎo shì qīng sōng de xiào。
Ha expresses a light laugh.
5 mini stories
他说了个笑话，大家哈地笑了。
tā shuō le gè xiào huà， dà jiā hā dì xiào le。
He told a joke, and everyone laughed 'ha'.
孩子听完后，哈了一声。
hái zi tīng wán hòu， hā le yì shēng。
The child laughed 'ha' after hearing it.
她看到可爱的猫，哈地笑了。
tā kàn dào kě ài de māo， hā dì xiào le。
She laughed 'ha' when she saw the cute cat.
哈，有时候只是很轻的感叹。
hā， yǒu shí hòu zhǐ shì hěn qīng de gǎn tàn。
Ha is sometimes just a light exclamation.
朋友聊天时常会说哈。
péng yǒu liáo tiān shí cháng huì shuō hā。
Friends often say ha when chatting.
Mini dialogue
Funny joke
A
你看，那只小狗在追自己的尾巴，哈哈！
Nǐ kàn, nà zhī xiǎo gǒu zài zhuī zìjǐ de wěiba, hā hā!
Look, that puppy is chasing its own tail, ha ha!
B
哈，真好笑！
Hā, zhēn hǎoxiào!
Ha, so funny!
Surprise
A
哈，原来你躲在这里！
Hā, yuánlái nǐ duǒ zài zhèlǐ!
Ha, so you were hiding here!
B
被你发现了！
Bèi nǐ fāxiàn le!
You found me!
Related words and contrasts
similar
哈哈
hāhā
haha (laughter)
哈哈 is the sound of laughter, often used to show happiness.
similar
嘻
xī
hee (giggle)
嘻 is a light giggling sound, sometimes used in playful contexts.
contrast
嘿
hēi
hey
嘿 is used to get attention, unlike 哈 which expresses laughter or surprise.